Julius Caesar Essay Research Paper The era

Julius Caesar Essay, Research Paper

The era of Julius Caesar was a time when many people?s feelings toward the

government began to change. This was one of the first times in Roman history

when people began to question the power of their ruler. In the play, The Tragedy

of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, we see a brief picture of this Roman

life during the time of the First Triumvirate. In this snap shot, many

unfortunate things occur as a result of these strong feelings towards the

government of that time. Shakespeare gives us the idea that many people try to

circumvent what the future holds, such as unfortunate things, by being

superstitious. Superstition seems to play a role in the basic daily life of most

Roman citizens, and exists as an important, deciding factor in the events and

outcome of the play itself. The setting of the first scene of the play is based

upon superstition. The Feast of Lupercal is in honor of the god Pan, the queen

of fertility. During this time, infertile females are supposed to be able to

procreate, and fertile ones are supposed to be able to bear more. It is also a

supposed time of sexual glorification and happiness. Other scenes depict how

mysterious sooth-sayers, who are supposedly given the power to predict the

future, roam the streets of Rome. Dictating what is to come through terse

tidbits, these people may also be looked upon as superstitious. In the opening

scene, one sooth-sayer, old in his years, warns Caesar to "Beware the Ides

of March," an admonition of Caesar’s impending death. Although sooth-sayers

are looked upon by many as insane, out of touch lower classmen, a good deal of

them, obviously including the sayer Caesar encountered, are indeed right on the

mark. Since they lack any formal office or shop, and they predict forthcomings

without fee, one can see quite easily why citizens would distrust their

predictions. Superstition, in general elements such as the Feast of Lupercal, as

well as on a personal level such as with the sooth-sayers, is an important

factor in determining the events and the outcome of The Tragedy of Julius

Caesar, and a significant force throughout the entire course of the play. Before

the play fully unravels, we see other signs of Caesar’s tragic end. Aside from

the sooth-sayer’s warning, we see another sign during Caesar’s visit with the

Augerers, the latter day "psychics". They find "No heart in the

beast", which they interpret as advice to Caesar that he should remain at

home. Caesar brushes it off and thinks of it as a rebuke from the gods, meaning

that he is a coward if he does not go out, and so he dismisses the wise advice

as hearsay. However, the next morning, his wife Calpurnia wakes up frightened