From diviners to stormy nights, William Shakespeare found a way to incorporate superstition, omens and the theme of destiny into famous scenes from his political play, Julius Caesar. . This made readers question the purpose and importance of the omens and omens in the play and how they reflect the times in which Julius Caesar lived. The fact that Shakespeare, who lived in the late 1500s, was writing about Julius Caesar who lived between 100 BC and 44 BC, also allows the reader to wonder if the superstitions, omens, and themes of fate were more reflective of the Roman Empire. or the Elizabethan era. Research has shown that most omens and omens in Julius Caesar reflect the Roman Empire, but there is also a presence of these superstitions from Shakespeare's life in the Elizabethan era. This knowledge of these visions of omens, superstitions and destiny, gathered from research on the two different periods, allows for a different impact of the play on the reader and allows the reader to better understand what they are reading. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Many of Shakespeare's tragedies were well known for his incorporation of supernatural forces into his plays. From the three witches in Macbeth to the nightmare experienced by Richard III, Shakespeare obviously had some knowledge of omens and omens. That being said, there are also many supernatural forces in the play Julius Caesar, but to what extent do these forces reflect what was believed during Julius Caesar's lifetime and which of these forces did Shakespeare incorporate into according to the beliefs of his time? Julius Caesar was born in 100 BC and was assassinated in 44 BC (Maltz), while Shakespeare was born in 1564 and died in 1616. Due to the large time difference between the lives of Julius Caesar and that of Shakespeare, there are bound to be Certain omens and other supernatural forces in the play that reflect Shakespeare's times more than the times in which Julius Caesar lived. During Julius Caesar's life, the most important omens included "unusual behavior of birds and animals, strange births, spontaneous movements." by statues, lighting, etc. (Maltz) In a story of omens recorded in the time of Julius Caesar, the account of "A three-footed mule was born in Reate" (Maltz) is included. This is a real-life example of how strange births were something strange and threatening that needed to be reported. An omen from Julius Caesar's play that reflects the omens of 100 BC. in the streets” (The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, 2.2, 25). This quote means that during the night, a lioness gave birth in the street. This incident is an omen of strange births, making it very reflective and typical of omens from the Roman Empire. There are various bird encounters in the play and although they have been considered a bad omen throughout all time, the specific behavior of the birds is what makes them representative of the Roman Empire. The birds and the stormy, bright lighting of the night when Caesar's assassination was planned, added to the omens reflecting the times of Julius Caesar. In Act 1, Scene 3, Casa says he saw “the night owl,” which probably meant an owl, sitting “even at noon in the market place, hooting and screeching” (lines 34-35). Then, in Act 5, Scene 1, Cassius tells Brutus and Messala that he saw “Two mighty eagles fell, and there they perched, gorging and feeding from the hands of our soldiers…. This morning,they fled and departed, And in their place are crows, crows, and kites” (Lines 101-102 and 106-108). Cassius saw these eagles as symbols of him, of Brutus and believed that they would both die in battle when the eagles were replaced by ravens and crows. These two examples from the play are descriptions of the unusual behavior of birds, which was a common omen at the time. These examples also show that Shakespeare, once again, used omens that reflected the Roman Empire. As for the stormy night in which Cassius and Brutus planned Caesar's assassination, the "thunderbolts and such" (Maltz) were also omens of Caesar's time. There was also thunder and lightning the morning Caesar went to meet the Senate. In a book of omens recorded, from 84 to 54 BC, events such as “Lightning struck the temples of Moon and Ceres…” (Maltz) and “Thunder and lightning flashed across the sky…” (Maltz ) showing that Shakespeare knew that storms were omens in Roman culture. Along with the use of omens reflective of the Roman Empire, Shakespeare also, intentionally or not, used omens and supernatural forces that were more reflective of his times. A very memorable character from Julius Caesar is the soothsayer. The soothsayer warns Caesar to “beware of the Ides of March” (1.2, 30) and when the Ides of March arrives and Caesar tells the soothsayer, “the ides have come” (3.1, 1), the soothsayer responds “Yes, Caesar, but not disappeared. (3.1, 2) The soothsayer is a very important supernatural force in the play because he predicts that day Caesar's life will end. It is very reminiscent of the belief in witches in the Elizabethan era. There were a total of 270 Elizabethan witch trials during this era (Alchin, Elizabethan Superstitions), which extended into Shakespeare's lifetime. Although the soothsayer was not a witch, her supernatural power to predict the future shows influences from the beliefs of Shakespeare's time. Another important omen in the play is Calpurnia's dream the night before Caesar goes to meet the Senate. The use of this omen can be seen in the complex Elizabethan views on dreams as omens. In Elizabethan times there were three types of dreams: natural, divine and supernatural (Camden). Supernatural dreams were dreams that foretold the future, making Calpurnia's dream very representative of the Elizabethan era. There are many other examples of omens, omens, and supernatural forces in Julius Caesar that reflect both the Roman Empire and the Elizabethan era, but the main point is that in the play Shakespeare used omens and omens that were more authentic to Julius Caesar. Caesar's time while incorporating some of the beliefs of his time. A very important theme in Julius Caesar was destiny. As the omens and omens show, there are ideas of fate in the play that reflect the beliefs of Shakespeare's time and that of Julius Caesar. In the Elizabethan era, it was strongly believed that a person's destiny was predestined based on the astrological alignments of their birth (Alchin). It was believed that the events in a person's life and the decisions they made during their life did not matter because their destiny was already decided for them (Alchin). This belief is reflected in the play whenever Julius Caesar dismisses omens and events presented to him as warnings. In Act 2, Scene 2, after Calpurnia tells Caesar about the event that happened during the night, he responds: "It seems to me very strange that men should be afraid, seeingthat death, a necessary end, will come when it comes” (lines 35). -37). This shows that Caesar believes his fate is beyond his control, just as the Elizabethans believed. An example that goes against this belief is when Cassius says to Brutus: “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, if we are subordinates. » The mention of the stars shows a direct rejection of Elizabethan beliefs. Compared to the belief in destiny of the Elizabethan era, the beliefs of the Roman Empire were quite different. Omens were taken very seriously and were considered serious warnings from above (Religion). As Cassius would say, the fault lies not with the stars, but with the decision an individual makes. This belief explains why some characters, like Cassius, believed in omens and found meaning in them. In Act 5, Scene 1, Cassius saw the two eagles which left and were then replaced by ravens and ravens. This event is not only an example of omen of the Roman Empire as stated above, but it is also an example of Cassius' belief in destiny and how it reflects the Roman Empire. When Cassius sees these two eagles, he sees them as symbols of him and Brutus. When ravens and crows replace the eagles, Cassius then knows that he will not survive the coming battle. If Cassius had traditional beliefs about fate in Elizabethan times, he would have ignored these birds and not seen them as omens of his death. He would have realized that if he were to die in battle, it would be because he was destined to do so rather than because the birds told him he would. Although Cassius did not act against this omen (he continued the battle knowing he would die), he understood that if he went into battle he would die and that his death could be avoided if the battle was avoided . If Julius Caesar had traditional beliefs about fate during the Roman Empire, he would have recognized Calpurnia's warnings and would not have gone to the Senate that morning. With this information and examples from the play, it is evident that the themes of fate reflect both the Elizabethan era and the Roman Empire, without one overshadowing the other. While the different omens and beliefs of destiny during the time of the Elizabethan Era and the Roman Empire were interesting, why are they important to the play or to the reader? The difference between these ideas and the period they reflect is important because they impact the reading and understanding of the play. Because Julius Caesar was a real, historical figure, the reader may not know exactly what really happened or if anything in the play is true. Additionally, as some elements of this play can be found in other Shakespeare plays, for example ghosts and witches as supernatural forces (Macbeth and Hamlet) and the nightmares of Henry III and Macbeth, it is easy to think that Shakespeare just put into the play what he wanted. However, as the omens, omens, and ideas of fate show, Shakespeare used many real events and the real culture of the Roman Empire to write this play. In fact, An Ancient Rome Chronology, 264-27 BC even states: “Despite illness and many ominous omens, he (Julius Caesar) decided to attend a meeting of the Senate, where he was assassinated. » Obviously, Shakespeare knew the story and understood what happened during Julius Caesar's life. However, just as Shakespeare added that his own additions should not lead one to believe that the play was invented, this knowledge should not lead the reader to think that.