Omens and Superstition, Essay Example

Julius Caesar by Shakespeare is a tragedy that came into being in the 1599. The main idea by Shakespeare while writing this tragic story was to expose the conspiracy that was meted the dictator of Roman Julius Ceasar, his failure and eventual assassination. The play is based on real activities that took place in Rome. In this tragedy, William Shakespeare manages to explore several thematic concerns such as fate, power, rhetoric, and politics among others. The playwright manages to employ characters such as Antony, Casca, and Caesar to explore the thematic concern of Omens and Superstition as shown in the following discussion. Arguably, several reasons pushed William Shakespeare to explore these thematic concerns.

In the tragedy Julius Caesar, scary omens are notable and evident from when the play opens. The soothsayer kept issuing warning to Caesar to “beware the Ides of March.” The major reason why the playwright used this form of omen was to indicate the misfortune that awaited Caesar. In terms of history, ‘Ides of March’ is associated with the March 15 when Roman soldiers assassinated Julius Caesar. This happens despite Caesar being warned several times to remain vigilant of this day. Even so, Caesar dismisses the soothsayer as a foolish dreamer. The playwright includes this part in the play in several instances, in order to portray the impending danger, which awaited Caesar.

Another bad omen explored in this tragic play is bad weather. In most tragedies written by William Shakespeare, he manages to show that, any occurrence of thunder and lightning triggers unfortunate incidences. In the play, in the night that evil is being organized against Julius Caesar, light and thunder is witnessed; thus, the streets are shaken in a vigorous way that has never been seen in that town. Notably, Casca is keen enough to notice this and says “Either there is a civil strife in heaven, / or else the world, too saucy with the gods, / Incenses them to send destruction” (1.3.2). Following this assertion, it does not come as a surprise that conspirators plan evil against Julius Caesar. However, as seen in the play, the bad weather is taken by Cassius as a warning to the Romans against the monstrous nature of Caesar.

Another widespread omen in the play is the use of animals. The playwright has employed animals, particularly birds, to explore numerous omens. In the night when Casca talks about the unfriendly weather and the eventual gathering of Cassius with other plotters, he also points out the frequent appearances of nocturnal birds appearing at the sky. Later, Caesar receives a word of caution from Calphurnia not to visit the Capitol because the birds in the sky were a sign of war. As the play progresses, the bad omen exposed by different forms of birds is explored. Notably, Cassius approves of his death in the battle against Octavius and Antony because he notices that ravens, kites, and crows substituted the eagles. According to Cassius, the eagles were a symbol of him and his companion Brutus, the two whose fate rested in the hands of the enemies. According to Cassius, after the eagles have fallen, the army of Octavius and Antony will ensure tyranny shadow has spread on the land just as those of scavengers. The playwright attempts to show the reader that different omens have diverse interpretations. Cielo supports this in his text, through his explanations of diverse omens. According to him, it was deemed unlucky if the bride failed to shed tears during her wedding as it portended tears later (Cielo 9). Additionally, in the event the bride broke dishes on the wedding day, it was seen as a bad sign (Cielo 10).

Superstition is used by the playwright to expose the level of courage, and to some extent ignorance and negligence on the part of Julius Caesar. It can be blamed for his eventual unfortunate death. Following a warning by the soothsayer, Caesar dismisses him as a dreamer and denies him a chance to speak his mind. Caesar appears as a character that does not abhor superstition, and probably deems himself powerful than fate. Superstition is evident in the play in yet another incidence, particularly when Caesar receives a warning from Calphurnia to avoid going to the senate the following day. She argues that she saw Caesar’s statue with blood and Romans smiling while washing their hands in his blood. Caesar says

“Calpurnia here, my wife, stays me at home;

She dreamt tonight she saw my statue,

Which like a fountain with an hundred spouts,

Did run pure blood, and many lusty Romans

Came smiling and did bathe their hands in it.

And these does she apply for warnings and portents

And evils imminent, and on her knee

Hath begg’d that I will stay at home today (Shakespeare).”

Despite the warning coming from his only wife, Caesar defies all odds, throws caution to the wind, and shows up in the senate the following day. This portrays his doubts on superstition, something that costs his life.

In conclusion, Shakespeare uses the major character Caesar to explore the thematic concerns of omens and superstition in the play Julius Caesar. The various omens used in the play include birds, and weather among others. The playwright has explored superstition using the reckless behavior of Caesar of not believing in dreams and warnings from the people close to him. It does not come as a surprise that he dies ruthlessly in the hands of the Romans.

Works Cited

Cielo, Astra. Signs, Omens and Superstitions. New York: Health Research Books, 1996. Print. Retrieved from <http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=mUKZX0hHGK8C&printsec=frontcover&dq=omen+and+superstitions&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ApE1U87UBMiY4wSrxoHQCw&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=omen%20and%20superstitions&f=false>

Shakespeare, William. William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. Barron’s Educational Series, 1984. Print