Julius Caeser Quote Analysis

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Fortune, Fate, and Free Will “Men at some time are masters of their fates: The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings.” (21) One of the central themes in Julius Caesar, is an exploration of personal conscience. In the cultural ethos of the play, great value is placed on the spiritual elements of life, such as omens delivered in the form of visions, dreams, and soothsayers. Further, this spiritual world, and how the characters choose to interpret its messages, is fundamental to the dramatic progress of the play. The concept of the spiritual universe foreshadowing life events, such as destiny, is an underlying theme in the world the author has created. There is a cultural understanding between the characters, that these omens or messages from the spiritual realm have significant value. When Caesar states "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves", it is as if the author, William Shakespeare, is looking down at the world of the play, and creating commentary, by brining up another fundamental question, that of free will versus destiny. By highlighting this question, he is essentially asking, " what if if we have personal responsibility?” What if this entire concept of the "stars" or placing value in omens, messages or our spiritual destiny, isn't accurate? What if really, as "underlings", every choice we make and all "fault", is "in ourselves", or by our own cognition or free will? Displaying his idealist nature, Cassius blamed his, Brutus’s, and the other conspirators submissive stance not on a predestined plan, but on their failure to proclaim themselves. “Cowards die many times before their deaths, the valiant never taste of death but once”.(77) Every time someone is too afraid to step forward in their life, they lose a little bit of themselves. Shakespeare refers to the metaphorical

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