From soothsayers to stormy nights, William Shakespeare found a way to incorporate superstition, omens, and the theme of fate into the famous scenes of his political play, Julius Caesar. This has caused readers to question the purpose and importance of the omens and portents in the work and how they reflect the time in which Julius Caesar lived. The fact that Shakespeare, who was alive in the late 1500s, wrote about Julius Caesar, who lived between 100 BC and 44 BC, also allows the reader to question whether the superstitions, omens, and themes of destiny were more reflective of the Roman Empire . or the Elizabethan era. Research has shown that most of the omens and portents present in Julius Caesar reflect the Roman Empire, but there is also a presence of these superstitions in Shakespeare's life during the Elizabethan era. This knowledge of these visions of omens, superstitions, and fate gleaned from research on the two different time periods allows for a different impact of the work on the reader and allows the reader to gain a greater understanding of what they are reading. plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an 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 portents. That said, there are also many supernatural forces in the play Julius Caesar, but how many of these forces reflect what was believed during Julius Caesar's lifetime, and which of these forces did Shakespeare incorporate based on 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 life of Julius Caesar and the life of Shakespeare, it is likely that there are some omens and other supernatural forces in the play that reflect Shakespeare's era more than the era in which Julius Caesar lived. During Julius Caesar's lifetime, the most notable omens included "unusual behavior of birds and animals, strange births, spontaneous movements from statues, lightning, and the like. (Maltz) Included in a history of omens reported in Julius Caesar's time is the news “A mule with three legs was born in Reate” (Maltz). This is a real example that shows that strange births were something strange and disturbing that should be reported from the play Julius Caesar which reflects omens from 100 BC to 44 BC is when Calpurnia begged Caesar not to go to the senate meeting and told him that during the night, the clock reported that a "lioness gave birth in the streets" (The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, 2,2, 25). This quote means that during the night a lioness gave birth on the road. This incident falls under the omen of strange births, which makes it very thoughtful and typical of omens during the Roman Empire. There are various encounters with birds in the play and although they have been seen as a bad omen throughout time, the specific behavior of the birds is what makes them reflective of the Roman Empire. The birds and the stormy, light-filled night in which Caesar's assassination was planned added to the omens that reflected the time of Julius Caesar. In Act 1 Scene 3, House says he saw "the night-bird," which probably meant an owl, sitting "even at noon in the market-place, hooting and calling" (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…. Thismorning they fled and are gone, and in their place there are crows, crows and kites” (Lines 101-102 and 106-108). Cassius saw these eagles as symbols of himself and Brutus and believed that the two would die in battle when the eagles were replaced with ravens and crows. Both of these examples from the work are descriptions of unusual bird behavior, which was a common omen of 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 the assassination of Caesar, “lightning and the like” (Maltz) were also omens of Caesar's time. There was also thunder and lightning on the morning that Caesar went to meet the Senate. In a book of omens, events such as "Lightning struck the temples of Luna and Ceres..." (Maltz) and "Thunder and lightning flashed across the sky..." (Maltz) are reported from 84 BC to 54 BC. proving that Shakespeare had some knowledge that storms were omens of Roman culture. In addition to using omens that reflected the Roman Empire, Shakespeare also, intentionally or unintentionally, used omens and supernatural forces that were more reflective of his time. A truly 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 arrive and Caesar says to the soothsayer, “The Ides have come,” (3.1, 1) the soothsayer replies “Yes , Caesar, but he is not gone." (3.1, 2) The soothsayer is a very significant supernatural force in the play because he predicts that day Caesar's life will end. It is very reminiscent of the belief in witches during the Elizabethan era. There were a total of 270 Elizabethan witch trials during the era (Alchin, Elizabethan Superstitions), which extended into Shakespeare's lifetime. Although the fortune teller 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 met with the Senate. The use of this omen can be seen in the intricate Elizabethan views of dreams as omens. During the Elizabethan era, there were three types of dreams: natural, divine, and supernatural (Camden). Supernatural dreams were dreams that told of the future, which makes Calpurnia's dream very reflective of the Elizabethan era. There are many other examples of omens, portents, and supernatural forces in Julius Caesar that both reflect the Roman Empire and the Elizabethan era, but the main point is that in the play Shakespeare used omens and portents that were more authentic to Julius. Caesar, while incorporating some of the beliefs of his time. A very important theme in Julius Caesar was destiny. As seen with the omens and portents, there are ideas of destiny in the play that reflect the beliefs of both Shakespeare's time and the time of Julius Caesar. During the Elizabethan era, it was strongly believed that a person's destiny was predestined based on astrological alignments at the time of birth (Alchin). It was believed that the events of a person's life and the decisions made during his life did not matter because his fate was already decided for him (Alchin). This belief is reflected in the play every time Julius Caesar rejects the omens and events that are presented to him as warnings. In Act 2, scene 2, after Calpurnia tells Caesar about the event during the night, he responds, “It seems to me very strange that men should fear, seeing that death, a necessary end, will come when it comes” (Lines 35 -37). This shows that Caesar believes his fate is out of his control, just as the Elizabethans believed. An example that goes against this belief is when Cassius saysto Brutus: "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, who are subordinates." The mention of stars shows a direct rejection of Elizabethan beliefs. Compared to the belief in destiny during the Elizabethan era, the beliefs during the Roman Empire were very different. Omens were taken very seriously and were seen as serious warnings from above (Religion). As Cassius would say, the fault is not in the stars, but in 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 leave and were then replaced by ravens and ravens. This event is not only an example of foreshadowing of the Roman Empire as discussed above, but it is also an example of Cassius' belief in destiny and how it reflected the Roman Empire. When Cassius sees these two eagles, he sees them as symbols of himself and Brutus. When ravens and ravens replace eagles, Cassius knows he will not survive the coming battle. If Cassius had had traditional beliefs about fate during the Elizabethan era, he would have ignored these birds and not seen them as omens of his death. He would understand that if he died in battle, it would be because he was meant to and not because the birds told him to. Although Cassius did not act against this omen (he continued into the battle knowing he would die), he understood that if he went into battle he would die and that his death could have been avoided if the battle had been avoided. If Julius Caesar had 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 destiny reflect both the Elizabethan era and the Roman Empire without one overshadowing the other. While the different omens and beliefs of fate during the time of the Elizabethan era and the Roman Empire were interesting, why are they important to the work or the reader? The difference between these ideas and the time period they reflect is important because they affect how you read and understand the work. Because Julius Caesar was a real, historical figure, the reader may not be clear about what really happened or whether anything in the work is true. Furthermore, since there are components of this play that can be found in other Shakespeare works, for example ghosts and witches as supernatural forces (Macbeth and Hamlet) and nightmares in both Henry III and Macbeth, it is easy to think that Shakespeare simply put into the show what he wanted. However, as seen from the omens, portents, and ideas of fate, Shakespeare used many real facts and the true culture of the Roman Empire to write this play. In fact, An Ancient Rome Chronology, 264-27 BC even states: "Despite illness and many disturbing omens, he (Julius Caesar) decided to attend a meeting of the senate, where he was assassinated." Shakespeare obviously knew the story and understood what happened during Julius Caesar's life. However, just as Shakespeare's additions should not lead one to think that the play was invented, this knowledge should not lead the reader to think that the work is biased only on the facts. This is why it's important to understand what time period everything is from, so you understand that a certain event actually happened or that Shakespeare added the event for extra effect. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers. Get a Custom Essay Overall, there is a mixture of cultures of the era.