The Ides Of March

Beware! Perhaps the most memorable figment out of the great tragedy Julius Caesar, in the streets of a Rome a soothsayer warned of the 15th of March and thrust forward a prominent theme of fate vs. free will. As Caesar is welcomed back into the city by great celebration and festivity, Shakespeare quickly foreshadows the play's destination as the fortune teller shouts out at Caesar to "beware the Ides of March." However, the magnificent leader takes no heed and continues upon his course through the city and story line. This event is absolutely essential to the play and its plot. Right here in the streets of Rome, Caesar is given the opportunity to observe fates and change his course, yet he does not. It shows both a great strength of character to not run from fate, but at the same time may reveal an underlying sense of arrogance or invincibility to ignore such "omens." In the end, Caesar will be hailed by the reading of his will as a courageous leader that had naught but the best of Rome at his heart. This "Ides of March" is the first point at which Shakespeare shows this ideal to the audience. 


Further into the play we are presented with a different scenario of fate, as Brutus and Cassius deliberate Caesar's power. Cassius seeking to gain Brutus in aid of the conspiracy, blames their own lack of will for Caesar's dominance, as he assures no man could reach such heights by the way of fate. This comparison of destiny by Cassius creates an atmosphere of superiority in free choice. By saying that if they were to act, they COULD HAVE TRUMPED FATE. For such bold statements, I had to go back through a few times to really get the meaning of what Cassius was saying.


The last substantial portrayal of fate comes ironically through Caesar's will to go to the Senate. In this setting his wife, Calpurnia, begs him not to go, describing her recent nightmares of a Caesar statue streamed with blood and smiling men bathing their hands in it. Again Caesar elects to ignore premonition, with a little sway from a Senate member, yet this time goes forth to a fate of more certainty. The tension in the play has risen, especially since it is the 15th of March, and Caesar boldly goes out into a world of treachery. This action asserts Caesar's appeal to free will over fate and seals his characterization. Perhaps Shakespeare was also trying to send his own message, as Caesar is hailed for his free will, while all his peers believing in fade are shamed into exile and subsequently extinguished on battlefields opposing Rome. A justifiable end?