Fate and Freewill as I see it in the Tragedy of Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar, just as the name perceives, is a very important play not only because of the famous scenes and phrases that come out of this pennmenship of the great playwrite, William Shakespeare, but because it is a legend that did walk the streets of the city of Rome. Julius Caesar, a war hero, who was to become king of the Roman Empire, is very much liked by Shakespeare scholars and historians of the era that this play and the hero himself lived in. They admire him for his strong apptitude and respect of his friends and his authoritative right that shows up rapidly in this play. Julius Caesar uses his power through his actions and words to change the outlook of the events through the eyes of his audience, his readers. When reading this play, I noticed many themes that poped up and resonated themself within the play. For example, to name a few, the idea of Fate vs. Freewill became a major idea throughout the play, along with the actions and characters. The Ides of March, the apparent Ghost of Julius Caesar who is still seeking revenge on his horrific death, and the importance between fate and freewill, are all significant ideals that represent this play what it is. I believe that this play has its basis on this idea of fate vs. freewill and there are many instances in where Julius Caesar's and the surrounding characters' own words point this out beautifully.
For starters, Brutus has a lot of major run ins with the fate versus freewill battle, both emotionally and physically. One of his most famous dialogues exemplify this perfectly, :
"We at the height are ready to decline. / There is a tide in the affairs of men, / Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; / Omitted, all the voyage of their life / Is bound in shallows and in miseries. / On such a full sea are we now afloat, / And we must taje the current when it serves, / Or lose our ventures (IV.iii.217-224).
In the end, its all about how can we overcome our fate with the power of freewill. This is what Brutus is trying to say all this time, and his belief. In this play, both fate and freewill have their influences and make their part in the events, yet some scholars like to debate that without freewill, there is no fate. There is controversy in this because they are both related to each other, but as I would say that they go hand in hand with each other. As fate determines our destiny, freewill allows us to have some power and control over our own destiny. After all, the proverb stands to say, we are what we make of us to be.
Brutus has his part involved in his fate and freewill; in the end he accepts his inevitable death as his fate, even after hearing about the sudden death of Cassius, the one who planted the idea of killing Caesar in his head. Julius Caesar, was surrounded by the powers of freewill when he was alive and dead, with his fate. Julius Caesar and Brutus recieved their share of fate and freewill, and how they chose to act upon them changed the action of events in this memorable play.
"We at the height are ready to decline. / There is a tide in the affairs of men, / Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; / Omitted, all the voyage of their life / Is bound in shallows and in miseries. / On such a full sea are we now afloat, / And we must taje the current when it serves, / Or lose our ventures (IV.iii.217-224).
In the end, its all about how can we overcome our fate with the power of freewill. This is what Brutus is trying to say all this time, and his belief. In this play, both fate and freewill have their influences and make their part in the events, yet some scholars like to debate that without freewill, there is no fate. There is controversy in this because they are both related to each other, but as I would say that they go hand in hand with each other. As fate determines our destiny, freewill allows us to have some power and control over our own destiny. After all, the proverb stands to say, we are what we make of us to be.
Brutus has his part involved in his fate and freewill; in the end he accepts his inevitable death as his fate, even after hearing about the sudden death of Cassius, the one who planted the idea of killing Caesar in his head. Julius Caesar, was surrounded by the powers of freewill when he was alive and dead, with his fate. Julius Caesar and Brutus recieved their share of fate and freewill, and how they chose to act upon them changed the action of events in this memorable play.