“Shake off their sterile curse”(Act1Scene2), Calpurnia has no children and so to take off the curse, Caesar gets superstitious and tells Marc Antony to touch Calpurnia to take away the “barren” curse. The supernatural is shown indirectly to the audience. Ceasar wants Calpurnia to come in Antony’s way and to be touched.
“Caesar, beware of Brutus; take heed of Cassius; come not near Casca; have an eye to Cinna; trust not Trebonius; mark well Metellus Cimber; Decius Brutus loves thee not: thou hast wronged Caius Ligaruis, there is but one mind in all these men, and it is bent against Caesar”(Act2Scene3), this scene has great dramatic significance, dramatic irony and thus audiences appeal.
This part of the play creates images in our minds as it shows us that the supernatural can also combine with nature. Casca meets Cicero and describes the natural and supernatural wonders he sees in the tempest which rages. Cicero appears, wondering why Casca should be so breathless and is staring at him so much. Casca thinks they are bad omens. “But never till tonight, never till now, Did I go through a tempest dropping fire. … And there were drawn Upon a heap a hundred ghastly women, Transformed with their fear, who swear they saw Men all in fire walk up and down the streets.” (Act1Scene3) “Are not mov’d, when all the sway of earth Shakes like a thing unfirm?” We see that Cicero remains calm but Casca is shaken. Casca now explains why, describing "scolding winds", an "ambitious ocean swell " with "rage and foam," and "threat'ning clouds:", all suggesting in Cassius' words either "civil strife in heaven," "Or else the world, too saucy] with the gods, / Incenses them to send destruction" this suggesting that Caesar's actions are causing strife in nature, a widely held belief at the time to be proof that something must be wrong. Cicero now asks if Casca saw anything, a little more convincing or "more wonderful?" as Cicero tactfully but skeptically puts it. Casca does not disappoint, and explains to Cicero how he saw a slave well known to Cicero, light fire from his hand without his hand being burnt, and that he saw a lion by the "Capitol" which merely glared at him with mild disdain and then "went surly by," without even bothering to attack Casca.
Dramatic scene and dramatic importance portrayed here, this is symbolic as the storm occurs on the eve of Caesar’s murder. In Shakespeare’s time there were no theatrical devices, only language was used and the audience imagined the scene which was taking place. The storm is described through Casca as a terrible and strange storm accompanied with thunder and lightning and the dropping of fire; supernatural appearances. Pathetic fallacy is used here to tell us that nature also was associated with the supernatural. Cassius appears to it as the perilous night. The storm was a setting for the conspiracy and prelude for Caesar’s murder. The storm reflects the political interest in Rome and psychological disturbance of the conspirators. The storm appealed to the Elizabethan audiences as they hungered for strange and supernatural events. Shakespeare is a genius in portraying the power of the storm through his language which is very effective.
He uses descriptive words and words which create visual effects in our mind.Cassius shows us the supernatural events taking place, “Why all these fires, why all these gliding ghosts”. Cassius welcomes the tempest and despises Casca’s fear. (Act1Scene3). “That thunders, lightens, opens graves, and roars”, Cassius hints that the tempest is a warning that should rouse the people of Rome, and even the dead become alive. This shows the power of the supernatural that it can even “ open graves”. Cassius feels all these supernatural events are a warning from God of Caesar’s tyranny. Cassius sees ill omens while marching to Philippi. (Act5), Two mighty eagles fell, and they were perched, Gorging and feeding from our soldiers’ hands” , “And in their steads do ravens,crows,and kites Fly o’er our heads and downward look on us As we were sickly prey. Their shadows seem A canopy most fatal under which Our army lies, ready to give up the ghost.” ,there is a link between this as supernatural is seen in the first scene as well as the last scene and we come to know from this that the supernatural element is seen throughout the play.
(Act 1 Scene 3)- Shakespeare wrote so many night scenes since he wrote for a theatre where the performances were in the afternoon. But neither Shakespeare nor his audience worried about a real night for Shakespeare creates night through language. Night provides an important atmosphere of symbolic setting in Shakespeare. It is often associated with evil. Here, night is an appropriate background for the lurking, plotting conspirators. It also suggests the time when evil abounds. The storm is also important. The stage directions tells us that it continues through the next scene with Brutus, to the scene after that with Caesar , thus linking the three together. In Shakespeare’s play, storms had a significance which is largely lost today. The Elizabethans thought of individual man, his society or “the state” and the natural world as intimately connected. Therefore, disorder and violence in the world of nature suggested disorder in society and in the individual. This could be represented on the stage. For the Elizabethans, the king was a symbol of the state. Therefore, when the king is murdered, that means the social order is violently disturbed. It is followed by further violence. In the same way, the individual was often compared to nature and to society. Disorder in one was represented by disorder in the other. Some find this a most effective and dramatic scene, where Shakespeare has made full use of the popular belief in astrology in relation to human society.
Since the actual violence of the storm cannot be reproduced on the Elizabethans stage Shakespeare, according to his customs, conveys the idea through the effect it has on a character. Casca is running on the stage with a drawn sword. He says that “ all the sway of earth shakes like a thing unfirm”. He then goes to give a vivid description of the tempest that we cannot see but we can imagin along with him. It may be noted that here Casca speaks in blank verse rather than in prose unlike in the previous scene. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, the terrifying and supernatural occurances referred to here need the rhythms and music of poetry. Secondly, it is significant that Casca is the one who is so shaken by the omens of the night for he has been, until now, portrayed as a tough, cynical man, not wasily moved. This adds to the effect of the storm.
The imagery throughout this passage, lines 3-28, has an intense nightmarish quality. It is not an ordinary lighting storm when he says the “tempest dropping fire”. This is followed by the figure of a man holding up his hand “which did flame and burn like twenty torches join’d. This picture and that of the lion which follows it, arouse in our minds the idea of destruction and violence. This is followed by the powerful suggestion of general terror and desolation when he talks of the “thunder ghastly women transformed with their fear” whom Casca has seen. At the end of the passage the owl is mentioned, “the bird of night”. This is traditional omen of evil for the Elizabethan audience. At the same time these omens emphasize the greatness of Caesar. The mood of the audience is heightened with the conviction of his approaching murder. It shows that Cassius was wrong in his estimate of Caesar’s greatness.
In Shakespeare’s play, the ideas of music and storm recur in such a way that music is associated with goodness and harmony and storm with evil and strife. In scene ii, we were told the Cassius “hears no music”. So when he welcomes the storm in line 43, we are not surprised it reflects his mood of overpowering, destructive anger. He sees it in relation to Caesar. He does this with everything at this with everything at this point in the play. He takes advantage of Casca at this moment to enlist him among the conspirators. After that, we notice both of them are tense and secretive. They are afraid to be seen – (“Stand close”) – when Cinna enters. Once they recognize him and are all together the dialogue is spoken in a nervous and urgent tone, line 134. Cinna wants to be certain who Casca is Cassius has to repeat his question to Cinna. Finally, Cassius gives his orders concerning the letters to Brutus, in short, hurried phrases.
(Act2Scene1) “For he is superstitious grown of late”, Brutus says Caesar must be killed, not with spite, but regret. Again, he overrules Cassius’ fears about Antony. Cassius worries that superstition may keep Caesar at home. Cassius has a foresight of what might happen , Cassius knows Caesar’s powerful and ambitious behavior would not let him survive.
Calpurnia who is Caesar’s own, sees Caesars downfall in her sleep. “Nor heaven nor earth have been at peace tonight. Thrice hath Calpurnia in her sleep cried out, ‘Help ho, they murder Caesar !’ Who’s within?”, linked to supernatural.
“A lioness hath whelped in the streets; and graves have yawn’d and yielded up their dead; fierce firey warriors fought upon the clouds, in ranks and squadrons and right form of war, which drizzled blood upon the capitol; the noise of battle hurtled in the air, horses did neigh, and dying men did groan; and ghosts did shriek and squeal about the streets.”(Act2Scene2) , terrible sights through Calpurnia’s nightmare. Calpurnia is superstitious. ‘drizzled blood’, it is symbolic of Caesar’s blood. The theme of the supernatural is shown through her dream. Shakespeare has used a lot of forceful imagery which creates disturbing images in our eyes.
Caesar’s death, particularly, is associated with the idea of unnatural portents. Shakespeare refers to these unnatural disorderly signs to remind us that Caesar’s murder is not just a single act of violence. For the Elizabethan audience, when king or ruler was overthrown it meant the destruction of the peace and harmony of the state or society. The “fierce fiery warriors”, the turmoil of battle and the loud cries of the dying men (lines 22-23) are omens to the Elizabethan mind, suggesting civil strife and battle with bloodshed that will have to follow an act of rebellion, or the murder of the head of state. So, when Calphurnia speaks of these omens and portents, they are important to the whole play as we are made aware that what Brutus and his friends have planned, in spite of his integrity, is bound to bring about war and bloodshed. So, when Antony predicts a similar thing in iii, I,262-275m it is not all surprising.
“yet Caesar shall go forth”, Caesar shows pride and confidence, he doesn’t believe in superstition, which eventually leads to his death.
Caesar argues that he cannot avoid his fate, Caesar remarks that, “Cowards die many a times before the deaths.” He wasscared to take a risk, he would face death.
Caesar gets confused and goes to his doom if it wasn’t for Decius’ convincing speech “this dream is all amiss interpreted; It was a vision fair and fortunate: your statue spouting blood in many pipes, In which so many smiling Romans bath’d, signifies that from you great Rome shall suck Reviving blood; and that great men shall press For tinctures, stains, relics and cognizance.”, Decius interprets the dream in two ways tempting Caesar to receive the crown.
“the Ides Of March are come. Ay, Caesar; but not gone”, reappearance of the soothsayer. Caesar does not care about the warnings. In the whole this Act 2 Shakespeare uses description to forceful words to techniques of imagery that make the supernatural elements and superstitions so interesting and at the same time very effective.
At this moment, we must remember that these kind of prophecies occur in several of Shakespeare’s plays for the same dramatic function. Supernatural predictions through dreams, omens, auguries, are powerful devices for setting up a sense of dramatic anticipation in the audience, usually it is of some ominous or catastrophic event. Caesar’s pride in disregarding any sort of warning or advice here and in Act 2 Scene 2, is in itself an element in his downfall.
(Act4Scene3). Caesar’s ghost has appeared to Brutus and he said he would kill Caesar’s spirit. We see Caesar’s spirit haunt the rest of the play. “Art thou some god, some angel, or some devil, That mak’st my blood cold and my hair to stare?”, Brutus is shaken and scared, he wakes everybody up. Caesar actually talks to Brutus. “thy evil spirit, Brutus”. Brutus was drunk with wine and may be this is how he must have imagined the ghost of Caesar. He is the only who sees the ghost and when he recovers he says, “How I have taken heart”.
We see the continued influence of Caesar’s personality after death. Even in death he is victorious. Brutus had earlier admitted his spiritual torment that he was prone to nightmares and he thinks about good and evil. It is his guilt that has killed his friend. The ghost in the play is a significant element of the supernatural. Caesar who felt powerful and ambitious and was killed because of this, now he is really powerful as he has come back from the dead to haunt his murderers and by doing this he would become ambitious. This scene is ironic.
Caesar’s ghost is very effective whether we think of it as real or just a creation Brutus’ tortured mind. Whatever the case mat be, it is a powerful and frightening manifestation of Caesar. His presence is felt continually in the second half of the play. The conspirators had assumed that the death of Caesar would produce a new , free Rome.
On the contrary, Caesar dead proved to be more powerful than Caesar alive. His return to Brutus here is ironic because in Act 2 Scene1 , Brutus has said that he wants only to destroy “ Caesar’s spirit”. That is just what he has not been able to destroy. Caesar is invincible. “ O Julius Caesar , thou art mighty yet!”
“Must end that work the Ides of March begun”(Act5Scene1), Brutus knows his end is coming and he is going to die. Cassius and Brutus part in friendship and are ready for whatever the future held for them.
Cassius refers to the birds as signs of good and evil omen. “And in steads do ravens, crows, and kites” “Our army lies, ready to give up to the ghost”(Act5Scene1). Cassius and Brutus no that their end was coming , but they were ready for it unlike Caesar who was ignorant and that hurt more.
“Caesar, thou art revenged Even with the sword that killed thee.”(Act5Scene3) The spirit of Caesar dominates the second half of the play. This is ironic as Caesar is back again to rule and take over his duties again as he hunts down his enemies.
“But Cassius is no more. O setting sun,” “the Sun of Rome is set”,
Nature sympathizes with Cassius’ fault, the setting-death of Cassius is accompanied with the setting of the sun. Shakespeare often used nature in his plays . he used for the supernatural and now for the death of Cassius. It reflects the happiness.
“O Julius Caesar, thou art mighty yet,” Caesar is victorious after his death also.
“Caesar, now be still, I killed not thee with half so good a will.” Caesars spirit is still disturbed.
Julius Caesar is full of supernatural portents and omens. One of the effects that these occurrences produce is to give us a sense of impending disaster. This is exactly what the ghost does here. There is harmony and peace for a brief moment in Lucius’ song. The ghost makes the ominous prophecy that they shall meet again at Phlippi. The tension is soon over.
The supernatural results in the death of Brutus. Supernatural makes us feel that there is a higher power that rules the lives of human beings. The murderers of Caesar’s have haunted by a sense of guilt and this feeling spells their doom. Shakespeare uses the supernatural potently. He brings ancient Romans alive with their weaknesses and superstitions.
Pathetic fallacy in Julius Caesar is used to show how a man feels, to show how nature reflects your happiness. Shakespeare used direct and indirect manifestations of the supernatural. Soothsayers warning and Calpurnia’s terrifying dream are omens and predictions.
In conclusion I would say that the play would be totally different without the theme of the supernatural. The supernatural actually builds up the eerie atmosphere and sustains the interest of the audience. I have personally learnt that if we get a warning from someone about an ill omen, we will take care and be cautious. Pride and over confidence can take over you completely leading to your own downfall. The Elizabethan audience loved and believed in the supernatural and superstition and so Shakespeare would have loved to put in the play.
I feel that William Shakespeare’s portrayal of the supernatural is amazing accompanied with forceful imagery. As there was no back drop and sounds the reader had to visualize the supernatural elements. If the play had to take place in the 21st century it would be very effective on the audience as we are living in a world of politicians and world leaders fighting and killing for high ranks in the government. As Julius Caesar is a political play it would have a psychological slants just as we have in the politics. With music and backdrops the plays would be simply extraordinary. The theme of supernatural is depicted is very well in the play. Shakespeare’s vivid description of the supernatural has a lasting impression on us.
