Fate Versus Human Agency

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Cassius pursues a noble and self-possessed life up until when he deiced to take his own life, rather than fall victim to his fate. On the morning of the battle, Cassius tells the soldiers that it is his birthday and speaks on bad omens that he has witnessed today. He saw two mighty eagles that are now gone replaced by ravens, crows, and other scavenger birds. (5.1.77-95) Cassius believes that these signs were exhibiting that his fate was inevitable; therefore, he must take noble action into his own hands killing himself, before someone does it for him. Although, Cassius chooses to kill himself based on an incorrect assumption. He had thought he saw Titinius being taken captive by the enemy, but he actually had saw the soldiers celebrating a victory by Titinius. Cassius then follows his own advice for a self-possessed life and kills himself, a little bit too soon. Cassius takes his fate into his own hands and unforgettably makes the wrong choice.

Brutus is a man who is known for his honesty and scholarship, he was always held in high regard by Caesar. Although, Brutus tries to act in a strict moral and ethical code, he takes actions that are much more naïve and end up being erroneous choices, forcing him to suicide. Cassius is able to convince Brutus to join the conspirators against Caesar. Brutus believes that once Caesar is given power, he will let this power go to his head, and do damage to the Rome he loves so much. Therefore he decides it is his responsibility to stop the destined ultimate destruction of Rome by the tyrannical Caesar. “And therefore think him as a serpent’s egg Which hatched would as his kind grow mischievous, and kill him in the shell.” (2.1.32-34) Although, Brutus is unaware of the negative impact Caesars assassination will have on Rome, and the impact and the eventual civil war that will transpire. Brutus also miscalculates the role of Mark Antony as an opponent, leading to a mob against Brutus and the rest of the conspirators. Brutus sees the destruction of his country through civil war before his very eyes and he decides that his punishment must be carried out in his death. Much like Cassius, Brutus takes his own life as a way to take fate into his own hands, what he thought he deserved.

The characters of Caesar, Cassius, and Brutus all seem to have succumbed to their fate in the play Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. The play itself seems to be full of bad omens that come true; undermining the sense that characters can exercise freewill, but some characters, Cassius and Brutus, seem to put their fate into their own hands. Overall, the play seems to shows a juxtaposition of both fate and free will, working side by side.

Bibliography

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Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Julius Ceaser. N.p.: Royal Shakespeare, 2007. Print.

"What Does Science Say about Fate, and How Can We Live with It?" ONE WITH NOW AWAKEN. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.

"Zoompad's Blog." : BRIAN GERRISH. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.