شكسبير 6
Brutus is not like the other conspirators. Cassius is involved
in taking bribes. Brutus has to depend on him for the maintenance of the soldiers. Octavius is saying that according to his virtue, Brutus should be given some respect in his burial.
Among the Roman conspirators, Brutus was the noblest. He is not a jealous person who murdered Caesar. Rather, he killed him for the general good of Rome. These lines are said by Antony at the end of the play- Act V scene V.
Who do you consider the hero of the drama of Julius Caesar? Who is considered to be the hero? Can we call the play a drama without a hero?
• the supernatural elements in the drama
• If you think that Julius Caesar is the hero of the drama, you have to give evidence for your answers from the drama itself.
• Some critics believe that Brutus is the hero of the drama.
• We have to see the points they are given to prove that Brutus is the hero of the play.
The first opinion is that Caesar is the hero of the drama. He is the hero from the beginning to the end. They reject the other opinion that Brutus is the hero of the drama.
The drama starts with people who are rejoicing the festival of Lupercal. They are rejoicing the returning of Caesar after defeating Pomepy's sons. The other people do not like Caesar. They are jealous of him. They are planning to kill him. They succeed in killing Caesar. He is killed in act III scene I. His ghost appears two times, till the end of the play. Caesar is the force even when he is dead. After his death we see Brutus and Cassius fighting. His spirit is dominating the drama. The force of Caesar is working in the first part of the drama. Then his force works in the later part of the drama. So, Julius Caesar is the dominating figure in the drama from the beginning to the end. So, he is the hero of the drama. We come to know about Brutus only after when Cassius wants to gain his help in his conspiracy against Caesar. So, we come to know about Brutus after some time. When we start reading the drama, we come to know that Caesar is a great figure who has defeated the might power of Pomepy's sons. His mighty power is still present after his death.
Regarding Caesar, some critics say that there is no tragic flaw in him. Yet, we see that Caesar's tragic flaw is his arrogance and pride. If there is not such pride in him, he is not able to go to the Senate. If he did not go to the Sainte, there would be no chance for murdering him. We see him so much arrogant and so much proud.
(You have to memorize some lines from the play that proves his arrogance) in all his sayings, we see his arrogance- in act II scene II)
Original Text Modern Text
Thunder and lightning Enter Julius CAESAR in his nightgown Thunder and lightning. CAESAR enters in his nightgown.
CAESAR
Nor heaven nor earth have been at peace tonight.
Thrice hath Calphurnia in her sleep cried out,
“Help, ho! They murder Caesar!”—Who’s within? CAESAR
Neither the sky nor the earth have been quiet tonight. Calphurnia cried out three times in her sleep, “Help, someone! They’re murdering Caesar!” Who’s there?
Calphurnia had dreamt that they killed Caesar.
CALPHURNIA
Caesar, I never stood on ceremonies,
Yet now they fright me. There is one within,
Besides the things that we have heard and seen,
Recounts most horrid sights seen by the watch.
A lioness hath whelpèd in the streets,
And graves have yawned and yielded up their dead.
CALPHURNIA
Caesar, I never believed in omens, but now they frighten me. A servant told me the night-watchmen saw horrid sights too, but different ones from what we heard and saw. A lioness gave birth in the streets, and graves *****ed open and thrust out their dead.
Fierce fiery 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.
O Caesar! These things are beyond all use,
And I do fear them. Fierce, fiery warriors fought in the clouds in the usual formations of war—ranks and squadrons—until the clouds drizzled blood onto the Capitol. The noise of battle filled the air, and horses neighed, and dying men groaned, and ghosts shrieked and squealed in the streets. Oh, Caesar! These things are beyond anything we’ve seen before, and I’m afraid.
CAESAR
What can be avoided
Whose end is purposed by the mighty gods?
Yet Caesar shall go forth, for these predictions
Are to the world in general as to Caesar. CAESAR
How can we avoid what the gods want to happen? But I will go out, for these bad omens apply to the world in general as much as they do to me.
.
CAESAR
Cowards die many times before their deaths.
The valiant never taste of death but once.
Of all the wonders that I yet have heard,
It seems to me most strange that men should fear,
Seeing that death, a necessary end,
Will come when it will come. CAESAR
Cowards die many times before their deaths. The brave experience death only once. Of all the strange things I’ve ever heard, it seems most strange to me that men fear death, given that death, which can’t be avoided, will come whenever it wants.
Caesar is not afraid of death. This shows his arrogance, his pride. He is claiming that he is more dangerous than danger.
CAESAR
The gods do this in shame of cowardice.
Caesar should be a beast without a heart
If he should stay at home today for fear.
No, Caesar shall not. Danger knows full well CAESAR
The gods do this to test my bravery. They’re saying I’d be an animal without a heart if I stayed home today out of fear. So, I won’t.
That Caesar is more dangerous than he.
We are two lions littered in one day,
And I the elder and more terrible.
And Caesar shall go forth. Danger knows that Caesar is more dangerous than he is. We’re two lions born on the same day in the same litter, and I’m the older and more terrible. I will go out.
He does not care about the things that are happening which are bad omens. There are so many signs that something bad is going to happen. He thinks that he is the elder than danger and more terrible than it.
This shows his tragic flaw- that is arrogance and pride.
The first reason why Caesar is the hero of the drama is that he is the dominating figure from the beginning to the end. His force is dominating the drama.
Secondly, there is a tragic flaw in him.
Thirdly, Shakespeare named his drama after Julius Caesar. He used to name his tragedies after the hero.
So, Caesar is the hero of the drama. He is the centre around which the whole drama revolts. He is killed at the beginning of act III but the drama continues with his force and his spirit.
These are the points=- reasons that support the idea that Caesar is the tragic hero. His death is the consequence of his tragic flaw.
There is no suffering in Caesar. The one who is suffering in the drama is Brutus. This is why some critics say that Brutus is the hero of the drama. Brutus is honorable in the eyes of the noble people and in the eyes of Caesar's himself. He is an idealist. He is on favor of democracy in Rome.
Caesar has lost his wit. He is seen as a tyrant by the conspirators. Brutus wants to kill Caesar who is a tyrant. Although he loves Caesar, but his love for Rome is more than his love for Caesar. He cares for Rome more than a single person. He loves his wife so much. When he heard that his wife committed suicide, he had a discussion with Cassius. After this, he can not control himself. He committed suicide. He is so much loyal to his friends whether it is Caesar, Cassius or other person in the drama. After the dearth of Caesar we see how Brutus is suffering till the end of his life. He finally committed suicide.
Julius Caesar does not fit into the hero. He does not suffer. He does not have a tragic flaw which leads out to his downfall.
There is conflict in his mind between his love for Caesar and for his country. He wants Rome to be a republic. He does not want it to be a kingdom and the Romans to be ruled by a tyrant king.
There are 4 characters;
• Julius Caesar
• Brutus
• Cassius
• Antony
We can say that the drama is the history of these four persons.
we can give the drama the title" the tragedy of Julius Caesar, Brutus, Cassius and Antony" all of the characters arouse in us admiration and some degree of sympathy. We do not have idea who becomes the king after Caesar. Antony is not ambitious. He is expected to be the king by the Senators.
The Supernatural elements:
It is common in Shakespearian tragedies. In Julius Caesar there are lots of supernatural elements. The use of supernatural elements means something that is not related to the natural force. It means the unusual course of nature. It is anything that is not according to the usual course of nature.
For example, in the middle of night we see daylight. This is an unusual course of nature. The usual course is that in the night there is darkness and in the day there is light. It might be miraculous conditions.
In act II scene I, there is thunder and lightening. The storm is a symbol of bad omen- that something bad will happen.
Another a supernatural element in the play is when the lioness gave birth to her babies in the street.
The dead awakened from their graves.
The birds of night- birds of death are seen in the sky in the daytime.
The market place, there is gathering. The night birds are singing in a gathering place during the day time. This symbolizes that there is some danger.
Another supernatural element is the ghost of Caesar. It appears two times in the play. It is only seen by one person that is Brutus.
The storm is a symbol of something bad that will happen in the future.
Shakespeare used supernatural elements in his tragedies because people in the Elizabethan age were superstitious. They used to believe in the supernatural elements.
Notice:
• read the attached file
• lectures alone are not enough
• you have to prepare essays on:
• Cesar as a tragic hero
• Brutus as a tragic hero
• the character of Cassius
• the character of Antony
• supernatural elements in the play