William Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is an interesting play to analyze. As we discussed in class, this play’s title is a little puzzling. Julius Caesar is an important historical figure, and his life story is rather famous so it is not surprising for a playwright to be inspired by it. However, Shakespeare’s play does not focus on the life of Caesar but rather his death, which happens in act three, and the many misfortunes that follow it. Why name a play after a character that is destined to die so early? Would it not be more appropriate, as was suggested in our discussion, to name this play The Tragedy of Brutus? I think this is an interesting argument, as a great deal of this play does focus on the downfall of Brutus more so than the physical murder of Caesar. But, this play is not just about Brutus either; it is about everything that results from the behavior of the murderous senators. I would argue that Shakespeare’s title is appropriate because it is Caesar’s murder that breaks the floodgates for the tragedies that follow.
Many characters suffer in this play because of Caesar’s murder, and I believe that the tragedy component of this play is not just in his death, but also in the suicides that follow. This play is then not about the tragedy of a murder, but of suicides. There are three suicides in this play: Portia, Cassius, and Brutus. I think it is interesting to observe this play as a commentary on the tragedy of suicide, and by titling it The Tragedy of Julius Caesar but having Caesar himself be an arguably minor character, Shakespeare allows for interpretations such as this. Caesar is dead, but the tragedy (the play) does not end.
With this interpretation in mind, I think it is also plausible to question how fate plays into the tragic suicides of this play. There are many omens, signs, predictions, etc… throughout The Tragedy of Julius Caesar that foreshadow an already predetermined end. Instances of this include the soothsayer’s warning to Caesar to “Beware the Ides of March” (1.2.18), the dangerous and extreme weather in act one scene three, the lion roaming the city also in act one scene three, and others. The senators interpret theses signs as indicators of Caesar’s ineptitude, Caesar doesn’t seem to notice or care about them, and his wife sees them as warnings of tyranny. These omens are interpreted differently by different characters, but I believe they are meant to be signifiers of the predestined tragedies to come including and instigated by the murder of Caesar. Many characters of this play try to avoid the inevitability of fate, but what results is exactly what was destined: tragedy. Caesar avoids fate with ignorance of invincibility and he is murdered. Portia avoids fate with ignorance of gender, claiming that
I grant I am a woman; but withal
A woman well-reputed, Cato’s daughter.
Think you I am no stronger than my sex,
Being so father’d and so husbanded?
Tell me your counsels; I will not disclose ’em.
I have made strong proof of my constancy,
Giving myself a voluntary wound
Here, in the thigh. Can I bear that with patience.
And not my husband’s secrets?
(2.1.294-302). While she is one of the more feminist female characters in Shakespeare’s play, she does confirm to gender roles in her eventual submission to Brutus. The result of her ignorance is suicide. Cassius and Brutus avoid fate with ignorance of motive and they also commit suicide.
Caesar’s fate is played out as is destined and he is murdered. The fates of Portia, Cassius, and Brutus’ also prove to be unavoidable. These characters meet their fate in suicide. While their deaths are arguably predetermined, can we question if it was meant to be at their own hands? Or in suicide do these characters attempt to exhibit control and free will in a world that is no longer in their control? In this way, the tragedy of this play is in the deterioration of free will to a point where the only control these characters have is in the decision to end their lives.
Jacquelyn,
It is interesting that the title of this play is dedicated to Caesar, and although we did speak of this in class, it is still interesting how Caesar’s death is more important and powerful than Caesar himself (if that makes any sense..). I like and agree with your point that this play is not about the tragedy of murders (as most are), but of suicides. Fate is a huge theme within the play, and by trying to avoid it, the characters seem to dive right into it. Additionally, the part where you speak of omens and signs reminds me of my high school discussions concerning Macbeth with the chain of being, and how the night before the king is murdered, the chain of being or the natural world is in chaos. I was really amazed by your last point that the only control they bear is in the decision to end their lives. It is an astonishing reality and one that makes this play truly tragic. Great job!
Great analysis, Jacquelyn! I agree that the play is more about the suicidal tragedies after Caesar’s death, than Caesar’s death alone. Moreover, I specifically liked your incite about Shakespeare leaving room for multiple interpretations regarding “Caesar [being] dead, but the tragedy (the play)… not end[ing].” In the real world people commit suicide as a means of escape, but obviously the tragedy and pain continues with the ones they leave behind. And as you’ve mentioned, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is chock full of suicides that are intertwined, including the self-destruction of Portia, Cassius, Brutus, and even Titinius! Furthermore, you pose interesting questions about the possibilities of determinism and free will in the play. For instance, are the characters’s suicidal dispositions in themselves deterministic? In other words, are they committing suicide as an act of free will or is fate leading them through a funnel of despair until death’s the only escape? Is it possible that they only possess so much resistance against anxiety and depression until their wills and minds collapse since mental strength is determined by genetics and environmental factors? I think you could write a really fascinating psychoanalytical essay on this topic. Again, great post, Jacquelyn!