Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas
explored in a literary work.
Fate versus Free Will
Julius Caesar raises many questions about
the force of fate in life versus the capacity for free will. Cassius
refuses to accept Caesar’s rising power and deems a belief in fate
to be nothing more than a form of passivity or cowardice. He says
to Brutus: “Men at sometime were masters of their fates. / The fault,
dear Brutus, is not in our stars, / But in ourselves, that we are
underlings” (I.ii.140–142).
Cassius urges a return to a more noble, self-possessed attitude
toward life, blaming his and Brutus’s submissive stance not on a
predestined plan but on their failure to assert themselves.
Ultimately, the play seems to support a philosophy in
which fate and freedom maintain a delicate coexistence. Thus Caesar
declares: “It seems to me most strange that men should fear, / Seeing
that death, a necessary end, / Will come when it will come” (II.ii.35–37). In
other words, Caesar recognizes that certain events lie beyond human
control; to crouch in fear of them is to enter a paralysis equal to,
if not worse than, death. It is to surrender any capacity for freedom
and agency that one might actually possess. Indeed, perhaps to face
death head-on, to die bravely and honorably, is Caesar’s best course:
in the end, Brutus interprets his and Cassius’s defeat as the work of
Caesar’s ghost—not just his apparition, but also the force of the
people’s devotion to him, the strong legacy of a man who refused
any fear of fate and, in his disregard of fate, seems to have transcended
it.
Public Self versus Private Self
Much of the play’s tragedy stems from the characters’
neglect of private feelings and loyalties in favor of what they
believe to be the public good. Similarly, characters confuse their
private selves with their public selves, hardening and dehumanizing
themselves or transforming themselves into ruthless political machines.
Brutus rebuffs his wife, Portia, when she pleads with him to confide
in her; believing himself to be acting on the people’s will, he
forges ahead with the murder of Caesar, despite their close friendship.
Brutus puts aside his personal loyalties and shuns thoughts of Caesar
the man, his friend; instead, he acts on what he believes to be
the public’s wishes and kills Caesar the leader, the imminent dictator.
Cassius can be seen as a man who has gone to the extreme in cultivating his
public persona. Caesar, describing his distrust of Cassius, tells Antony
that the problem with Cassius is his lack of a private life—his
seeming refusal to acknowledge his own sensibilities or to nurture
his own spirit. Such a man, Caesar fears, will let nothing interfere
with his ambition. Indeed, Cassius lacks all sense of personal honor
and shows himself to be a ruthless schemer.
Ultimately, neglecting private sentiments to follow public
concerns brings Caesar to his death. Although Caesar does briefly
agree to stay home from the Senate in order to please Calpurnia,
who has dreamed of his murder, he gives way to ambition when Decius
tells him that the senators plan to offer him the crown. -Caesar’s
public self again takes precedence. Tragically, he no longer sees
the difference between his omnipotent, immortal public image and
his vulnerable human body. Just preceding his death, Caesar
refuses Artemidorus’s pleas to speak with him, saying that he gives
last priority to his most personal concerns. He thus endangers himself
by believing that the strength of his public self will protect his
private self.
Misinterpretations and Misreadings
Much of the play deals with the characters’ failures to
interpret correctly the omens that they encounter. As Cicero says,
“Men may construe things after their fashion, / Clean from the purpose
of the things themselves” (I.iii.34–35).
Thus, the night preceding Caesar’s appearance at the Senate is full
of portents, but no one reads them accurately: Cassius takes them
to signify the danger that Caesar’s impending coronation would bring
to the state, when, if anything, they warn of the destruction that
Cassius himself threatens. There are calculated misreadings as well:
Cassius manipulates Brutus into joining the conspiracy by means
of forged letters, knowing that Brutus’s trusting nature will cause
him to accept the letters as authentic pleas from the Roman people.
The circumstances of Cassius’s death represent another
instance of misinterpretation. Pindarus’s erroneous conclusion that
Titinius has been captured by the enemy, when in fact Titinius has
reunited with friendly forces, is the piece of misinformation that
prompts Cassius to seek death. Thus, in the world of politics portrayed
in Julius Caesar, the inability to read
people and events leads to downfall; conversely, the ability to
do so is the key to survival. With so much ambition and rivalry,
the ability to gauge the public’s opinion as well as the resentment
or loyalty of one’s fellow politicians can guide one to success.
Antony proves masterful at recognizing his situation, and his accurate
reading of the crowd’s emotions during his funeral oration for Caesar
allows him to win the masses over to his side.
