Fate is the development of events outside a persons control. This is regarded as predetermined by a supernatural power.

Julius Caesar brings up many questions about the force of fate in life versus free will. In Julius Caesar, Cassius refuses to accept Caesar’s ever growing supremacy and he considers that accepting fate is a form of cowardliness. Cassius says to Brutus ‘Men at some time are masters of their fates: the fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings.’ As Cassius protests about Caesar’s power, he believes that it is Rome’s own fault for being subservient to just one man. According to Cassius, ‘Men are masters of their own fate’. This means that it is up to Cassius and the conspirators to take down Caesar. This seems like a good idea and there is a lot of evidence in play that men don’t have control over their destinies.

Soothsayer:’Beware the ides of March’

Caesar:’He is a dreamer; let us leave him. Pass.’

Even though the Soothsayer warns Caesar about the Ides of March, Caesar does not take any notice of him and ended up being stabbed 33 times on the 15th of March. His arrogance prevents him from taking advice from the soothsayer which eventually gets him killed. This is not the last time Caesar ignored warning signings of his death. His wife then later has a dream of Caesar being killed and a statue of him with his blood pouring out.

Flavius:’These growing feathers pluck’d from Caesar’s wing will make him fly an ordinary pitch, who else would soar above the view of men and keep us all in servile fearfulness.’

This quote means that if the people of Rome take away their support of Caesar, then Caesar will fly back to earth, if not then he will keep us in a state of fear and obedience. In the first scene of the play, you can sense that people of Rome can see no good coming out of Caesar’s power increasing. It is predicted that Caesar will keep them servile, but they are able to see the consequences of Caesars assassination. Civil war can be a result of his assassination.

‘They are all fire and everyone doth shine But there’s but one in all doth hold his place.’

‘But there’s…his place.’

This quote shows that Caesar refers to himself as the Northern Star. He says that he is the main the star and he will always remain leader. This is a metaphor.

‘The skies are painted with unnumbered sparks.’

The first idea that this gives me is that fate has many possibilities. Something to support this idea is that the Gods in the sky decide our fate and he mentions that the unnumbered sparks are in the sky. Another idea I got from this is that the unnumbered sparks are the citizens of Rome. Sparks being the people of Rome, they burn bright (have a good life)  then fade out and become dim (bad things happen in life or they die.)

‘The fault is not in our stars, but in ourselves.’

Cassius says this in Act 1 Scene 2. To me this quote translates to ‘Our status is not in our fate, but in ourselves.’ Stars translates to fate for me as I earlier mentioned a connecting between stars, God, sparks and fate.

Caesar says all of this before he dies which shows that  Shakespeare punished Caesar for believing he can’t control his fate. Shakespeare, like a God decided Caesar’s fate.