discuss shakespear's use of the supernatural in his tragedies with special referece to julius caesar?

Answer 1

Is it just me, or does this sound suspiciously like someone's homework question?

Answer 2

Hey shkspr -- no, it's not just you. But "'twas in my vocation, for their recreation, that so I should sing; because I was Laureate -- to them and the King."

To the original (don't call me Onlie Begetter) questioner, I'll offer some hints to point you in the right direction. If you can't figure out a good paper from the questions I ask here... don't worry, many people go through life working in fast food.

First off, "the supernatural" in Shakespear's context means not merely ghosts and witches (for that you need Macbeth, anyway); it also means strange weather, shooting stars, comets, earthquakes, anything which is far outside the ordinary. And for the purposes of this play, it also includes fortune-tellers and, most specifically, dreams.

Act I, scene 2 -- what is the Soothsayer telling Caesar? And what then does Cassius tell Brutus? Why is this happening in the same scene? What does Shakespeare mean by putting them together? Does something happen later on in the play, on the Ides of March? Can you say "foreshadowing"? I *knew* you could! :-)

Act I, scene 3 -- what does Casca tell Cicero? Then later in the scene, what does Cassius tell Casca? What do these great disturbances and disruptions have to do with the events that are about to unfold in the play?

....And do you notice how most of the scenes open with something supernatural? How about Act II, scene 2? What is Calpurnia telling her husband? I'll give you one gotta-have for this subject -- Calpurnia's line here is of critical importance:

"When beggars die, there are no comets seen;
The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes."

So what is Shakespeare getting at by putting these continual references to great upheavals in nature at the beginning of each scene?

I think you should be able to take it from there... If you want to look at other plays, Hamlet opens with a ghost walking the battlements of Elsinore Castle, and Macbeth opens with three witches foretelling the future of Macbeth and Banquo. Those would be the two key supernatural plays to work into your paper; if you don't have a copy of them at home, MIT has a great site with the entire canon on line. I find it most enjoyable to read by following the plays scene-by-scene, but there's also a link for viewing the entire play in one page -- VERY useful for finding a specific reference.

Answer 3

Shakespeare's use of the supernatural came from his inability to do his own homework at school and when asked to do an essay on the supernatural he simply posted his assignment online in the hope that others would 'appear supernaturally' and do his work for him..........................................

Answer 4

GREAT one, scott f...
you're the first person to make me laugh in the last day of reading answers...
thanks...