How Portents, Omens and Dreams Add to the Dramatic Tension...

How Portents, Omens and Dreams Add to the Dramatic Tension Before Julius Caesars murder in Julius Caesar Julius Caesar is one of Shakespeares greatest plays because in it he deals powerfully and excitingly with the themes of power and conscience. Particularly in Julius Caesar Shakespeare uses disruptions as portents, omens and predictions to give us a sense of approach of terrible events. Shakespeare lived the Elizabethan period; therefore like many Elizabethans he would have had the conception of the divine order of the universe being mystical. Similar to the characters in Julius Caesar the Elizabethans would see storms as a warning to some sort of disaster or calamity to be visited upon men,†¦show more content†¦Although it is so early on in the play Shakespeare is already creating an impact on Caesars character as being self minded and a selfish emperor, also in other plays like Macbeth, there is a selfish king called Macbeth who murders Duncan to take power based on magical predictions by the three witches. So by linking Julius Caesar with other plays he has created a wi de range of themes, power, greed and deception. In Act one scene three there is a portent, the thunder begins to rumble and grows in volume. As in the Elizabethan period a storm was to predict a bad forthcoming, and so Shakespeare shows at the start of the scene. The reactions of the characters were expressed a lot at the start of the play, especially Casca who is just introduced in the play as a plain blunt man. But in this scene after the storm he changes to such a large extent that he draws his sword out. Are you not moved, when the sway earth Shakes like a thing unfirm? this is a line from the play showing casca reactions. It is quite common to see a tough character become so nervous, talkative and excitable as Casca does in circumstances of danger because Shakespeare might have known that men were like that in his time. Casca says a man should beware of the anger of the gods, but Cassisus, who is speaking to him in the scene, answers that thereShow MoreRelatedThe Theme of Julius Caesar Essay2961 Words   |  12 PagesThe Theme of Julius Caesar How suitably is the theme of the supernatural depicted in the play ‘Julius Caesar’? William Shakespeare was one of the most influential playwrights, is known today for his plays such as Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, A Midsummer Nights Dream and many other interesting and different plays. We in the 21st century enjoy Shakespeare’s plays for a variety of reasons. His plays have different themes like love, ambition, pride, friendship, supernatural