Final Thoughts II
Bill Long
More Mixed Messages
The third mixed message that readers might get concerns Caesar himself. Not only is it unclear whether he, Brutus or anyone, really, is the "hero" of this play, but it is uncertain whether Shakespeare wants to portray Caesar is an admirable person. Did he get what was "coming" to him or was his murder an act of grievous injustice? Are we supposed to have sympathy for Caesar or applaud his death?
There is ample evidence from the play for both approaches. Arguing on the side of sympathy for Caesar is the sense that he is able to bring peace to Rome, that his authority is unquestioned, that he genuinely seems to be committed to the health of Rome and that even his opponents cannot point to any of his actions that deserve assassination. His brief line when asked by Artemidorus to consider a matter that "touches Caesar nearer" than matters pressed on him by others is revealing, "What touches us ourself shall be last serv'd (3.1.8)." His hospitality towards those who would betray him makes him almost a Christ-like figure (2.2).
Yet, on the other hand, Caesar can be insufferable and almost "asking" for trouble. The more the conspirators fawn on him in 3.1, the more Caesar arrogates to himself near-divine prerogatives. He is as constant as the northern star; he will show his constancy by rejecting their request. He even insults his requesters and arrogantly distances himself from all people by saying that those who change their minds are practicing "the law of children (3.1.39)." When the conspirators finally fall on their knees in front of him, perhaps even grasping his ankles or the chair on which he sits, all he can do is to respond, "Wilt thou lift up Olympus (the mount of the gods--3.1.74)?" After responses like this, we are ready to join the conspirators!
Mixed Messages on the Play Itself
All scholars of Julius Caesar and all categorizations of the play I have seen list it as a tragedy. Indeed, the Folio of 1623 calls it the "Tragedy of Julius Caesar." But is it, really? The last lines of the play are spoken by Octavian: "So call the field to rest, and let's away,/ To part the glories of this happy day (5.5.80-81)." Naturally from the perspective of Antony and Octavian the day is happy; they have just been victorious at Philippi and all the world seems open before them. But, this kind of ending is usually reserved for a comedy and not for a tragedy.
Note the endings of a few of Shakespeare's more popular tragedies. Hamlet ends with Fortinbras' sober command to "Take up the bodies. Such a sight as this/ Becomes the field, but here shows much amiss (Ham. 5.2.401-402)." Othello likewise ends with bodies strewn around and the resolve of Lodovico to go "straight abroad, and to the state/ This heavy act with heavy heart relate (Oth. 5.2.370-371)." King Lear closes with Edgar's ruminative thoughts, "The weight of this sad time we must obey,/ Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say:/ The oldest hast born most; we that are young/ Shall never see so much, nor live so long (5.3.324-327)." In contrast to these, for one example, are the closing lines of the comedy Twelfth Night. After joyful wedding vows are exchanged, the clown sings his closing song, "And we'll strive to please you every day (TN 5.1.408)."
If Shakespeare wanted to conclude Julius Caesar in an unequivocally tragic manner, he could have had Antony not mention Brutus's virtue (which itself is a "mixed signal") but could have had someone lament the waste of war and of youth, or the pain and deception of idealism and ideology. By having the temperate, reserved Octavian talk about a happy day, the reader is left with the question ringing in his or her mind, "Which day is or was happy? For whom?" We are left with the impression that happiness and satisfaction simply arises from an assessment of whether victor or loser is doing the speaking. In his later tragedies, however, the reader gets the sense that the toll taken on all by the events of the play is so dramatic and traumatic that it is a net loss for all.
Conclusion
The "bottom line" for me, then, when all is said and done, is that the first three Acts are brilliantly written and among the most gripping in the Shakespeare repertoire. My desire to memorize a few lines quickly changes into a need to memorize whole paragraphs and speeches in order not to lose even the slightest nuance of the words. Acts IV and V maintain some of the same intensity and beauty of language but are not as well-conceived nor as forcefully presented. Rather than taking this as an indication of Shakespeare's genius, I see it as a combination of source limitations and Shakespeare's inability to overcome his sources to write a flowing and compelling description of the lead-up to and battle of Philippi. All in all, though, a wonderful play, with enough choice phrasings and thoughts to last one for many a conversation and many a thought.
Copyright © 2004-2007 William R. Long |