Julius Caesar Essays (861 words) - Julius Caesar, Iulii, Cleopatra

Julius Caesar The era of Julius Caesar was a time when many people's feelings toward the government began to change. This was one of the first times in Roman history when people began to question the power of their ruler. In the play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, we see a brief picture of this Roman life during the time of the First Triumvirate. In this snap shot, many unfortunate things occur as a result of these strong feelings towards the government of that time. Shakespeare gives us the idea that many people try to circumvent what the future holds, such as unfortunate things, by being superstitious. Superstition seems to play a role in the basic daily life of most Roman citizens, and exists as an important, deciding factor in the events and outcome of the play itself. The setting of the first scene of the play is based upon superstition. The Feast of Lupercal is in honor of the god Pan, the queen of fertility. During this time, infertile females are supposed to be able to procreate, and fertile ones are supposed to be able to bear more. It is also a supposed time of sexual glorification and happiness. Other scenes depict how mysterious sooth-sayers, who are supposedly given the power to predict the future, roam the streets of Rome. Dictating what is to come through terse tidbits, these people may also be looked upon as superstitious. In the opening scene, one sooth-sayer, old in his years, warns Caesar to "Beware the Ides of March," an admonition of Caesar's impending death. Although sooth-sayers are looked upon by many as insane, out of touch lower classmen, a good deal of them, obviously including the sayer Caesar encountered, are indeed right on the mark. Since they lack any formal office or shop, and they predict forthcomings without fee, one can see quite easily why citizens would distrust their predictions. Superstition, in general elements such as the Feast of Lupercal, as well as on a personal level such as with the sooth-sayers, is an important factor in determining the events and the outcome of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, and a significant force throughout the entire course of the play. Before the play fully unravels, we see other signs of Caesar's tragic end. Aside from the sooth-sayer's warning, we see another sign during Caesar's visit with the Augerers, the latter day "psychics". They find "No heart in the beast", which they interpret as advice to Caesar that he should remain at home. Caesar brushes it off and thinks of it as a rebuke from the gods, meaning that he is a coward if he does not go out, and so he dismisses the wise advice as hearsay. However, the next morning, his wife Calpurnia wakes up frightened due to a horrible nightmare. She tells Caesar of a battle breaking out in the heart of Rome, "Which drizzled blood upon the Capitol," with Caesar painfully dying, such that "...The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes." Although Caesar realizes Calpurnia is truly concerned about his well being, he seeks another interpretation, coming to the conclusion that the person who imagines the dream may not be the wisest one to interpret it's meaning. Later Caesar tells his faithful companion Decius about it, and he interprets it quite the contrary, "That it was a vision fair and fortunate," and indeed, today is an ideal day to go out, since this is the day "To give a crown to mighty Caesar." Perhaps Decius is implying here that today is a day where much appreciation and appraisal will be given to Caesar, surely not the endangerment of his well being as Calpurnia interprets it. Caesar predictably agrees with him, as most citizens enjoy believing the more positive of two interpretations. After Caesar's assassination at the hand of Brutus, Cassius, and the rest of the conspirators, Brutus and Cassius are chased into the countryside, where we see a few superstitious signs of their forthcoming painful death in battle. In a dream, Brutus sees Caesar's "ghost", interpreted as an omen of his defeat. He also looks upon the ensign, and instead of the usual stock of eagles, ravens and kites replace them, construed as another sign of their loss at Phillipi. Not surprisingly, Caesar's death is avenged in the end, with two of the conspirators, Titanius and Brutus' double suicide. The play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, clearly reveals how important superstition was to the people of Rome at the time of

Summaries of Peer Review Essay Sample

Summaries of Peer Review Essay SampleIf you are asked to complete a summary of peer review essay, this is the first thing that you should do. There are several key reasons why this is a must. One, you will be required to summarize the essay before the final date of submission. The other reason is that you will be asked to give the referee's the summary of peer review essay prior to their review.The short version basically tells the referees what you have to say. Your goal is to present your thesis in the most concise way possible, with as little or as much information as possible. Your referees will need a lot of information in order to assess your thesis.An important function of the summary is to determine if your summary is in a form that they can understand. In essence, you are trying to convince the referees that your paper is of high quality and that it should be published. This is usually done by showing the referees how much information you have provided and presenting evidenc e of your argument.A summary of the essay is not a quick checker sheet for the referees. It's an opportunity to do justice to your idea. It allows you to explain the academic rigor of your paper while also showing your understanding of both its style and content.A summary of the essay is also very important because you want to convey information as succinctly as possible. For that reason, you should not present any complicated ideas. You should simply present your viewpoint and make the referees understand what you have to say. If your referees think you are a weak writer, then they will also find your idea as less worthy.A summary of the essay sample is very different from a traditional abstract. That is because the referees are not evaluating the scholarship you have to write. Instead, they are assessing the thesis statement you have submitted. They are not reviewing your work, but they are looking at how much you have to say.If you think that you have to worry about being able to put all the necessary information in a formal paper, then you should never try to do so. In fact, it is best to do your best to avoid having to write anything formal at all. Writing it by hand will help you avoid repeating yourself and help you leave out any unnecessary words. Because of the short format, your thesis will look more polished and convincing when it is in your hand.