Question

[CASSIUS.] Coming from Sardis, on our former
ensign
Two mighty eagles fell, and there they perched,
Gorging and feeding from our soldiers’ hands;
Who to Philippi here consorted us.
This morning are they fled away and gone,
And in their steads do ravens, crows, and kites
Fly o’er our heads and downward look on us,
As we were sickly prey. Their shadows seem
A canopy most fatal, under which
Our army lies ready to give up the ghost.

—The Tragedy of Julius Caesar,
William Shakespeare

What is the overall tone of this passage?

Which words help to establish the tone?

How do the words create the tone?

Answer 1

Overall tone: ominous and fatalistic — a mood of despair and impending doom.

Words/phrases that establish the tone:
- “fell,” “fled away and gone” (loss, abandonment)
- “ravens, crows, and kites,” “sickly prey” (birds of death/scavengers; vulnerability)
- “shadows,” “canopy most fatal” (oppressive, deadly imagery)
- “downward look on us,” “ready to give up the ghost” (threatening gaze; explicit death)

How the words create the tone:
- Contrast: the earlier image of “mighty eagles… gorging and feeding” (power and triumph) is immediately undone by their departure, emphasizing decline and betrayal.
- Macabre imagery: scavenger birds (ravens, crows, kites) are culturally associated with death; calling the army “sickly prey” turns soldiers into helpless victims.
- Diction and verbs: short, definitive verbs like “fell,” “fled,” and “gone” convey sudden loss; “give up the ghost” bluntly signals death.
- Atmosphere: “shadows” and a “canopy most fatal” create an oppressive, enclosing image that suggests inevitability.

Together these elements produce a bleak, foreboding tone that suggests the army’s defeat and impending death.