Question

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Read the excerpt from act 5, scene 1, of Julius Caesar.

CASSIUS. Messala.

MESSALA, standing forth. What says my general?

CASSIUS. Messala,
This is my birthday; as this very day
Was Cassius born. Give me thy hand, Messala.
Be thou my witness that, against my will,
As Pompey was, am I compelled to set
Upon one battle all our liberties.
You know that I held Epicurus strong
And his opinion. Now I change my mind,
And partly credit things that do presage.
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.

MESSALA. Believe not so.

CASSIUS. I but believe it partly;
For I am fresh of spirit, and resolved
To meet all perils very constantly.

Which central idea does this speech about omens best support?

Maybe fate does control everything.
Fate controls nothing.
Everyone should seek to climb ambition’s ladder.
The reward for a life well-lived is worth all sacrifice

Answer 1

Maybe fate does control everything.

Explanation: Cassius—who once believed Epicurus (denying fate)—now says he “partly credit[s] things that do presage,” describes the eagles’ disappearance and the ominous birds and “fatal” canopy, and feels compelled by these signs. The speech shows him accepting omens as evidence that fate may determine events.