Julius Caesar Guilt Quotes

Julius Caesar, another well-known play and tragedy written by William Shakespeare in

1599, is a tragedy about the tyrannical Roman emperor Julius Caesar and the events that lead to the murder of Julius Caesar. This tragedy is most famous for the line “Et tu, Brute?”

(Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, 3.1.77). This quote shows the disbelief present in Julius Caesar after he was murdered with the aid of his friend Brutus. Even though the Shakespearean play

Julius Caesar has some definite historical ties that may have influenced and inspired William

Shakespeare to write, there may have also been certain political events happening at the time

William Shakespeare wrote the play that may have also influenced and inspired him to write. At the time that

This quote is an example of the theme of guilt in Macbeth and how guilt slowly eats at the consciences of the guilty souls such as Lady Macbeth in the tragedy.

William Shakespeare uses this quote to reveal how a guilty conscience can lead a person to a path of self-destruction and constant pain. “What’s done cannot be undone.” (Shakespeare,

Macbeth, 5.1.46-7). This quote gives a sense of finality to the actions and crimes committed in the tragedy. Through this quote, William Shakespeare suggests that we cannot undo the mistakes

Gustafson 7 we make and that we must suffer the consequences and the guilt that result from those mistakes.

“If you can look into the seeds of time / And say which grain will grow and which will not, /

Speak, then, to me, who neither beg nor fear /Your favors nor your hate.” (Shakespeare,

Macbeth, 1.3.60-3). This quote is an example of the unnatural forces such as the three weird sisters and their ability to perceive the future in Macbeth. William Shakespeare may have been inspired to write this tragedy in order to please King James I with a play about a well-known historical event directly related to King James I’s ancestors.

William Shakespeare died April 23, 1616 on his approximate date of birth and the