Bad Omens

    On the night before Caesar's death there were a lot of bad omens or bad signs.  Back in that time before the explanation of science they believed that a thunderstorm was sent from the gods and that any weird behavior was a sign sent to them from above.  Some of the bad omens that appeared the night of Calpurnia's dreams were the thunderstorm, a lioness gave birth in the streets and the dead cried from their graves.  All of these, plus Calpurnia's dream of Caesar's statue gushingg with blood and the people of Rome coming to dip their hands in it, warned her that something was wrong.  Calpurnia was not a person to believe in bad omens or superstition, so when Caesar did not take his wife's advice when she told him not to go out, was not a wise decision.  But in the next lines it is plan to see why he ignored her.  Decius comes to the house of Caesar and tells Caesar that the interpretation his wife has given him about the dream is all wrong and that the people would not want to harm Caesar but that they want to dip their hands in his blood so that they may have his mighty blood on there servant hands.  Caesar then falls for this interpretation and regrets that he even for a second yielded to Calpurnia's warning.  Caesar does end up going out to the capital and is killed by the conspirators including Brutus, Decius, Cassious, Cinna and Metellus.  Caesar never saw his wife again.

Day of Games (Calpurnia's View)

(This is my view of what I think Calpurnia might have been thinking the day of the games - view last post for more info on the games)

Calpurnia: I don't want to get out of bed today, I like to see the games but I can bear no children and I know that Caesar is going to ask Antony to run by and strike me with his thong which is embarrassing and also quite painful. Does everyone really have to know that I can't have kids? Its very sad to me in the first place and having everyone know and wonder about it only makes it worse.  But who knows? Maybe it will work, this whole thong thing, and I'll bear Caesar a son. Then, I could be happy.  To know that my lord will have an heir and to have a child all of my own.  Then, only then, can I be truly happy to go out in public and be proud of who I am.

Lupercalia (The games)

    Calpurnia was the wife of Julius Caesar, who lived around 100 B.C. She was his third wife and they were married in 59 B.C. Calpurnia was a beautiful woman and the daughter of Piso Caesonius. In Act I scene II of Julius Caesar, it tells us that Calpurnia is unable to have children. Caesar tells Antony that when he runs in the Lupercalia (games), to not focus on speed but to touch Calpurnia with his holy chase. (As part of the festival the men ran naked through the streets of Rome, striking bystanders with a leather thong. It was said that if a woman that could not have children was struck by this thong, she would become fertile.) She never did have children but she was a faithful wife that always looked after Caesar.