Cassius:
“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings.”
Julius Caesar (I, ii, 140-141)
I see this quote as meaning that Cassius trying to tell Brutus that problems are not caused by fate, but by personal choices. This differs from the superstition in the story such as the negativity of “the ides of March”, or the wrath of the gods. Cassius uses words like “our” and “ourselves” to give Brutus a sense of community in an attempt to get him to join his conspiracy to eliminate Caesar, before he becomes indomitable. He also uses words with positive connotations like “dear” and “stars” to try to use kindness to help him end the tyranny of Caesar. Another explanation for this quote is that human nature causes people to make certain decisions, not fate.
This quote can be used in more than one way. It can be a positive in the case of failure, meaning that one does not have to fight supernatural forces, only themselves to succeed, or before an attempt at something knowing that their skills are what will determine the outcome, not those outside forces. John Greene’s “The Fault in our Stars” has the two main characters diagnosed with cancer, knowing that death is inevitable. However, they act in a way as though they are separate from their fate. This gives a new perspective in that fate and personal choice are not opposite but, somehow interconnected in a way that fate gives some flexibility for personal choice.
