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Definition of Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the story. Foreshadowing can be achieved directly or indirectly, by making... read full definition
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the story. Foreshadowing can be achieved... read full definition
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the... read full definition
Act 5
Explanation and Analysis—Caesar's Death:
In Act 5, Caesar alludes to his future murder, a real historical event that audience members would likely have been aware of. This creates a sense of dramatic irony and foreshadowing in the following passage, as the audience is privy to information that Caesar is not:
RUFIO: Caesar: I am loth to let you go to Rome without your shield. There are too many daggers there.
CAESAR: It matters not: I shall finish my life's work on my way back; and then I shall have lived long enough. Besides: I have always disliked the idea of dying: I had rather be killed. Farewell.
Explanation and Analysis—Caesar's Return:
At the very end of Act 5, Apollodorus converses with Cleopatra as they watch Caesar depart for Rome. Apollodorus attempts to console Cleopatra about Caesar's departure in a moment of dramatic irony, foreshadowing future events that are fated to take place beyond the time frame of the play:
Unlock with LitCharts A+APOLLODORUS: [to Cleopatra] No tears, dearest Queen: they stab your servant to the heart. [Caesar] will return some day.
CLEOPATRA: I hope not. But I can't help crying, all the same.
