Painterly brass compass lying on torn pale parchment against deep blue.

Original artwork, not a still

Julius Caesar

William Shakespeare

Men at some time are masters of their fates: The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The speaker tells Brutus that people can sometimes command their own fates, so blame for being subordinate lies in ourselves rather than in the stars. Failure is recast as a matter of will and choice, not destiny or luck.

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