Question

CASSIUS: Messala, This is my birthday . . . . Now I change my mind, And partly credit things that do presage. . . . Two mighty eagles fell . . . . And in their steads do ravens, crows, and kites Fly o’er our heads and downward look on us, As we are sickly prey. Their shadows seem A canopy most fatal under which Our army lies, ready to give up the ghost. How does Cassius’ use of figurative language in the bolded lines foreshadow the possible fate of his and Brutus’ army?

Answer 1

Answer: Cassius' use of figurative language foreshadows the possible fate of his and Brutus' army because these images are foretelling the defeat of both armies. They will be the pray for the animals that are now overflowing them.

Explanation:  In "The Tragedy of Julius Caesar", by William Shakespeare Cassius interprets the sign of ravens circling overhead the day of the battle as a bad omen for the battle's outcome. He thinks the raven and crows are looking at them as "sickly prays".  

Answer 2

By using figurative language, Shakespeare creates a visual image of Octavius’ army overtaking them like inescapable death. Cassius’ words foreshadow later events in act 5.