How oft, when men are at the point of death, have they been merry! Which their keepers call a lightning before death

How oft, when men are at the point of death, have they been merry! Which their keepers call a lightning before death

The quote “How oft, when men are at the point of death, have they been merry! Which their keepers call a lightning before death” is from William Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar. This line is spoken by Calpurnia, Caesar’s wife, as she tries to convince him not to go to the Senate on the day of his assassination. She is warning him that she has had a dream in which she saw him being killed, and she believes that the signs and omens are pointing to his impending death.

The idea that people often become strangely cheerful or lighthearted just before they die is a common theme in literature and folklore. It is often seen as a sign that the person’s soul is preparing to leave their body and move on to the afterlife. In Shakespeare’s time, this belief was widely held, and it is reflected in many of his plays.