The Virtue Of Dignity In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

The clock strikes 11 o’clock. The crowd in the auditorium grows silent as a man ascends to the stage and makes announcements relevant to the assembly. After making his remarks, another man advances toward the stage and requests that everyone turn to page five-hundred-thirty-five in their hymnals. He sings three full songs, takes his seat, and several other men stand up and preside over a square table. They state the reason for their presence is to distribute what they call the “Lord’s supper.” One man utters a prayer, and then the whole group moves through the room with trays containing bread. With this distributed, the men return to the table and say another prayer, this time for what they say is the “fruit of the vine.” They again move through the room, but this time the trays contain cups of grape juice. Once both parts have been given to everyone in attendance, the men return to their seats and the service continues. To the uninitiated visitor, these actions seem curious. The announcements, songs, and prayers make sense, but what about the supper? “Why would someone practice this,” one may ask. Another might ponder, “why use bread and grape juice?” Still another
Christian-oriented circles have ascribed various names to the Lord’s supper, with the Roman Catholic church calling it the “mass” and the Eastern Orthodox church calling it the “divine liturgy” (Cross and Livingstone 570). There is also controversy over the day and frequency of observance, with many claiming it is a matter of indifference (“Miller”). And when one factors in terms like transubstantiation, consubstantiation, and virtualism, the supper becomes even more confusing (Cross and Livingstone 570). Despite all the questions and controversies surrounding the Lord's supper, it is a simple, yet fundamental, doctrine of New Testament Christianity, and Scripture defines and demonstrates each aspect of