The Death Of Julius Caesar

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There are a few random facts that most people know about Julius Caesar, including his romance with Cleopatra, his famed rule over the Roman Empire, and some even know that he is the reason we have the month of July. While all of these are facts, there are many things that people do not know for certain, and can only speculate about, especially in regards to the reasons and specifics of his assassination. There are some details that have been confirmed through the assimilation of information, but other portions of his murder are surrounded by theory. The textbook reading, in comparison with three other sources given, offer very different pictures, surrounding the events leading up to, during, and following the death of Julius Caesar. Because each reading offers a slightly different point of view and information, it is important to compare each of them against the textbook reading, before looking at the collective picture.
The Textbook Version
The textbook describes Julius Caesar as a positive figure in history, according to the description of him and his life in the textbook. They pay particular attention to describe him as an intelligent general, who came from a noble background and was basically a natural-born leader (Hunt et al. 2012, 155). They go on to describe his feud with Pompey, which led to a romance with the famous Cleopatra, and ultimately resulting in his rule (Hunt et al. 2012, 155). Although the Senate supported Pompey, they recognized Caesar and began to appoint him a variety of titles before ultimately declaring him the dictator (Hunt et al. 2012, 155). The book continues to explain some of the great things that Julius did during his rule, and how he was greatly loved by his people (Hunt et al. 2012, 155). It wr...

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...their hatred for him, and unwavering desire to return to a state of republic rule. Unfortunately, it also showed the complete lack of companionship that Julius Caesar had, as many of these killers and sympathizers were close friends and advisors of the ruler. In contrast, the textbook maintained that he was a strategic minded, intelligent, and renowned leader of the Roman Empire, helping the advancement of many aspects of their society. He was simply a man who was murdered by a group of conspirators, who ultimately plunged the region back into Civil War.
In the end, it begs the question, which depiction of Julius Caesar is the correct one, was he a power-hungry warmonger that needed to be stopped, or a man that brought about greatness, and was murdered for it? It has been said many times that there are three sides to every story, his side, her side, and the truth.

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