Julius Caesar

877 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: julius caesar effects on society

For thousands of years people have been talking about the great powerful Caesar. He is one of the greatest known dictators known to people today mostly because of all of the things he was able to accomplish during his rein as emperor. After reading primary sources about Caesar, it has given me a better understanding of what other people thought of him during this time period. It’s safe to say that Caesar was obsessed with power and respect from other people that would explain his thirst for war and land, which is one of his greatest strengths and helped in making Rome a great empire.
First of all, Caesar always felt entitled to himself and always had the audacity to see everyone as beneath him. A great example of Caesar’s bravery and fearlessness is when he was eighteen and was escape the punishment from the dictator Sulla, so in the process he was captured by pirates, who decided to be help for ransom. “When they demanded twenty talents for his ransom, he laughed at them for not knowing who he was, and spontaneously promised to give them fifty talents instead, Next after he had dispatched friends to various cites to gather the money…he felt so superior to them that whenever he wanted to sleep, he would order them to be quiet” . Even being surrounded by murderous pirates clearly out numbered, he refused to let them think that they were in charge while he was in their captivity for thirty-eight days.
Afterwards, Caesar’s friends came around to pay the ransom and the pirates, they released him to go and spend their money as they wish. But that didn’t mean it was over for Caesar; after the pirates ran away they were captured and put in prison for their crime at the hand of Caesar. “Caesar [then] took the pirates out of prison and...

... middle of paper ...

...e him a better dictator. One of his greatest traits was that he was able to rule with an iron fist, but in my opinion I don’t think he abused his power since all he was trying to do was make Rome a huge and dominant empire. Obviously people who didn’t know him too well didn’t understand him, which made him appear as a scary and ruthless ruler, but even Cicero was able to change his mind about Caesar before the Gallic war was over. In the end, Caesar was one of the best dictators our world has ever seen.

Works Cited

Cicero, Letters to Atticus, 7.11, 8.13. Translation by Thomas R. Martin.
Plutarch, Life of Julius Caesar, 1-2 (excerpted). Translation by Thomas R. Martin.
Catullus, Poem 57. Translation by Thomas R. Martin.
Julius Caesar, The Gallic War, trans. Carolyn Hammond (New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996), 181, 183-4, 188-89, 191-94, 241-42.

Show More
Related

  • Julius Caesar

    510 Words  | 2 Pages

    Julius Caesar is the leader of Rome and is seeking to become king in a matter of time. Though he is a good military strategist, he lacks knowledge in running government and is too greedy to have any concern for the peasants when he is alive. Caesar is all about conquering and power and he is afraid of nothing. Before he is murdered, he says “The things that threatened me ne’er looked but on my back. When they shall see the face of Caesar, they are vanished” (II, ii, 575). Th...

    Read More

  • How Caesar contributed to the breakdown of the Roman republic

    1119 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the Republic, the people of Rome had a major disinclination towards any sort of Royalty, which is why when Caesar attempted to lead undemocratically indefinitely, he disrupted one of the core stances that romans shared communally. Caesar over indulged in power when he retitled himself as ‘dictator in perpetuo’. “And as Caesar was coming down from Alba into the city they ventured to hail him as king. But at this the people were confounded, and Caesar, disturbed in mind, said that his name was not King, but Caesar, and seeing that his words produced an universal silence, he passed on with no very cheerful or contented looks…..But the most open and deadly hatred towards him was produced by his passion for the royal power.” Caesars egotism and self-importance made him uncherished by members of the senate. “Everybody knew that Caesar's ego would never allow him to play second fiddle to another senator, and it was equally well-known that another famous military leader, Pompey the Great, had similar ambitions. In January 49, more or less at...

    Read More

  • Julius Caesar, The Selfish Dictator

    1406 Words  | 3 Pages

    Plutarch. "The Assassination of Julius Caesar, from Marcus Brutus (excerpts)." Translated by John Dryden. Reproduced by Internet Ancient History Sourcebook. August 2000. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/plutarch-caesar.asp (accessed 26 January 2014).

    Read More

  • Assassination of Julius Caesar

    1181 Words  | 3 Pages

    Caesar’s power in Rome was growing, and people were afraid he was going to turn Rome into a monarchy. However, Caesar did not want to be known as a king, but he was appointed dictator for life.

    Read More

  • How Was Caesar A Tyrant

    593 Words  | 2 Pages

    Caesar created jobs for his people, and he fed the hungry and the poor. “The hungry hordes in the city were now given free bread. Caesar created jobs by building roads, temples, and aqueducts.” Caesar brought fresh water to the city through his aqueducts. “Fresh water flowed freely in fountains throughout the city. Sanitation, sewage, and food all were seemingly under the control of Caesar.” Caesar was a good leader, the assassins only killed him because they were selfish and wanted their power back, the only person who had more of a reason than that was Brutus. “Now, while the average Roman basked in Caesars rule, then Senate of Rome was furious.” Caesar was a dictator, but he was a good

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of Killing Caesar

    729 Words  | 2 Pages

    Caesar, a strong and powerful man that doesn’t appear to have any fears. With only revealing slight fears to very trustworthy followers Caesar seemed to be invincible. “But I fear him not. Yet if my name were liable to fear, I do not know the man I should avoid so soon as that spare Cassius.” (I, II, 208-211). The Conspirators saw this as a threat and from that moment planned vengeance on Caesar. While intimidating and harsh the people of Rome adored him. The lines of Flavius when Caesar returns to Rome “Hence! Home, you idle creatures, get you home! Is this a holiday? What, know you not, being mechanical, you ought not to walk upon a laboring day without the sign of your profession?” (I, I, 1-5). They treated his return like a holiday, a festival. Even with this in mind, the Conspirators worries worsened that Caesar would become an overpowering dictator that put Rome at risk. In this situation most citizens would say spare Caesar, but the Conspirators were set on killing him. In the end the Conspirators did what they thought was right and killed Caesar in the senate, but were they right?

    Read More

  • Was Julius Caesar Justified Essay

    600 Words  | 2 Pages

    Julius Caesar wanted the most for his people. Athough he had his weak points, like his self-proclaimed title of “dictator for life,” he helped the people. In his time as dictator, 49 B.C. to 44 B. C, he just about doubled the land of Rome. He also refused to be king even though he was asked three times. Julius Caesar knew that to keep control of Rome, he had to keep a higher pace than his opponents. “Caesar lived at a faster tempo than the people who had to contend with him, and this gave him an enormous advantage.”

    Read More

  • Was Julius Caesar A Tyrant Essay

    503 Words  | 2 Pages

    Julius Caesar was a great leader for Rome. He was able to obtain large amounts of food. All the food combined was enough to hand out to all the hungry hordes of people in Rome who were not fed when the senators where in charge. “The hungry hordes in the city were now given free bread.” This shows that Caesar cares for all the people in Rome. Instead of keeping all the food for himself he handed it out to the people that needed it more. If Caesar was a

    Read More

  • Essay On Killing Caesar

    494 Words  | 1 Pages

    “For the average Roman, Caesar’s rule was a blessing” (article, “Killing Caesar” by Jon Herman). Gaius Julius Caesar was no tyrant; he was a hero. Heroes do good for the people and that’s exactly what Caesar did all throughout Rome by making sure the Romans had more than what they needed to survive.

    Read More

  • Was Julius Caesar Justified Essay

    580 Words  | 2 Pages

    Julius Caesar was once kidnapped by pirates! Yet, even though he survived this event, Caesar’s death was the result of a conspiracy by many Roman senators. Led by Gaius Cassius Longinus and Marcus Junius Brutus, they stabbed Julius Caesar to death in a location adjacent to the Theatre of Pompey on the Ides of March (March 15), 44 BC. Julius Caesar is ancient Rome’s most famous figure. He was a fantastic politician and general with a brilliant mind that even commenced the rise of the Roman Empire. Despite how intelligent Caesar was, his murder was justifiable because he was a tyrant, egocentric, and was unstable as a politician.

    Read More

  • Julius Caesar Greed Essay

    508 Words  | 2 Pages

    “I love the name of honor, more than I fear death.”~Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar’s predominant interest was not the security and posterity of his people; rather, it was rooted in personal power and the impressions others had of him. He was willing to compromise the well-being of his republic in order to obtain glory, wealth, and popularity. Caesar was a selfish ruler who treated people poorly, made bad political decisions, and only cared about the power he'd receive.

    Read More

  • Julius Caesar Pompey Analysis

    425 Words  | 1 Pages

    IP One could agree that Julius Caesar was a tyrannical dictator when examining these areas of his life:Caesar was involved in a civil war with pompey.During this time caesar was after pompey to have a serious discussion.After the civil war tragedy caesar went on to conquer Rome.When Caesar was getting comfortable as a ruler his fate was near.

    Read More

  • Was Julius Caesar A Tyrant?

    427 Words  | 1 Pages

    One major reason Caesar was a tyrant is because he was tremendously deceitful. It started out when he was elected high priest “allegedly by heavy bribes” (McGill). This shows us that whe would do anything to gain power. Caesar was also in great debt from taking loans to fun and win-over the audience by using gladiator fights. These beloved fights made the people of Rome love caesar. Another prime example of he deceitfulness is when the “senate supported Pompey” and Caesar attacked Pompey and chased and killed him in Egypt (McGill). Caesar was willing to steal, kill, and bribe to rule. Caesar deceived many people including the Roman public, political figures, and would stop at nothing to gain power.

    Read More

  • Julius Caesar Pirates

    761 Words  | 2 Pages

    So in conclusion, Julius Caesar really isn't a bad person. He just got caught on the wrong side of the political train. Not everyone can also say that they fought for what was right for them and their country. Though half the population loved him, there will always be the ones who don’t abide by rules. This is what most likely led to his assassination, as not everyone agrees politically and some will go to the extremes to show their

    Read More

  • Compare/Contrast Julius Caesar to Alexander the Great

    1011 Words  | 3 Pages

    Caesar was born into a traditional influential and respected family. It is this influence that he used to make his way to the top of the Roman leadership. His use in warfare and military conquests are legendary although he had at first concentrated in pursuing political actions. He won the first elections in his political career at the early forties. He was el...

    Read More

More about Julius Caesar

Open Document