Imagine you're in medieval times with very little technology and you experience the betrayal and death of a possible future king. Loyalty and betrayal is one of the most active concept within the play Julius Caesar, written by William Shakespeare. This has been an example of many different qualities but loyalty is one of the strongest examples. Loyalty was displayed in a variety of ways by the characters Mark Antony, Caius Cassius, and Marcus Brutus.
Mark Antony was completely loyal towards Julius Caesar and didn't dishonor him. The way Antony displayed his loyalty was positive. Antony has shown that his is willing enough to sacrifice himself for Caesar. “ Fulfil your pleasure. Live a thousand years, I shall not find myself so apt to die:
…show more content…
From the play Cassius has remarked about Caesar” Why, man,he doth bestride the narrow world Like a Colossus, and we petty men Walk under his huge legs and peep about To find ourselves dishonorable graves.” which means: people are all under Caesar and find that if we follow him we end up with no honor in dying.(1.2.135) Cassius always carefully planned each move he would make to persuade others in joining the conspiracy. Cassius never supported or contributed to Caesar's wishes or demands. He acted like a friend to Caesar to not seem suspicious about his real side. Cassius would always act like he is loyal but in his mind he didn't like him and betrayed him when he could. Brutus talked about Cassius in regard of his disloyalty for Caesar “. . . To cut the head off and then hack the limbs, Like wrath in death and envy afterwards, For Antony is but a limb of Caesar. . . .”(2.1.162) Cassius’ loyalty remained within himself, and not for others. Cassius started the conspiracy and planned Caesar's …show more content…
From the beginning Brutus was loyal, obeyed and helped Caesar. Brutus loved Caesar and didn't have any thought about betraying him. Brutus has been talked to by the conspiracy to talk about Caesar as a threat and that got Brutus thinking. Like from the play Brutus had said “ . . . And that craves wary walking. Crown him?-that;- And then, I grant, we put a sting on him, That at his will he may do danger with . The abuse of greatness is when it disjoins Remorse from power: and, to speak truth of Caesar,” (2.1.10) Brutus then changed his ways and started acting like he was still loyal but the way Brutus portrayed his loyalty was both sides. Brutus also planned Caesar's death with Cassius. The visit to the conspirators has changed Brutus and he broke his Loyalty and betrayed Caesar thus had finished the final blow which led to the death of Julius Caesar. Which had been clearly stated by Antony: “ For Brutus, as you know, was Caesar’s angel: Judge, O you gods, how dearly Caesar loved him! This was the most unkindest cut of all;” (3.1.182) This concludes the 3 characters with 3 different points of
Cassius truly believes Caesar has a frail state of mind and is unfit to have any form of authority in Rome. At first glance, his words and ideology seem to strive for the end of tyranny and become the savior of Romans, but it is clear he puts more emphasis on his rank rather than the well-being of others. When he states that their ranks were not their fault and should be taken into their own hands he intends to take his place by force with no regards for the Roman people or government. Additionally, Cassius shouldn’t be commended for saving Caesar from drowning because he remembrances on that deed to convince others that Caesar is feeble than most, yet he is treated like a god. Cassius’s greed for power motivates his murderous motivations but his ability to manipulate others to his will is also evident in his words. He refers to Caesar’s overwhelming power similar to a Colossus while he and the others “…walk under his huge legs… ” or are hidden in his glory. In reality though, the senators are more esteemed than despised. Another way Cassius misleads others is by faking Caesar’s fascist behaviors toward the commoners. He does so by forging negative letters about “Caesar’s Ambition” for Brutus to be pressured into joining his cause. Consumed by envy, he convinces Brutus to assassinate Caesar for the righteousness of the people but his incentive has
In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, one must read the text closely to track the shifting motivations and loyalties of each character as the play progresses. An important factor that must be kept in mind while reading is the degree of loyalty, in other words, the degree to which characters act out of a motivation to help others. Throughout the play, each character's current degree of loyalty to others is clearly exhibited by words or behavior – this holds true for the characters of Brutus, Cassius, Antony, Portia, and Calpurnia. The focus on loyalty is critical because before the play ends an even-handed justice is meted out to a number of people who fail to live up to an expected standard of loyalty to others.
Loyalty is a very complex emotion in which a person or animal feels devotion and faithfulness to something or someone. A dog has loyalty to others. Its owner may accidentally slam a door on it, and it will still be loyal to its owner. A cat has loyalty to itself. If its owner pets it wrong, the cat will attack. Dogs and cats show differentiating loyalty, and so do the characters in William Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar. Loyalty is a main theme in the play, with each character showing it differently. Throughout the play, Cassius, Antony, and Brutus all show varying degrees of loyalty.
Brutus joins a group of conspirators to help kill one of his very close friends because he thinks it will benefit Rome. Although Caesar was one of Brutus’s closest friends, he was part of the conspiracy in his demise. He didn’t do it out of selfish reason or envy like the rest of the conspirators; he did it because he truly believed that it would be the best thing for his country. “Not that I loved Caesar / Less, but that I loved Rome more” (III. ii. 21-22). Brutus said that during his speech at Caesar’s funeral. It basically says his reasoning for the all too great and powerful dictator to he killed. In...
When Brutus betrayed Caesar for the good of Rome by killing him, he had no idea that he would regret it later on in his life. Brutus wanted to kill Caesar because he thought that if Caesar became king, he would forget who his real friends are and he would not pay attention to them. He also thought that Caesar would become too powerful and therefore did not want him to be king. This is shown when Portia says, “…Brutus hath a suit / that Caesar will not grant…” (2.4.41-42). Although Brutus had a clear conscience, the people of Rome did not. This eventually led to Brutus being driven out of Rome by the citizens. Not being associated with Rome anymore made Brutus’ life worse and he eventually took his own life as the only way to...
He has two opposing desires that he has to choose between. These are killing Caesar to preserve democracy in Rome and to save Caesar, since he is a friend of Brutus. A quote from J.L. Simmons that summarizes this well is, “Certainly the material lends itself to a conflict between private and public affections” (Simmons 64). Brutus wants to kill Caesar for Rome because the citizens of Rome want to preserve democracy and Caesar is preventing that by being dictator for life. A quote that puts this in other words is, “The ultimate factor in persuading Brutus to join the conspiracy is his belief that his countrymen wish him to act on their behalf” (Shalvi 71). Killing Caesar would be a choice made for not himself, but the citizens of Rome while saving him would be for himself and to preserve his friendship with Caesar. Saving Caesar would be a deed for himself and would strengthen his relationship with Caesar. He could have warned Caesar of the conspirators’ plans and put a stop to them. Brutus ultimately makes the choice of following through and assassinating Caesar. His plan was for this to be a honorable action, but it ended up negative on his behalf. The majority of the citizens in Rome did not take this lightly and wanted revenge for his actions. This is the main mistake made by Brutus that lead to his own
By saying this, Antony is showing how he was as a friend To Caesar and is showing his loyalty and faith to him to tell the audience how great Caesar was.
Throughout most of the play Brutus is constantly internally conflicted. Does he do what he believes is best for Rome or stay loyal to his friend and leader? Should he assist in the murder of one person to benefit many? Although killing Caesar was in the end a bad choice, Brutus always tries to do what is best for Rome and for the people. However even though all of Brutus’ motives are good he still has the tragic flaw of pride, which ultimately leads to his downfall. The reason that Brutus gets caught up in the conspiracy is because Cassias appeals to his pride and flatters him with forged letters from the Roman people saying he is a greater leader then Caesar.
In Julius Caesar, Cassius lead a group of conspirators, including Brutus, Caesar’s loyal friend, to kill Julius Caesar. Brutus, who was too trusting of those around him, had been convinced to help kill Caesar on the grounds that it was what would be the best for the Roman people, without knowing of the greed which motivated Cassius. Despite his good intentions, Brutus was disloyal to Caesar, and he paid the price. After Caesar’s death, Brutus and Cassius are driven out of the city by the mob rule that ensues. The people of Rome have plans to avenge Caesar’s death, shouting “Revenge! About! Seek! Burn! Fire! Kill! Slay! Let not a traitor live!” (3.2.197-198). Meanwhile, the loyal Mark Antony is preparing an army. Antony was responsible for turning the people against Brutus after Caesar’s death, and now had plans to fight Brutus using his own forces. While the Roman mob promises to kill Brutus, they pledge to Mark Antony, “We’ll hear him. We’ll follow him. We’ll die with him” (3.2.201). Though the Romans are rash and easily swayed, it is clear that loyalty is extremely important...
In order to prevent this from occurring Cassius chose to conspire to kill Julius. Unfortunately,this plan of his to kill Caesar could not be accomplished without Brutus. Even though Brutus decided to betray his dear friend, his motives however were pure. He did it in order to prevent the downfall of the Roman government. Despite this fact, it wasn't all that easy to come to this understanding.
Mark Antony’s loyalty to Julius Caesar was one of the most loyal bonds history can account for. He had changed his political preference to accommodate for Julius Caesar’s friendship. He put his life on the line on multiple occasions to prove his loyalty to Caesar. Even though Julius Caesar’s party sought his demise Mark Antony stayed true to Caesar. After the death of Julius Caesar, Mark Antony proved his love for Caesar by giving a eulogy at his funeral. During the eulogy,which Brutus gave permission to Antony to give, Antony cleverly made Julius Caesar look good as he sarcastically destroys the reputations of the conspirators ”He was my friend,and just to me. But Brutus says he was ambitious, And Brutus is an honorable man.”(lll.ii.84-86) Antony also hunted down some of the conspirators that led to the death of his lord.
Cassius is a talented general, and does not like the fact that Caesar has become `god-like' in the Roman people's minds (see above quote Act I, Scene ii). Cassius can be seen as a great man because of his standing and title; however, his role as conspirator is much larger, and shows his power over others. Thus, in the eyes of the audience, he is perceived as great. However, he has a flaw, as all tragic heroes do: it is obvious from where his power is situated that he lacks integrity. He is impulsive and unscrupulous; this is...
A character from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Cassius, exhibits Machiavellian attributes by manipulation and a drive to accomplish his goal of assassinating Julius Caesar by any means. Cassius was able to successfully manipulate both Brutus and the fellow conspirators. Cassius was able to influence Brutus enough to make Brutus believe that killing Julius Caesar, Brutus’ best friend, was the right action. Initially, Brutus was wary of Cassius when Brutus said, “Into what dangers would you lead me, Cassius?” (1.2.69) Subsequently, Brutus is persuaded as he states, “...what you have said / I will consider” (1.2.176-177). Cassius is willing to control any person who stands in his way. Cassius successfully turned Brutus against his best friend in order to achieve what Cassius believes to be best for Rome. When Brutus says, “Let me not hinder, Cassius, your desires” (1.2.35) it is clear that Cassius has swayed Brutus to believe in his cause. In Julius Caesar, we do not see Cassius as the main leader of the cons...
The motif of ambition runs continuously throughout Julius Caesar, written by William Shakespeare, which originates in Ancient Rome and highlights the power struggles, politics and deceit of those vying for power. Ambition leads many of the characters such as Caesar, Cassius, and Brutus to a fate different from what they expected. The play revolves around Caesar, his ascent to power and his eventual loss of everything. Although ambition may lead these public officials to power, it is the same ambition that will be their downfall, ultimately resulting in the death of Julius Caesar, Cassius, and Brutus.
Brutus is considered an honorable, noble man in Rome and it is important to Cassius that he becomes part of the conspiracy. In Act 1, Cassius and Brutus agree that Caesar becoming king would be detrimental to Rome. Cassius starts off persuading Brutus by describing how weak Caesar is. He states, “he had a fever when he was Spain, and when the fit was on him, I did mark how he did shake; ‘tis true, this god did shake” (I.ii.119-121). Cassius is trying to show Brutus that Caesar is not perfect or better than everyone else. In fact, he is weak and infirm. Next, Cassius makes the point that Caesar is too powerful and if he becomes king, he will rule over the people “like a Colossus” (I.ii.136). Brutus says he will consider joining the conspiracy if it is