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Honor and power is what drives the conspirators to assassinate Julius Caesar in William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar. Caesar is now the single leader of Rome, and members of the Senate have concerns that he will abuse his sole power. Therefore, they plot and accomplish the assassination of Caesar in an attempt to rebuild the balance of Rome. Rome falls into chaos with an unknown future with no central leader for the people to follow. In Act I, Scene 2, Cassius, a member of the Senate, explains to his friend, Brutus, that Caesar is not the god he makes himself out to be. Instead, he argues both he and Brutus are equal to Caesar and are just as deserving of the throne. Cassius’ speech to Brutus diminishes Caesar’s godly demeanor through …show more content…
Much of Rome perceives Caesar as a superior being and immortal, but Cassius holds a contrasting perspective of Caesar. There is a point in his story where Caesar is crying for help, “Help me, Cassius, or I sink!” (111). Cassius also reveals a time when Caesar fell ill in Spain and how Caesar was completely taken over by this sudden sickness, “And when the fit was on him, I did mark/ How he did shake-’tis true, this god did shake,” (120-121). Cassius tells of Caesar’s weakest points, exposing moments in which Caesar does not seem godly at all. By illustrating the time in which Caesar fell ill Cassius proves that Caesar is not a celestial because become gods do not become ill, only normal citizens do. Cassius diminishes Caesar’s godly nature by illustrating how this great immortal being, cannot swim or can become terribly ill, just as any other commoner. Cassius, by exposing these moments in Caesar’s life, demonstrates to Brutus that Caesar is not fit to be a leader and is not the god Romans perceive him to be; his actions create a different person than his words. This supports Cassius’ point that Caesar is not fit to be a leader because Caesar is deceiving the people of Rome. Cassius continues to elaborate on his episode when he informs Brutus that he was crying for others to bring him water, “Ay, and that tongue of his that bade the Romans/Mark him, and write his speeches in their books,/Alas it cried, ‘Give me some drink, Titinius” (125-127). The great Caesar, whom others admire and document his words, is now begging for a drink to help him recover from the sudden illness. Cassius emphasizes how Caesar is not divine since he cannot manage sudden, challenging events. He reveals how Caesar whose words can persuade the citizens of Rome is now begging for someone to help him. This diminishes his godly nature because it demonstrates how weak Caesar can become in an instant.
In Julius Caesar corruption led to dangerous outcomes, such as death. "Et tu, Brute? Then fall Caesar!" (Shakespeare 3.1.77). The last words of noble Caesar could be heard, as Brutus, the last of the conspirators, took a plunge at Caesar with his knife. Caesar laying there on the senate floor, illustrated the murderous intentions of the senators. "Liberty! Freedom! Tyranny is dead!/Run hence, proclaim, cry it about the streets" (Shakespeare 3.1. 78-79). The sounds of the pompous conspirators could be heard about the streets. Caesar was dead and they were proud of it. Would this have taken place if the conspirators were not of high rank, such as senators? Probably not. Simple townspeople did not have the power, and could not even bare to think of murdering someone as noble as Caesar. Cassius and the other Senators had the power to, and did commit murder. Brutus though, did not think of it as murder. "People and senators, be affrighted./ Fly not; standstill’ ambition’s debt has been paid" (Shakespeare 3.1.82-83). Brutus announces this so he could convince the people as well a...
In addition to this characteristic of Cassius, he also has a devious nature. This attribute allows him to invent informed manipulative plans to eliminate his opponents. For instance, after saying his farewells to Brutus, he gives a soliloquy that reveals his idea of throwing writings of different handwritings in Brutus’ windows “as if they came from several citizens” all of which “tending to the great opinion that Rome holds of his name, wherein obscurely Caesar’s ambition shall be glancéd at” (Shakespeare I. ii. 306-309). Since Brutus and Cassius have been friends for a long period of time, Cassius holds an abundance of knowledge pertaining to his values--in this case being his honor and desire to please Rome’s citizens. This undermining plot Cassius has devised is based on an informed opinion of the most effective way to subvert Caesar’s authority, and because of the valid observations made of Brutus by Cassius, the likelihood that this clever scheme will be carried out successfully should make Caesar concerned about the intentions of his judicial
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
Jealousy in Julius Caesar & nbsp; Jealousy causes many of the characters in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar to commit dangerous and foolish acts. Cassius' jealousy drives him to kill. Caesar. All the conspirators, except the noble Brutus, kill Caesar because they feel threatened by his power. Brutus is the only conspirator who murders Caesar. for more honorable reasons. Jealousy is a very important theme in this play. & nbsp; Cassius feels very threatened by Caesar's power. He remembers when he was an equal to Caesar, and doesn't think that Caesar deserves this much power. He comments to Brutus, "I was born free as Caesar; so were you." fed as well, and we can both endure the cold winter as well as he" (Act I, p. 1).
power and wealth in early Rome. Caesar was born on July 12, 100 BC. His father
Some people just have a lust for control and power. That was the case for Julius Caesar, who’s ambition for power ultimately ended in his assassination. It’s always pretty clear in history books that those who gain too much power never holds on to it for a long time. The name Julius Caesar nowadays brings an image of a great leader who led Rome to glory. Julius Caesar’s rise to supreme leader was swift and quickly alarmed those in the Senate, fearing he had to much of it. All these worries of the Senate grew as he declared himself dictator. It wasn’t long before his comrades formed a plan to assassinate him. His assignation was the result of having too much power and a fearful Senate who couldn’t fathom one man having all the power. Though
When looking at his importance and influence Roman history, few would argue Julius Caesar is one of the most powerful and successful leaders in the history of the world.
Prior to Julius Caesar completely seizing control of the Roman Republic, various Consuls of Rome took advantage of their power and utilized it to be in sole control of the Republic. Two prominent examples include Marius and Sulla, who rose up the ranks of Roman politics to Consul and disheveled Rome. While these two men provide a sneak peak of what Julius Caesar would do, they did not come to close to matching Caesar’s influence on the Roman Republic. Caesar separated himself from these two men through political, social, and militaristic endeavors that led him to seize power. This process struck hard to the Roman political landscape because at the time of Caesar’s death the Republic was completely ended. Caesar intended for this to happen
“Veni, vidi, vici” (I came, I saw, I conquered) (Source1). This Julius Caesar quote can be used to describe his rise to power in the Roman Republic and destruction of it in the process. Caesar was an extremely influential, yet controversial figure in Rome’s history. He had all the power any Roman could dream of but he abused it. Julius Caesar was a destroyer of the Roman Republic because his arrogance made the government benefit only him, his ruthlessness endangered others, and he undermined the authority of the Roman Senate.
Julius Caesar was written in 1599 in England by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare has born in 1564 and died in 1616. Nobody really knows when exactly he was born but for the records it is assumed that he was born in April, creating an interesting coincidence with his death. He is the greatest writer of his century and probably of the modern era. He influenced many contemporary writers and created a new point of view in the poetry. He wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets. In his work Julius Caesar Shakespeare shows us the change of power in Rome and the problems that Rome had there. Power is the ability to act with force. Shakespeare makes visible the abuse of power and the struggle to gain power in the biggest empire at the time. Shakespeare also shows that the power itself is more than a name or position. It is something that the people exercise. There is not absolute power, every power has limitations. Besides the servants every character in some way has his power. Although the biggest argument in Julius Caesar is the change of power in the rulers of Rome, Shakespeare tries to show us many different kinds of power and the use of it. As we can see during the play, people with power use power just for their convenience.
Exordium- “Power does not corrupt men; fools, however, if they get into a position of power, corrupt power” - George Bernard Shaw. Was the great Roman Emperor Julius Caesar a fool or power hungry? Today I would like to explain why I think he was truly power hungry.
Both Cassius and Brutus conspire against Caesar, yet Shakespeare depicts Brutus as doing a noble job compared to Cassius as doing a greedy and envious task. Cassius believes that he is stronger than Caesar. Therefore, Cassius does not understand why Caesar is in power and he is not. Cassius is also envious of Caesar. In Act I Scene II, Cassius describes to Brutus the time he had to save Caesar in a swimming race. Since then, Cassius feels superior to Caesar. In Cassius’ mind, kings’ right to rule should be based off of strength, not intelligence or virtue. On the other hand, Brutus knows that although a king should be strong, he must also be virtuous. Brutus always elaborates on the topic of honor. In fact, his first priority is to keep his own honor intact and Brutus fears that Caesar will change when he is crowned. Brutus says, “He would be crowned: How that might change his nature, there’s the question.” (Act II, Scene I, Page 49, lines 12-14) He senses Caesar’s greed for power, and ...
Power is how much control and support one has. Power can be controversial because the people who want it sometimes don't know how to handle it. In Julius Caesar, written by Shakespeare, many different people possess power. They gain the power in varied ways and react to having it differently. Since there are so many situations in Julius Caesar, power shifts are very common because diverse times call for the amounts of power to vary between different people.
He is so motivated by ambition that he decides to kill Caesar, the leader of Rome. Although dedication can be a good quality, in Cassius, it blinds him to all other things and makes him ruthless in his quest to rule Rome. Cassius’s desire for power is evident when he states, "Men at some time are masters of their fates. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings" (1.2.146-148). Cassius’ ambition leads him to go as far as to convince a dear friend with manipulation and false notes to help him plot to kill Caesar. His ambition makes him power hungry and he lacks the honor to back up his overzealous behavior. Cassius envies Caesar and because of this he resorts to bribery, assassinations, and imposing taxes for personal
In the play Julius Caesar, written and preformed by William Shakespeare, there are many characters, but two, Brutus and Cassius, stood out. The play begins in Rome where a celebration of Julius Caesar's victory over the former ruler of Rome, Pompeii. The victory leads to Caesar's betrayal by his jealous companions. Senators and other high status figures are jealous of Caesar's new and growing power, while others, like Brutus, fear the tyrannical rule Caesar could enforce. The conspirators, Brutus and Cassius being the most important, assassinate Julius Caesar and Marcus Antonius, better known as Antony, and Octavius Caesar, Caesar's heir to the thrown, revenge Caesar's death. Antony convinces the Roman populous to destroy the conspirators and eventually begins a war with Cassius and Brutus' armies. Both Cassius and Brutus commit suicide to save their honor and Antony and Octavius win the war. The characterizations of Brutus and Cassius show a distinct contrast in their character traits and motives for the assassination of Julius Caesar.