The Importance of the First Act of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar
The first act of any play is extremely important because firstly it
should get the interest of the reader and the audience and make them
aware of the time and place it is been set. The first act introduces
the characters to us and gives us clues of what might happen later on
through out the play, this would keep the audience interested and make
them carry on watching.
Shakespeare as shown this in “Julius Caesar” by firstly how there are
two different sort of people which are the tribunes and the commoners
and we find out this by the way they speak and the language they use.
It starts of a celebration of the death of Pompey and the triumph of
Caesar.
This is where the tribunes enter and ask the commoners
“Hence! Home, you idle creatures, get you home is this a holiday?”
They ask the commoners this because they are celebrating something
that they don’t know about and don’t know why they are acting strange.
After Flavus and Merallus find out that they are celebrating because
of Caesars victory and Pompeys death.
Sc 2 begin in Rome and everyone is here to see the triumph of Caesar,
We learn that the characters are important because Casca speaks:
“Peace, Ho! Caesar speaks”
This shows that Caesar is respected and he is important so everyone
should listen.
We also find out that Caesar is respected very well by Antony much
more than the people of Rome
“Caesar, my lord”
This shows almost that he is a king to Antony.
The crowd becomes quiet and the soothsayer shouts
“Beware the ides of March”
This quote would make the audience excited and gives them clues that
something bad will happen on the 15th of March so it keeps the
audiences interest.
We find out that there is a conspiracy over Caesar; there is a
conversation between Cassius and Brutus, where Cassius trys to
Shortly before his death Caesar was given several warnings throughout ActsⅡand Ⅲ , however he still went to meet with the Senate due to the fact he thought he was needed. He had an alliance with his adopted sons and valued soldiers Octavius and Antony. The play is about the events that follow his death making him an important secondary character that also portrays a protagonist. Caesar faced many conflicts throughout his lifetime, some internal and some external. He fought a war against Pompey ,which lead to conspirators plotting his death, and he was troubled by the fact that his wife could not provide him with a child. He showcased this by publicly asking Antony to touch her as he passed her, hoping that this would bring healing to her barren womb. He also went through several character changes. When he returned from war, he returned believing that the people would be ecstatic to have him as an emperor. Nonetheless when the people of Rome did not respond the way he expected he knew he had to play on their emotions. He did this by refusing the crown three times and by offering to kill himself to prove his honesty and trustworthiness. This gave him the desired effect, so he returned to knowing that the crowd wanted him as a king. The driving force of the play was the unfortunate murder of Caesar or what happened afterwards. Throughout this play many of the characters go through many unique changes, although Julius Caesar experienced some very significant character changes. The theatrical work exhibits Julius Caesar’s actions, alliances, character developments, and internal and external conflicts which in turn showcase his various changes. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare is a brilliant piece of work that thoroughly covers the story of Julius Caesar, a protagonistic secondary character. Julius Caesar was the unofficial emperor of Rome. He was a war General and he fought
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
Caesar’s personal history and rise to power, through his first time as consul and presence in the First Triumvirate,
The Importance of Act 3 Scene 1 in William Shakespeare's Plays Shakespeare has written other tragedies before Romeo and Juliet, these included Titus Andronicus and Richard III, these stories had plots of the usual pattern for tragedy. There are some differences in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ compared to other tragedies because the heroine was important as well as the hero, it was not about classical figure, it was about love. Professor Levin said that Romeo and Juliet was an ‘anti-revenge’ play, what he meant by this was that the two families usually should want revenge which they do, but, Romeo and Juliet don’t. Romeo and Juliet had been created in the 16th century. It was written during a time where the people of England were unsure as to who would succeed Queen Elizabeth.
The Role of the Opening Act of William Shakespeare's Othello The play Othello portrays the story of the protagonist Othello (The Moor) and his loved one- Desdemona- and his struggles to overcome a racist society in 17th century Venice. In the meantime Iago, one of Othello’s closest friends’ plots revenge on him, as Othello passed him over for an important position in the army and gave it to Cassio, an outsider from Florence.
Julius Caesar’s ambition for power drove the honorable Brutus to think negatively about Julius Caesar’s position of being the King of Rome. Negatively speaking, Julius Caesar’s ways of having most of the power and deciding not to listen to others except the ones that only tell him things he likes to hear, drove the power-hungary conspirators and the honorable Brutus to take his life away. The honorable Brutus shows his love for Rome by committing an act which he seems best fit for his city. Trying everything he can to put Rome in a democracy, the only solution he saw was to join the conspirators to murder Caesar and explain to the people why they committed such an act. A great friend of Julius Caesar Mark Antony, stood up for many things Caesar had in mind and he was one of the few that Caesar thought was very trustworthy besides Brutus. After Caesar’s death, Mark Anthony told Caesar that he will take revenge for him and that shows great passion for the love that he had for him.
In Act II, scene i, line 10-35 in Julius Caesar shows what can happen to someone if they get to much power. Brutus shares his thoughts in the soliloquy about what the people should do so that Caesar doesn't have to much power. The scene takes place after Caesar killed Pompey and all of the people see Caesar as a king. Brutus knows something has to be done before Caesar becomes king. Brutus uses symbols and similes to show the theme of when someone has power they may take advantage of it.
...ther gifts he asks “when comes another [as great as Caesar]?” (877) in order to make the crowd feel complete and utter guilt for their betrayal and anger towards the conspirators who killed their beloved idol.
Julius Caesar is shown to have many reprehensible character flaws over the course of the drama. Namely, he is illustrated as having a belligerent sense of arrogance. Initially, the great majority of the Roman public adores and esteems Caesar. However, this adoration inflates his sense of self-pride and arrogance. For example, in the play’s introduction Caesar is given warning about a plot to extirpate him from the throne. A soothsayer warns him to “beware the ides of March” (890). Rather than to obviate the attempt, Caesar blows off the Soothsayer, stating “he is a dreamer, let us leave him” (890). Later in Act II, Caesar has been informed of dead men walking, a lioness giving birth in the street...
Power is a very interesting thing to hold. Many good-natured men have been destroyed by power and turned away from their morals as a result. When giving a man absolute power, it’s ingrained in the human brain to take it to a new level. This ideal is present in every type of government, regardless of if it’s a dictatorship or a government supported by autonomy. Modern day government suffers from this power hungry greed. Power is an element of human life and often leads to temptation because mankind thirsts for control, and that’s what power grants.
When the soothsayer cries out “Beware the ides of march”(312; act1,sc2) he is truly laying the groundwork for the rest of the events leading up to Caesar’s assassination. Although Julius dismisses the soothsay with a simple “he is a dreamer, let us leave him. Pass.” (313; act1, sc2) the reader realizes that this date will prove important in the near future. To the audience, the prophecies are dramatic irony-when Caesar is warned about the ides of March, we already know what is going to happen to him. (Farrow) That one simple dialogue sets the stage for the rest of the plot to advance swiftly.
In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar Shakespeare wastes no time in incorporating the recurring theme of manipulation into Act 1 of the play. Enter the ever so cunning Cassius, with his manipulative ways trailing behind as he works his way into recruiting Brutus to his crew of conspirators. During scene 2 of Act 1 when Cassius encounters Brutus he wastes no time in diving into his chance and asks Brutus a very peculiar question, " Can you see your face?". Cassius is asking Brutus if he knows how others view him and then offers to illuminate Brutus of the great love and adoration the people Rome have for him. Cassius is flattering Brutus and persuading him that he is equal to Caesar. Cassius is hoping that by making Brutus realize how amazing he
Manipulation influences decisions and changes others’ thoughts. In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, manipulative language acts prominently between the characters. Brutus struggles to decide if the safety of the Roman Republic appears more important than his friendship with Julius Caesar. Cassius tries to persuade him to join the conspiracy that decides to kill Caesar. Envious of Julius Caesar’s power, the Senators believes that when Caesar becomes ruler, the change of government forever affects Rome. Brutus agrees that it seems for the best of Rome for Caesar never to become dictator, but he never wishes to change his opinion on his death. In a persuasive manner, Cassius sends anonymous letters to Brutus to convince him to join the conspiracy. The conspiracy consists of senators and aristocrats who gather to converse about the Julius Caesar’s assassination. Cassius nominates Brutus as the leader of the conspiracy in order to gain his vote. They decide to kill Caesar on “the Ides of March.” On the morning of March 15th, Caesar’s wife persuades him to stay home because of an eerie dream. Decius, a conspirator, convinces him that the dream retains good omens. In a rush to become king, Caesar goes to the Capitol where the conspirators murder him. Therefore, Antony begs to speak at his funeral where he convinces the plebeians that Caesar never means harm. At this point, Antony declares war on the Caesar’s killers. In the end, he defeats Brutus and Cassius, and the two conspirators kill themselves. In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare declares that language expresses a powerful weapon, and in the hands of a skilled person, it manipulates others through the use of foreshadowing, imagery, and verbal irony.
Shakespeare wrote Julius Caesar around the early 1600s, and even today scholars argue whether Brutus or Caesar is the tragic hero of the play. The definition of a tragic hero is a person of nobility and honor who unfortunately falls after a struggle against an opposing force. However, the true tragic hero of the play was Marcus Brutus.
Shakespeare was a famous writer who wrote many poems, comedies, tragedies, and histories. His plays have had a lasting impact on the world. He was born on April 23, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom. Shakespeare wrote 10 history plays and they were used to educate illiterate audience members. Many of these history plays were not accurate because Shakespeare altered the events to make them more exciting. Shakespeare was forced by the aristocracy to write history plays and they were often based on monarchies. He wrote seven plays on Henry V and VI, and two plays about a character named Richard.