Much speculation has arisen over why Shakespeare wrote Julius Caesar. Some say he was he was predicting what would happen should civil war break out in England. Shakespeare lived from 1564 to
1616 in the Elizabethan era. Julius Caesar was written in 1599, near the end of the Queen’s reign.
Elizabeth was growing old and still had no heir; the future ruler of England lay in question. Undoubtedly, multiple candidates would strive for the throne, but the people would ultimately choose who would succeed through their support. However, could people, who were motivated by such base things, be trusted to make the right decision? This is one of the questions Shakespeare attempts to answer in Julius
Caesar. Taking place after the Roman Civil War, the plot revolves not around the title character, but the conspirators who wish to kill him, Brutus and Cassius. They fear Caesar will make himself king and the
Roman Republic will fall; to prevent this, they assassinate him. They announce to the people that they did it for the good of Rome. Unfortunately, the Roman people are persuaded by Mark Antony that
Caesar was virtuous and the conspirators are traitors, resulting in another civil war between the triumvirs – Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus – and the conspirators. Brutus and Cassius lose this war, and the Republic dies with them. The Roman mob plays an important role, as their support is necessary for each side to succeed. Both factions attempt to manipulate them, but the triumvirs are victorious because they appeal to the mob’s basic nature instead of trying to reason with them. This scathing view of the nature of man raises a larger question: if people are so base, can they be trusted to govern themselves? Is democracy doomed t...
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... A Short History." JohnKeane.net, 2013. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. .
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3. "REPUBLIC vs. DEMOCRACY." Republic vs. Democracy. Law Notes, n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. .
4. Shakespeare, William. Julius Caesar. New York, NY: Dover, 1991. Print.
5. Sproul, R. C. "Augustine: Doctor of Grace." The Consequences of Ideas: Understanding the Concepts That Shaped Our World. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2000. N. pag. Print.
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The book Julius Caesar is full of happiness, conspiracy, power, and betrayal. The people of Rome deeply loved julius Caesar and wished to make him their king. A group of senators however were not so fond of this idea and formed a conspiracy. The leader of this group was a man by the name of Cassius. In order to make sure that his scheme of killing Caesar would work and would look honorable he had to convince a senator by the name of Brutus to help. After being convinced that they had to kill Caesar to protect Rome from a tyrant Brutus joined the conspiracy and soon became the principal conspirator.On the day in which Caesar was to be crowned king he was on the way to the senate when he was stabbed by all the conspirators panic ensued and to convince Rome of their honorable intentions Brutus gave a funeral speech. Mark Antony, a very close friend of Caesar, gave his speech after Brutus had given his. Mark Antony’s speech is more persuasive to the Roman people because of his outstanding use of pathos, sarcasm, and logos.
In conclusion, William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar is the quintessence of a tragic hero. He is highly respected in society and holds a position of authority, yet is corrupted by his pride and arrogance. He ignores warnings of assassination, but once he is attacked by his confidant Brutus he realizes his flaws. Unfortunately, he can never repent of his prideful ways, as his life is extinguished. Because he is murdered by one of his greatest friends and did so much to aid the destitute, he is a sympathetic character. Julius Caesar is a complex and multi-faceted man, but the tragedy of his life strikes a chord of sympathy that resonates throughout not only his subjects, but the readers of his downfall for centuries past, present, and future.
Shakespeare uses "Julius Caesar" in an attempt to show how a person should react in relation to the state.
William Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is a story full of manipulation and jealousy that changes the way people think. Ancient Rome had umpteen different ways of handling situations that, in today’s world, would be considered unethical; such as battles that were very much horrifying and vivid. However, these battles were not important with the development of the plot. Shakespeare uses various ways of the idea of manipulation and betrayal to lead readers into the rest of the narrative.
One of the first occasions presented was the plotting of Caesar’s assassination. Cassius, Casca, Trebonius, Ligarius and the other conspirators all wanted to rid Rome of Caesar. However, not one of them could give the green light.” They needed one who held a high place in the hearts of the people, to support them and to justify their actions. They needed an “honorable” man. Without this man, the conspirators would not be called conspirators for they would not have had sufficient strength to see it through. In that, there would not have been a conspiracy. Marcus Brutus agreed to be their source of strength. This final decision to join Cassius and company marked the end of Julius Caesar.
Looking at Rome’s political struggles at the dawn of the first century B.C., it becomes apparent that the groundwork for Caesar’s Republic shattering revolt was lain down by Marius and Sulla. To be more specific, the stage was set by the class struggles between the Aristocracy, who demanded control of the Republic by virtue of tradition, and the masses, which demanded a voice.
William Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is a tragic drama, set in Ancient Rome about the horrendous death of Julius Caesar. Brutus, leader of the conspiracy against Caesar, begins as Caesar’s friend. Cassius, instigator of the conspirator, manipulates Brutus into killing Caesar. Brutus agrees to this plan because of his plans for Rome. The bond between these two connects when Brutus agrees to Cassius about killing Caesar for the best of Rome. Cassius, very power hungry, comes up with a plan that will succeed in both of them killing Caesar. They both rely on each other because they want the power that Caesar has been requested to make the best of Rome. This dream of making Rome better was manipulated by Cassius to Brutus. However,
The conspirators thought they should kill Caesar because he was ambitious, and he certainly was. His conquests brought wealth and slaves to Rome. He was often seen with tears in his when
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.
Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, is the story of a man trying his best to
Julius Caesar Act I Graphic Organizer Name Character Notes Important Quotes Evidence of Loyalty (to whom?) Flavius Annoyed with the crowd because they are too fickle. It is no matter.
Ultimately, the Roman Republic’s downfall lay in its lack of major wars or other crises, which led to a void of honor and leadership. War united all of Rome’s people, and provided the challenge to its leaders to develop honor and leadership by their causes and actions. The lack of war allowed the Roman Republic to stagnate and become self-indulgent. By the end of the Punic Wars, which combined these elements, Rome was sure to fail. Without a common thread uniting its society, the Roman Republic unraveled because it had nothing left holding it together.
In “The tragedy of Julius Caesar” by William Shakespeare it covers the life of Caesar and the tragic death he experienced. Caesar was a Roman politician and general that played a critical role that led the Roman republic to its demise and then further led to the rise of the Roman empire. Caesar was in fact assassinated by his followers and friends because Caesar was accused of tyranny.
At first glance, historical literature may seem like mere retellings of repeated events. However, by analyzing the author and their intentions, one can understand the underlying message and its applications to society. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare is a rendition of Julius Caesar’s demise and the civil war sparked by it. Shakespeare uses his play as a political mouthpiece to voice his concern for the future of England’s government, since during Queen Elizabeth’s reign, the tensions were high due to the threat of a civil war. By examining events and occurrences associated with the Elizabethan time period, Julius Caesar, and the Roman Empire, one can understand William Shakespeare’s political motivations and historical influences.
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.