Character Evaluation of Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar, born in 100 B.C, was a great Roman general and senator. He had a wife named Calpurnia yet no children. Though he was a memorable leader, Caesar was a physically weak man. He suffered from epilepsy and was deaf in one ear. In the beginning of the play, Caesar was returning to Rome in triumph after a successful military campaign against Pompey's sons. Caesar formed the first triumvirate with Crassus and Pompey. After the death of Crassus and Caesar's defeat of Pompey, Caesar gained autocrat power. A group of conspirators led by Brutus assassinated him and Cassius, who worried that Caesar, might aspire to become a dictator over the Roman republic. Julius Caesar was an arrogant and self-centered
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When Decius first arrived at Caesar's house to escort him to the Senate House, Caesar told Decius that he was not going. When Decius asked for an explanation he could give to the senators as to why Caesar was not going, Caesar said, “The cause is my will: I will not come; that is enough to satisfy the senate" (2, 2, 71-72). Caesar's answer was very sure and firm; he viewed himself as being so highly regarded by the people of Rome that his simple will was an explanation sufficient enough to satisfy the senate's queries. However, although he views his will as being the strongest in Rome, his decisions were easily influenced by the smooth talk of the people that attempted to manipulate Caesar to go along with their plans. Decius convinced Caesar to change his mind about not going to Capitol on the ides of March by doing exactly as …show more content…
He was not superstitious; he dismissed the soothsayer’s warning “Beware the ides of March" (1, 2, 18) as words said by a dreamer and not worth pondering over. Caesar refused to believe the numerous omens that had been occurring in Rome and termed them as simply being general signs that would affect everyone and not just him, though the people beside him were trying to convince him not to go to the Capitol on the ides of March for fear that something ill might befall upon Caesar. Though Caesar was not superstitious, he was however, a defeatist man that believed that a man's fate was destined and could not be changed. Calpurnia tried to convince him not to go to the Capitol because she had dreamed of his statue sprouting blood and the people of Rome were bathing their hands in the blood with smiles on their faces. Calpurnia was rather distressed about this and hoped to stop Caesar from walking right into what she saw as death's coldly beckoning hands. Caesar was not overly concerned about it though for he believed that if he was meant to die, nothing could prevent it. What can be avoided whose end is purposed by the mighty gods?" He said that the time one dies is preordained by the gods and when that time arrives, the person would die no matter how they tried to avoid
a. 11-20) He did not make this prediction after he heard that Caesar was going to be assassinated, or the night before when everyone knew that he was going to die. He made this prediction many months in advance. The soothsayer knew that Caesar was going to die, because it was Caesar’s fate to die on the Ides of March. It has been predetermined that it was Caesar’s time to go on the Ides of March.
Cassius believes that he should not be ruler of Rome for a few very specific reasons, so to combat this he convinces Marcus Brutus to join his conspiracy by forging fake letters. Brutus is very honorable and is loved by many people in Rome, so he would bring the people to their side. On the 15th of March Caesar went to the capital despite the multiple warnings he was given. Calpurnia ,Caesar’s wife, dreamt of his statue running with blood and begged him to stay home. Although Caesar ignored it when Decius convinced him that it represented the good and richness that he would bring to Rome.
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?
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.
Caesar’s lack of somewhat savage Machiavellian traits foreshadows his downfall a multitude of times. From the beginning, the soothsayer warns him to watch out for the Ides of March. There are also bad signs; men in fire walks up and down the streets, and a lioness gives birth on the streets. Likewise, before he heads to the Senate House to receive the crown, Calphurnia tells him that she has had a nightmare, and pleads him to stay home. However, he ignores all the premonitions and moves toward where the Senators are, with no one to protect him when he is in danger. This action of Caesar contradicts the teachings of Machiavelli, “Before all else, be armed” (The Prince). As a result of his carelessness, the conspirators see that he has no chance of circumventing, and assassinates him. Similarly, he is unsuccessful in recognizing the outrage of Cassius and a few others; he isn’t doubtful enough of their secretive deeds and eventually loses the reigns to eliminate the defiance. "The same thing occurs in affairs o...
... for more ruling. This occurrence, that Caesar is surpassing his peers and creating a monopoly, is a very dangerous and serious threat. Cassius expresses his opinion by his statement, "Cassius. …but for my single self, I had lief not be as live to be in awe of such a thing as I myself. I was borne free as Caesar; so were you."(1,2,94-97) Cassius also shows that he sees that the Senate and senators are falling in power as Caesar is selfishly acquiring it.
Julius Caesar was born in 100 BCE (McManus 1). Caesar’s parents were a part of the Roman upper class. They also claimed that they were descendents of the Trojan Hero Aeneas and Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Caesar’s father and his uncle Sextus Julius Caesar had been important elected officials. His uncle Gaius Marius was a Roman war hero and politician. Marius created a different kind of army, he allowed volunteers from all classes to join. In the past, only certain classes were allowed to join the Roman army. Even so, the biggest effect that his uncle Marius had on his life was the concept of giving retiring war veterans land, thus making them more loyal to him than the state (Nardo 14). When Caesar was growing up there were two prominent political parties, the Populares and the Optimates. The Populares were the people would wanted the government to consist of elected officials, while the Optimates wanted aristocratic rule (“Julius Caesar” 3).
Caesar is all about conquering 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 shall vanish” (II, ii, 575). This shows how his mind is only set on killing others to get rid of a problem.
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings (1.2.139-141).” Through careful and strategic planning is Cassius able to persuade Brutus, a man who “for his virtue and valiantness, was well-beloved of the people (“Sources” 120),” into conspiring and acting upon the death of Caesar. Caesar also believes that men control their own fate by stating, in response to the omens and portents, “Danger knows full well / That Caesar is more dangerous than he (2.2.44-45).” Through this quote, Caesar presents his belief that he has the ability to overcome a superstitious fate. Therefore, he ignores all the signs and omens and thus determines his fate through an action that would seal his death.
...the Capitol before the Senate change their minds. Because Caesar does not want to give the image that he is weak, Decius includes the image of “break up the Senate till another time, when Caesar’s wife shall meet with better dreams.” Caesar does not want the Romans to think of him as weak, hiding behind a woman, so he is going to go to the Capitol. Decius attempts to make staying home sound weak, and Caesar does not want to appear weak. Decius’s argument in the second half is very effective, as it focuses on the things that Caesar himself is concerned with, which is power and money.
With this speech, Caesar seals his fate. After disregarding three separate warnings that his life would be in danger and he still goes to the Senate that day, Caesar sits surrounded by the noblemen and denies their request to revoke the banishment of Cimber. He denies fate and believes that his free will is enough to save him. His ego and self-importance grows stronger by the word, as he compares himself to the brightest star in the sky. He is stabbed to death by men who, until they were convinced otherwise, had been loyal to Rome and Caesar. By the end of the play, Caesar’s supercilious opinion of himself proves true.
However, when Decius arrives at Caesar’s home, he tries to convince Caesar that he has misinterpre...
“Caesar was a brilliant general, a clever engineer, and administrator of genius, and a leader who demanded and commanded loyalty. He also was a corrupt politician” (Dando-Collins 4). Caesar would go on to be a dictator and his gain in power would corrupt him. He often bypassed the Senate, taking their power away. With Caesar’s growing power the Senate feared that they would soon lose their political relevance.
Caesar always likes to hear good things, and bad news upsets him. Which is why he declares the seer to be a crazy dreamer and does not heed his caveats, which he has to pay for in the end. == == ==
(Mittelstaedt 119). The character traits he carries are the driving force behind his actions and his actions are the driving force behind the plot of Julius Caesar. Cassius instigates the entire conspiracy against Caesar. His emotionally based reasons to eliminate Caesar breed Cassius’ plot to kill him. Putting the plan in drive, Cassius persuade Brutus’ opinion of Caesar influenced him to join the rebellion. If not for Cassius’ manipulation, Caesar would have continued to reign over Rome. Additionally, his behavior influences his fellow conspirators, for they mirror his actions. For example Decius visits Caesar and his wife, Calpurnia, on the morning of the Ides of March. Calpurnia has had a horrific dream foreshadowing Caesar’s death causing him to contemplate staying home to ease her worries about what the day will bring. When Decius enters the room, Caesar shares Calpurnia’s concerns and asks him to tell the Roman people that he will not be going to the capital today. Decius is quick to rebut his reasoning, exclaiming, “This dream is all amiss interpreted; It was a vision fair and fortunate.” (Shakespeare 2.2.83-84). He continues on, convincing Caesar that Calpurnia has read this dream as dark and terrifying, but it is really about Rome praising him. Understanding Caesar is very susceptible to flattery, Decius manages to assure Caesar there is no danger. Like Cassius, Decius mirrored the maneuver of reading into certain traits of another person, and exploiting those traits to influence him to act in a certain