The Common Man's Role In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar
In this essay, I will discuss who the common man is, his involvement
in the governing of the city and his effect on the success of the
higher figures.
Shakespeare is renowned for setting a sturdy background to his plays
in their opening scenes as he does most famously in Macbeth where he
introduces the idea of the world being upside down. Here Shakespeare
immediately introduces the upper classes' perception of the common man
as a key theme.
In the streets of Rome in Act 1 Scene 1 we are given an excellent
basis of the position of both the common man and the tribunes. The
common man's first appearance sees him bothered by Murellus and
Flavius, two higher class tribunes. "You blocks, you stones, you worse
than senseless things!" The common man is looked down upon with
complete disrespect and in this scene they prove their stupidity with
weak jokes, inane laughter and dependent behaviour. Cobbler, "A trade
sir, as you would say, a mender or bad soles" After futile attempts at
explaining the meaning and importance of recent political changes,
Murellus and Flavius banish the crowd from the streets. This opening
scene tells us how Rome is at the time and provides the reader (or
play-goer) with a view of the common man against which their depiction
in the rest of the play can be measured.
The key themes of the play are instantly obvious and the common man's
part is immediately recognised by the reader. Rome is torn between
democracy and totalitarianism but early in the play we see that the
common man likes a strong leader. They need to be led because they are
unable to make d...
... middle of paper ...
...upright man".
This is evidence that the politics of Julius Caesar have definite
contemporary relevance.
In conclusion, I think that despite the common man being shown by
Shakespeare to be stupid, simple and impressionable, their importance
is far more than skin deep. It becomes more and more clear that the
common man is Rome because of the sheer quantity of them, thus making
them the most important people in the play, the public. The higher
figures' success is dependent on his opinion and even though it may
not be difficult to persuade the common man, both Brutus and Antony
both recognise this. But it is their interpretation of what methods
are best for swaying their fickle opinions that separates them and
even though Brutus and Antony can both see that the common man is
powerful, only Antony is able to use them.
William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is the illustration of the demise of many respectable men. Typical of a tragedy, one character of high social standing experiences numerous downfalls brought on by a character flaw. This character is eventually brought to his or her knees by the misery and sorrow brought upon by these mistakes. It is at this point that the character realizes their flaws and changes their outlook. In Shakespeare’s tragedy, the tragic hero is Julius Caesar. In the play, Shakespeare molds Caesar’s character into an ambiguous personality. While Caesar is depicted as an ignorant and deserving tragedy, he is an often-overlooked hero as well. The omnipotent ruler appears to be quite respectable socially in the play’s exposition. However, as the story unravels several of his imperfections are introduced. The blemishes of Caesar’s personality soon lead to his untimely death. At his fall, Caesar realizes his faults and wrongdoings. Thus Caesar is overall an effective and sympathetic tragic hero.
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
The demise of the Roman Republics authoritative power is an event that still holds the focus of modern society. While he is often held accountable for the fall, Gaius Julius Caesar’s rise to power and continuing ambition was not the only factor that caused its eventual downfall. His involvement and inclusion in the creation of the First Triumvirate and the ongoing civil war between Pompey and himself brought around his rise to power, and his reforms quickly affected the social, economic and political structure of Roman society. His rule both started in civil war, and ended in it; ultimately causing an end to republican institutions.
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.
From the absolute power of ancient kings and medieval monarchs to the tyrannical dictators of today, political corruption has been a persistent aspect of governed societies since their emergence early in human existence. In the quest for power, individuals create furtive conspiracies to overthrow governments and destroy policies. The presence of political corruption and conspiracy in Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is prominent, as Brutus and Mark Antony conduct opposing conspiracies in relation to corruption in the Roman government. Shakespeare depicts Antony’s emotional drive, ability to set aside honor, and capacity to use manipulative language as additive to the strength of his conspiracy. These qualities allow his conspiracy to undermine Brutus and, in doing so, emphasize Brutus’ flaws of uncertainty, excessive accentuation of honor, and naïveté.
In Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, Brutus and Cassius are both considered honorable men by the public. But, like all traits, honor is in the eye of the beholder. Honor is defined as evidence or symbols of distinction. Those who are placed in power are often chosen because of their traits, which include being honorable. If those in power have any faults, it could diminish their position in the eyes of the public.
The Character of Julius Caesar in William Shakespeare's Play In William Shakespeare's ‘Julius Caesar’, honor is displayed as a prominent theme throughout the play. Honor is having great respect for others, regardless of their status in society; and performing great deeds not for personal gain but for the good of others. Marcus Brutus is an example of an honorable man; Caius Cassius, however, is not. When Brutus joined the conspiracy against Caesar, he did it solely for the good of Rome. Unlike all the other men, Brutus justified his motive for murder:
A legacy lives on! Principate Imperator Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Octavius, the adopted son of Julius Caesar, took the Roman Empire by force in 44 BC when Julius was brutally murdered. Thrown into the harsh world of politics at only the age of 19 (12), Augustus took Rome by storm and ruled as emperor from about 27 BC to 14 AD (Britannica). Emperor Augustus, a beloved father figure of Rome, influenced the Roman Empire positively. He did this by bringing Rome in to the age of Pax Romana, rebuilding it into an empire of marble and reforming the Roman government.
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.
The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare portrays the 44 BC plot against the Roman dictator Caesar, his assassination and the downfall of the conspirators at the Battle of Philippi.
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.
of the play was Casca. Casca was the first person that told the rest of
Relevance of Julius Caesar to Contemporary Society. & nbsp; & nbsp ; Symbolism is a major aspect of writing. Whether obvious or subtle, authors use it as a way to extend their work beyond just the time period they're writing their piece in. Also, it allows the reader the opportunity to substitute his own ideas into the story, which makes the story more personal.
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.
Ambition is defined as a strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work. Some may look at this to as a bad thing or a good thing. Some may say that i moderation it is fine. For example, in Julius Caesar, Brutus kills Caesar for having too much ambition. A tragic fall is considered when the main character lets something less than what they are bring them down. When they let their flaw get to them and drive them towards their own demise. The reason people see this is a bad thing is because it can lead to making the person do bad things that will result in possibly dangerous consequences. The reason why some may think ambition is good is because sometimes it is the only thing motivating someone