The Battles of Philippi (42 BCE): The Death of the Roman Republic The battles of Philippi remain one of the best examples of how audacity on the battlefield can influence history. The battles are the climax of the civil war following the assassination of Gaius Julius Caesar in 44 BCE by a band of prominent political figures of Rome; (led by Marcus Junius Brutus (Brutus) and Gaius Cassius Longina (Cassius)) who will be referred to in this paper as ‘the Liberators’. The Battles that occurred on
What does it take to be an effective leader? In the play Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar is given the crown to be the leader of Rome after his triumph. After Brutus slaughters Caesar, Mark Antony appears to compliment on Brutus while he organizes the crowd to take revenge against the conspirators, Brutus and Cassius, for the murder of Caesar. Mark Antony is an effective leader because he demonstrates intelligence, confidence, and manipulation in a decent way despite his manipulative
A tragedy: a type of play that strums the strings of the human heart. Within the midst of a tragedy, heroes can usually be found, but to be considered a tragic hero, a character must meet certain criteria. An individual must be a main character who has a flaw. This flaw ultimately results in the character’s death, but this person maintains his or her honor even after their life has expired. In William Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Marcus Brutus is an ideal example of a tragic hero
The play Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare is renowned throughout the world. This tragedy tell the story of the conspiracy to murder Julius Caesar and the results afterwards. Of all the characters in the play, I find Marcus Brutus to be the most interesting. Time and time again Brutus is convinced and persuaded into decisions. At the times when he actually does make a decision on his own, it ends badly. Throughout the whole play, he believes that what he is doing is the right things, he makes
yielded up their dead.” The second part of the play consists mainly on “the increasing political and military unrest […] the growing isolation of Brutus, the swift ascent and yet almost programmed decline of Antony against […] Octavius, the climatic battles […] and the final submission of Brutus”.
overthrowing of Caesar. He subsequently gained support from the patrician’s as well. By assembling the conspirators meeting in Brutus’ home, It is apparent that Cassius was the one who lead the plot against Caesar. At the end of the play, in the battle of Philippi, it is seen that Julius Caesar comes to its denouement due to Cassius’s various dreadful actions. Cassius was the mastermind of Caesar 's assassination as well as the story plot. Looking closely at William Shakespeare’s use of Cassius, it is
The definition of a tragic hero is perceived as on who is neither wicked nor purely innocent, one who “is brave and noble but guilty of the tragic flaw of assuming that honorable ends justify dishonorable means”. In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Brutus takes the role of the tragic hero. Brutus’s honor, nobility, and self-righteousness makes him “a tragic figure, if not the hero” (Catherine C. Dominic). As the play opens, Brutus is known as a Roman nobleman and a member of one of the most illustrious
men then decide, through Brutus’ persuasion, that it is pointless and too bloody to kill Antony. This error causes Brutus’ ultimate downfall in the end. It would have been wise for the conspirators to kill Antony instead of facing him in their last battle. Finally, once Caesar is dead, Antony proposes to speak at his funeral. Cassius and Brutus again disagree. Cassius knows it is unwise to allow one of Caesar’s loyal friends to address the people at the funeral.
Humans are naïve in nature, regardless of race, culture, or environment. Some humans are more naïve than others. Naivety has been the downfall of men throughout history. Taking a glance at history, Czar Nicholas II was naïve and foolish because he followed the words of his advisors. His advisors, including a Holy man named Rasputin, had an uncanny influence over Czar Nicholas II. If he had not listened to their advice to mobilize his army to the Austria borderline, would World War I and his
The Use of Suspense in Julius Caesar Suspense can be defined as the uncertainties the reader feels about what will happen next in a story, or in this case, a play. William Shakespeare incorporated in Julius Caesar three very suspenseful events on which the whole play depends. The first suspenseful event of this play occurs when the conspirators join and discuss their reasons for assassination. Cassius feels that he is equal to Caesar, if not even better that him. Shakespeare builds
A person, who is ignorant, is a person who shows lack of knowledge. Ignorance is a lethal weapon for anyone to yield, because of their lack of knowledge him/her would be blissfully unaware of the danger ahead. In Julius Caesar, ignorance presented itself many characters. Although many key characters in Julius Caesar are in their own way all sensible, they all have the inability to take in their peer opinion, which displays their own that would eventually cause each of their own deaths. The egotistical
Cassius If there were to be a villain in the Tragedy of Julius Caesar Cassius would be it. Cassius is the character who first thought up of the conspiracy against Julius Caesar. His motives weren’t as noble as Brutus’ but he made Brutus believe they were. Cassius did whatever it took to get Brutus to join in the conspiracy. We can clearly see Cassius’ true nature by what he does and says in the play. Cassius is a sly, deceitful and an untrustworthy character. Caesar described him best. He said
Great Tragedy A person with dishonor can cause a honorable person pain. In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, he had a way of making his work memorable. The contrast between the tragic hero Brutus and the independent Caesar led to the theme of dishonor. Caesar contrasts from Brutus because the people wanted Brutus king. According to Shakespeare, ”That you do love me, I am nothing jealous; What you would work me to, I have some aim; How I have thought of this, and of these times”(I
After the Germanic battle, Maximus went to his temporary residence and started praying in front of a shrine with many statues of gods and goddesses, including miniature statues of his family members. (Gladiator, 32:15) This accurately portrays Roman religion, as in Ancient
Mark Antony 	The character of Mark Antony from Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar may be viewed as simply the confident and devoted supporter of Julius Caesar. On the contrary, Antony presents the qualities of a shrewd flatterer, a ruthless tyrant, as well as a loyal follower. Antony’s characteristics will change as the play progresses. He will begin using flattery to get what he wants, but he will eventually depend on his powerful relentlessness. Furthermore, Antony uses these various attributes
The ‘Noble’ Conspirators “Assumptions are normally the mother of all mistakes,” a quote by the philosopher Eugene Fordsworthe. In 58 B.C., Julius Caesar was a Roman General who ruled Rome along with two other men, Crassus and Pompey. Caesar was renowned for his numerous victories against the Gauls. He even defeated one of his alleged partners Pompey, which ultimately gave Caesar full reign of Rome. Caesar was a brutal leader; he even appointed himself dictator for life. Many feared he would become
Motives Behind Murder Envy and selfishness are two of the many emotions that motivate the conspirators in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar to murder Caesar. All the conspirators, except Brutus, crave Caesar’s death solely for selfish reasons. Brutus is the only conspirator who can overcome basic human nature. The citizens of Rome fawn over Julius Caesar and grant him respect, which stirs envy within the conspirators. The conspirators deny that envy is the main factor behind Caesar’s brutal murder, choosing
“Does the end ever justify the means?” a surprisingly simple question that poses more than one moral dilemma. Many causes and groups would say that, yes, the end does justify the means, but is this true? Do the positive effects outweigh the negative causes? Are betrayal and deception warranted to truly if one wanted to do good? If ending a life would in fact save the lives of ten others, would you be morally ‘correct’ in ending the life of the first man? Time and time again, this question pops up
Brutus means big, dull, and stupid. Just knowing the origin of the name Brutus doesn’t make a person trust the fellow who has that name. In Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Brutus is not stupid, but he is easily manipulated. Brutus was totally convinced that the Roman Republican government, a triumvirate, was perfect and was willing to join into a conspiracy with others to make sure the government stayed in the hands of senators. Some might believe that friendship or pride is an important theme in
85-86). Epicureanism does not require the belief of a god nor does it believe in an after life, an aversion from common Roman philosophies who believed in fate, and gods. Cassius also did not believe in omens and fate until Act V, while nearing the battle at Phillipi. Cassius believes that the actions of birds he sees on the way to Phillipi are omens and tells a friend that he is starting to believe in fate. His invalidation of previous principles that he once held so strong have been starting to deteriorate