Ambiguity In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar, a Roman general, dictator, and leader, is considered to be one of history 's most influential and powerful rulers to this day, in which his rise to power, conquest of Europe, and controversial downfall all remain to be told during modern days. The play Julius Caesar written by William Shakespeare, portrays the events leading up to Julius Caesar’s assassination, and how those who conspired against him banded together and plotted Caesar’s demise. Many of those conspirators assassinated Caesar due to his quick rise to absolute power, his “acts” of disrespect against the senate such as his failing to stand to receive the title of becoming a “god,” and pure jealousy and anger towards Caesar’s success and rule over the Roman empire. Caesar, an ambitious man, was able to conquer many lands and peoples for Rome through successful military campaigns in which he became one Rome’s best generals due to the amount of successful battles he had won and the amount of blood he had shed for Rome’s expansion. However, Caesar’s trait of ambitiousness would prove to be a double edged sword.

Caesar ends up being murdered after ignoring all of the warnings. Caesar ignores all of the warnings about not coming to the Senate House on March 15th. It ends up being the day he gets brutally murdered. Stabbed to death by people he thought to be his friends. The conspirators are Brutus, Cassius, Casca, Trebonius, Ligarius, Decius, Metellus, and Cinna. Julius Caesar sits in his chair like usual and is approached by none other than one of the conspirators Metellus and he says “Is there no voice more worthy than my own, To sound more sweetly in great Caesar’s ear For the repealing of my banished brother?” (937). While Metellus is asking this all of the other conspirators are getting closer surrounding Caesar and joining in, in the asking for Publius Cimber to return. The conspirators know that this is an outrageous thing to ask of Caesar and are just using it as a guise to get closer to Caesar

    Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar is a tragic play, where the renowned Julius Caesar is on the brink of achieving total control and power by becoming emperor of the Roman Empire. Ironically enough, when he thinks he is one step away from pulling it off, his "friends" (most from the senate) decide to overthrow him, with Caesar's most trusted friend, Marcus Brutus, acting as leader of the conspirators. Though the fall of Caesar from the most powerful man in the world to a man who's been betrayed and stabbed 30 times is a great downfall, he is not the tragic hero. Shakespeare's main focus is Marcus Brutus, a noble man who brings upon himself a great misfortune by his own actions,

In the play, Julius Caesar, Caear has recently been betrayed and killed by his Bestfriend Brutus and conspirators. Antony (a friend of Caesar’s) is distraught by his friends death and promises to him in private that he will avenge his killers. Brutus allows for Ceasar to have a funeral arrangement and Antony asks Brutus about speaking in front of the capitol during the ceremony. Brutus allows for this to take place but he tells Antony to promise not to say anything bad about him or any of the conspirators and to only speak about Caesar. Antony accepts this arrangement and heads to the stage of the capitol to give his speech. Brutus also says that he will speak at Caesar’s funeral arrangement so that he can tell the citizens he and the conspirators killed Caesar and explain to them why they did it.

In the play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, an honorable man, Brutus, is planning to overthrow the soon to be king, Julius Caesar. Brutus is persuaded by Cassius that Caesar is a liar, too ambitious, weak, and not fit to be Rome’s king. Brutus soon believed Cassius, and they and the conspirators made a plan to kill Caesar. After Caesar’s death, Brutus planned to justify his actions of killing Caesar at his funeral in his speech to the people. After Brutus’s speech, the citizens of Rome were all in agreement that Brutus did the right thing for Rome. Brutus then decides to allow Caesar’s best friend, Antony, to speak in honor of Caesar. Antony speaks, and he convinces the citizens that Brutus’s actions were unjust and turned the people against Brutus.

The tragedy of Julius Caesar is a story of struggle and betrayal; however, in it, Shakespeare conveys messages about human nature. Three of the main characters in the play convey the ways that power corrupts and changes people. Brutus’ attitude towards killing Caesar and rising to power, along with his personality, change throughout the first three acts. Cassius’ need for power makes him lose himself and his humanity. Mark Antony, changed by Caesar's death, rises to power after taking it away from those that killed him. In Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, he conveys notions regarding human nature and the ways that power changes and corrupts people; he does this through his characters Brutus, Cassius, and Antony.

In the play Julius Caesar written by the whimsical, sophisticated William Shakespeare both beloved Brutus and noble Antony deliver their most thorough attempts to win over the delicate citizens of Rome into what they believed was correct. Brutus gave it a valiant effort in trying to convince the citizens that murdering the noble Caesar was the best thing to do for the people. In the end Brutus’ effort was not enough because Antony was able to turn every Roman against Brutus and the other deceitful conspirators during his speech with his extraordinary use of logos, pathos, and ethos.

There have been many rulers in history who have been betrayed by those they trust, but The Tragedy of Julius Caesar (William Shakespeare,1959) still holds a special place in Western literature as one of the most enigmatic human beings to ever exist. Powerful men like Julius Caesar shaped the life and times of the late Roman Republic, just before Rome would officially become the Roman Empire on the crowning of Augustus as the first Roman emperor. Julius Caesar was a powerful general who expanded Rome's power and who was beloved by the people for his generous charity after his successful conquests. Despite knowing the story of Julius Caesar to some extent, most 16th/17th century English would not have ever visited Rome, nor would know what the Roman Republic was like, which presented a unique opportunity to William Shakespeare to create a play unlike any other he had created before. (Shakespeare Julius Caesar, 1599) Shakespeare's Julius Caesar is a reimagining of Rome from a Elizabethan point of view, and despite some inaccuracies, the play depicts an enlightening view on Roman life, and the life of the Roman general, Julius Caesar.

This passage revealed how much of a conceited person Caesar is. The words that Shakespeare chose to make Caesar says showed how he had too much confidence in himself considering that his death is in the next scene. The words that Shakespeare used are intended to reach out to the reader and give them a better understanding of the kind of person that Caesar is. He was successful in carrying out the message. Overall, Shakespeare is known for each character a specific personality that suits them depending what plays they are

6. In the play, Shakespeare portrays the common man as almost incoherent. The people constantly seem to be easily swayed by the words of each and every important character. Also, all of the common people are followers. Not one stands up to the officials. At one moment, they are saying, “This Caesar was a tyrant,” (3.2.74) and the next they say that they must “tear him to pieces! He’s a conspirator,” (3.3.29), now angered with the retaliation against Caesar.

First he questions the romans by saying “You all did love him once, not without cause. What cause withholds you then to mourn for him?” (III.ii.111-112) they used to love and praise him but now for some reason have betrayed him. It questions the audience and makes them think of their actions and if they have any meaning or are logical. Next he brings up that “...thrice presented him a kingly crown, Which he did thrice refuse. Was this Ambitious?” (III.ii.105-106). This argues the point the conspirators made, which was that Caesar was too ambitious. If Caesar was too ambitious why would he turn down the crown three times. He even asks the audience if Caesar’s actions were ambitious. This is the logical approach Antony used to defend Caesar. Next he attacks brutus in an indirect way when he says “For Brutus, as you Know, was Caesar’s angel. Judge, O you gods, how dearly Caesar loved him! This was the most unkindest cut of all” (III.ii.198-200). By saying how much Caesar loves Brutus it undermines Brutus by making him look cold and harsh. Why would you want to be led by someone who betrays their best friend? Again we see a masterful usage of rhetorical devices and his persuasive argument taking over the

Julius Caesar is a pompous leader that was warned about his destruction and offered the crown but never accepted because of his stubborn ways. As a leader he returned from war and was celebrated but still did not accept the crown. He wants everybody to know that he is the greatest leader that Rome has ever seen but will only accept the crown with repetitive begging from his people. Julius Caesar never changes over the course of the play because his arrogant personality will not allow him to listen to the soothsayer or his wife of which both warn him about his death before it happens.

Antony knows the murder is unjust, and he wants to persuade the Romans to think the same. Antony also knows that many of the conspirators were Caesar’s friends who later turned against him, and so he wants to kill the conspirators who betrayed Caesar, but in order to do that, he needs to turn the people against Brutus and the other conspirators. Antony does not directly accuse Brutus and the other conspirators of murdering Caesar unjustly. Antony, instead, gives examples of how Caesar was not ambitious. Antony tells the crowd about Caesar brought to Rome many captives whose ransoms filled the treasury, and how Caesar refused the crown three times at the Feast of Lupercal. However, after each statement, Antony sarcastically says that the conspirators are “honorable” men and that is why their reasoning is “correct”. Antony also shows the people Caesar’s will and how much property Caesar left for the people. The crowd then feels guilty that they supported Brutus in his reasoning. At the end of Antony’s speech, the crowd starts mourning for Caesar, and they realize the murder was unjust. The crowd is even willing to burn the houses of the

William Shakespeare's tragic play portraying the life in ancient Rome is one that closely follows many elements that make a drama interesting. The murders and the conspiracies behind the killings add to the plot of jealousy and patriotism. Within Julius Caesar also

The Shakespearean play featuring a man being stabbed 23 times to death, “Julius Caesar,” is quite unique in many perspectives, because unlike most plays, this play has a plot that deals with controversial events, leaving the bulk of the readers in a state of ambiguity and division. The scene where Julius Caesar was stabbed is ambiguous, because it is a good thing for the people, but the way he was murdered is much too brutal. Whether or not Brutus should have joined the conspiracy to kill Caesar divides the audience, since it is unclear if it was beneficial or detrimental to the people of Rome. The audience is also divided on their perception of Caesar, due to his actions that could be interpreted as both arrogance or confidence. These three points demonstrate that the play’s flexible plot line opens itself up for the audiences’ own interpretation.