“We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community… Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own.” These words, compiled by American labor leader and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez, perfectly convey the topic of ambition. A good portrayal of ambition can be seen through historical figure Julius Caesar, a famous leader of ancient Rome in the forties BCE. Caesar completed many conquests during his reign of power and expanded the Roman territory. His great success was followed by his appointment of dictator by the Romans, which destroyed the Republic and aggravated many Senators. Through their love of Rome, a group of conspirators killed Caesar in forty-four BCE by stabbing him in the chest twenty-three times. This historic tragedy has since then been interpreted by renowned playwright Shakespeare. Shakespeare uses the character Caesar in his play, Julius Caesar, to skillfully convey the idea that ambition is a force that can both hurt and help one’s reputation.
Caesar’s ambition gains him great admiration from the Romans, for he has gone on many conquests and won many battles in the name of Rome. After Pompey’s defeat, many follow Caesar as he parades through Rome. Of the matter, a Cobbler explains to Flavius, a tribune, “But indeed, sir, we make holiday, to see / Caesar and to rejoice in his triumph,” (I. I. 32-33). The Cobbler reveals the common
General, politician, and master of propaganda, Gaius Julius Caesar, better known as Julius Caesar, is closely associated with the fall of the Roman Republic. A man of profound charisma who was well known for his pivotal military campaigns, Caesar was also an author and a shrewd developer of military propaganda . He also became known for expanding the roman republics geographic borders and founding its imperial system. Caesar had battled in numerous wars and took part in the Roman government. The start of his Dictatorship of the Roman Empire, would ultimately be the cause the end of his life. He would later become a large part in the History of Western Civilization. This essay will explore the life of Julius Caesar, his influence on the Roman Republic, government, military, and social practices.
In order to analyse Julius Caesar’s impact on the Republic, his background and furthermore his motives as a leader, must be deconstructed. Caesars ambition has been assumed to largely be the result of the accumulated events in which he underwent in his young life (Cunliffe, B. 1994:93). Caesar up during a time of social war and violence within Rome from which his perspective was presumably shaped by the chaos of the disintegrating Republic (Bradley, P. 1990:369). His determination to hold power was exhibited in several points of his life. One of which, includes his
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.
In Shakespeare’s play, Caesar is a highly respected man that holds great power, and as he gains more power there are men who stand to oppose him. This is how Caesar shows so many good qualities of leadership, like keeping an open ear to the people, being observant and proud, as well as being honest. The attributes that Caesar shows has gained him the trust of all of the people, already proivng just how worthy he is to be called the greatest authority figure in Shakespeare’s drama The Tradgedy of Julius Caesar.
Julius Caesar was a very influential figure in Roman history. Many features of the Roman Empire came from his reign as dictator. But what, specifically, were some of those great achievements? In this research paper, I will explain Julius Caesar’s youth, the Roman Republic before Caesar came to power, the Roman government before Caesar became dictator-for-life, the effects of Julius Caesar, the reasons for his assassination, and what affects there were when the public learned about his assassination.
From a young age, Julius Caesar was introduced to the politics of Rome through his family’s connection to Marius. Growing through his adolescence in both the proscription period of Marius and the dictatorship of Sulla, Caesar gained a lesson in extra constitutional advancement in the early career of Gaius Pompeius Magnus. Both Marius and Sulla distinguished themselves in the Social War, and both wanted command of the war against Mithridates, which was initially given to Sulla; but when Sulla left the city to take command of his army, a tribune passed a law transferring the appointment to Marius.
The definition of ambition is a strong desire to achieve something, usually requiring determination and hard work. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare based on true events from Roman history. This play demonstrates ambition through Caesar. Caesar is a highly successful but ambitious political leader of Rome. The people of Rome wanted him to become their king, and conspirators saw that as a threat. Many of the conspirators feel that he is too ambitious and going to become a tyrant, so they plot to murder him. Caesar’s ambition is also what worries Brutus, and ultimately leads to Brutus joining the conspiracy to murder Caesar. The conspirators along with Brutus successfully murder Caesar. Throughout the play there are multiple instances where Caesar’s overly ambitious character was detrimental and lead to his downfall. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar written by Shakespeare, through Caesar, demonstrates how ambition may be the force propelling one towards accomplishment, it can still lead to one’s downfall.
People may argue that Caesar was ambitious because he would say things like, “I will go out. The things that threaten me have only seen my back. When they see the face of Caesar, they will vanish” (Shakespeare 79). Although ambition might not always be good at that time it was considered a virtue and that every important and high class citizen should have ambition. This is because when someone has ambition it means that they will have a higher chance of reaching a notable goal in life. Caesar’s ambition
This ambition leads to Caesar from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar being betrayed and assassinated. Caesar himself was indeed an ambitious man, with one of his murderers, Brutus, justifying his murder because if “Caesar were living [Romans would] die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, [and they would] live all free men” (III.ii). Similarly, Caesar’s refusal of the “kingly crown” was a mere ruse to convince the Rome that he was humble, and did not actively want to gain more power (III.ii). Caesar’s ambition is why a man who loved him, such as Brutus, would see cause to kill
In Julius Caesar, Shakespeare illuminates the themes of human motivation and manipulation. He examines the relationship between actions and motivations, cause and effect, and word and deed, using the symbols of hands and hearts. Throughout the play, the characters Brutus and Marc Antony express their different understandings of this relationship rhetorically. In his 1953 film interpretation, Joseph L. Mankiewicz demonstrates these characters’ understanding through both the play’s original dialogue and his own interpolated action. It is interesting to see the different effects of spoken rhetoric, as we experience it in the play, and the visual rhetoric of the film. The play itself complicates matters of motivation and therefore does not
Is it possible to have too much ambition? Individuals with ambition either have a strong desire to accomplish a goal or the determination to fight for what they believe in. Leaders, and all individuals, for that matter, have admirable qualities that make them unique and successful. However, excessive ambition can destroy a leader, clouding their judgment and corrupting the qualities that brought them success in the first place. Although celebrated leaders Brutus and Oedipus are characterized by their integrity and dedication to the people they serve, the distinct ambition of each man corrupts their judgment and ultimately leads to their demise.
Julius Caesar was a Roman Dictator who was both loved and hated by those that he ruled over. Throughout the world, he has been written about in a variety of different ways and is portrayed as a politician as well as a selfish dictator. Three “firsthand” accounts that were written to give us a better understanding of Julius Caesar were “The Assassination of Julius Caesar”, “Tranquillus, Gaius Suetonius”, and “Plutarch, The Assassination of Julius Caesar, from Marcus Brutus”. We will explore the writings and explain how he is viewed from those around him and compare that to the history portrayed in the History books. With this, we will be able to get a better idea of who he was.
In William Shakespear's play, Marc Antony cried "O judgement! thou art fled to brutish beasts,and men have lost their reason. Bear with me; My heart is in the coffin there Caesar and i must pause till it come back to me.
Cassius’ actions are motivated by his own personal agendas as well as his intense feelings of jealousy and thirst for power which is imbued in the conspirators murder of Caesar. In fact, Caesar himself claimed that Cassius was a “dangerous” man due to his “lean and hungry look.” (25) In other words, Cassius possesses a great ambition. His ambition is fueled by the hunger he has for power.
Both characters, Caesar and Brutus, desire power or prosperity and are determined to strive for its attainment. Caesar’s ambition of ruling lead him to a bigger ego and a certain blindness to others, once he reached