Julius Caesar Analytical Essay

Although conflicting perspectives are present in Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar”, the composers bias is still evident. Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” is a play which reflected the anxiety of England over succession of leadership. When the play was written in 1599, intense censorship prevailed and Shakespeare chose Caesar’s story in order to convey significant ideas and messages to the Elizabethan audience about the

     In the play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare shows how friends often betray each other. Julius Caesar is about to be crowned king of Rome, when some well-known Romans decide that it is not a good idea for this to happen. They form a conspiracy and kill Caesar. Brutus, an honorable Roman and a very good friend of Caesar’s, betrays Caesar by killing him for the good of Rome. Antony, Caesar’s best friend and another honorable Roman, betrays Brutus by turning against the conspirators. Cassius, a respected Roman, and Brutus betray each other by arguing and destroying their friendship. All this betraying lead to many deaths in the play.

William Shakespeare's tragedy Julius Caesar provides audiences with an account involving the Roman dictator Julius Caesar, the 44 B.C. conspiracy that resulted in his violent assassination, and the continued violence that dominated Rome consequent to his death. In spite of the fact that the play's title is Julius Caesar, Caesar's character only appears in three scenes. The tragedy's central character is Marcus Brutus and most of the storyline relates to him and to his failure to understand matters from a general perspective when he has the chance to do so. The play actually demonstrates how violence can emerge from individuals misinterpreting behavior seen in others and the idea of violence dominates most of the play, shaping the way that characters interact and think.

There have been many famous leaders in Roman history but none could match Julius Caesar[See Figure 1]. Julius Caesar was born on July 13, 100 BC in Rome and died March 15, 44 BC in Rome. Julius Caesar is best known for his military mind and how he laid the framework for the Roman Republic. One of the quotes he is famous for is "I came, I saw, I conquered." Caesar has not just influenced Rome, he also influenced the world too. The Roman Calendar was rigged to help political purposes. Caesar devised a new Calendar called the Julian Calendar to combat that manipulation[See Figure 2]. The Calendar still has an influence in Eastern Orthodox Christian countries such as Russia, Ukraine, Greece and much more. That is only one out of many

The play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare sets the stage for an honorable man named Marcus Brutus. His honor is characterized by several traits and actions present throughout the play. Brutus’ love to Rome proves honor by the things he sacrifices for the better of his people and country. His death resulting from guilt and the feeling of having to be with Caesar shows his modesty. In fact, his people, friends, and even enemies also perceive

Once again in Julius Caesar, we see the use of dramatic form to convey opposing perspectives on the assassination of Caesar. Conflict is a key factor in William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar and in any Shakespearean drama. Conflicting perspectives are used to build dramatic tension, in Julius Caesar, this is both within the group of conspirators and between them and those who oppose them. From the beginning Shakespeare encourages us to question the republican cause. In the opening scene of act one, Flavius and Marullus, who are the administrative officers display their disdain for the common people of Rome. Flavius refers to the common Romans as ‘idle creatures’ and Marullus, outraged by the plebs when they turn their backs on Pompey, calls them ‘You blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things!’ ‘O you hard hearts, you cruel men of Rome, Knew you not Pompey?’ The use of insulting language, imperative, exclamation and rhetorical questioning make an important point regarding Caesar’s triumph over Pompey and the fickle nature of the plebians. They appear cruel and dictatorial, making it hard for the audience to

There is such a considerable amount of violence in Titus, varying in intensity and degree that it might seem hard to draw any firm conclusions about its impact. One can, however, obtain the idea that the violence within the play has a far greater impact on both the audience and the on-stage characters when accompanied by a rhetoric or language that either juxtaposes or reinforces the brutality. The way in which characters react to violence, evident through their speech and imagery, can manipulate our responses to them and instil either an affinity or indifference to their personalities. Titus' first appearance in Act I Scene I is an example of this manipulation. His cold, calculating rejection of Tamora's plea for her son's life, juxtaposed with the solemn, funeral rhetoric give us the impression of a character who can flit between brutality and normality very easily, and who demonstrates little compassion when doing so.

In William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Julius Caesar (1599), love, contentment, companionship, and even vitality are sacrificed for idealism. Initially, Caesar’s ego creates division in his marriage. On the day of his death, his wife, Calphurnia, begs him to stay home after she awakens in panic from a vivid and macabre vision of Caesar’s statue spewing blood; Caesar briefly obliges her, but, ultimately decides to ignore her pleas. Dramatic irony illuminates the dangerous consequences of his vanity: a lifeless marriage and an impending death. Further, the pursuit of honor destroys Marcus Brutus’ friendships. While debating whether or not to kill Caesar, Brutus separates his comrade from Rome’s captor and fails to recognize that if he plunges a knife

In Act Three Marcus Brutus changes the people's opinion of the death of Caesar instantly. He convinces them that the assassination should not be considered evil, but seen as to the only way to survive while remaining free. The citizens of Rome trust and respect Brutus and believe him. Then Marc Antony convinces the people to come to a different conclusion than that portrayed by Brutus and his "honorable men". The crowd believes Antony that the conspirators committed this crime through jealousy, greed and the desire to limit Julius Caesar's growing authority. At first Marc Antony only plants a minor idea in the public's mind, allowing them to think about and discuss the new information presented to them. This method initiates the contemplation of serious issues for the crowd of citizens who need no more than this to come to their own opinion concerning what took place (III, 2, 62-106). Marc Antony then stirs his audience with emotions every person in Rome can relate to, focusing on guilt and anger. These passions intertwine, for when the crowd begins to feel guilty, they also start to become enraged. Marc Antony creates a dangerous situation with his riled audience and the possession of information that sets them over the edge into being an unforgiving mob (III, 2, 107-259). Having a serious effect on an audience is important when trying to be understood fully, however revenge is a dangerous topic especially when being

Ever wondered what it takes to be a good king or ruler? Julius Caesar is one of the most famous rulers of all time. He was one of Rome’s greatest and most powerful leaders. His changes to the empire helped take Rome to new levels of success. The life of Caesar was short, yet great. It is important to learn about this great man and his many accomplishments.

In the play Julius Cesar, the character Brutus is one of the most complex characters. He is proud of his reputation for honor and nobleness, but he is not always practical, and is often naive. He cannot justify, to his own satisfaction, the murder of a man who is a friend and who has not excessively misused the powers of his office. He is the only major character in the play that is deeply committed to behaving a certain way to fit a strict moral and ethical code, but he takes actions that are unconsciously hypocritical. One of the significant themes that Shakespeare increases the complexity of Brutus by his attempt to ritualize the assassination of Caesar.

Although William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar provides a largely accurate and incredibly detailed record of the assassination of its namesake, the play is regarded not as one of the Bard’s histories, but as one of his greatest tragedies. Shakespeare’s poignant lyrical interpretation of the fall of Julius Caesar is defined without a doubt as a tragedy by the sorrowful nature of the development, execution, and aftermath of Marcus Brutus’ betrayal of Julius Caesar.

The main character in the play Julius Caesar is Brutus. Brutus has a flaw about himself, his actions, and what is being done revolve around him and he isn’t blaming others for his actions. This is illustrated when Brutus says, “Th’ abuse of greatness is when it dispoins Remorse from power. And to speak truth of Caesar, I have not known when his affections swayed more than his reason.” (2.1.18-21) Men have power to reason as everyone else, and more than others. Yet nonetheless, all men can reason. In order to reason, one must be able to clear their mind, be completely impartial, and understand the situation to the best of his ability. Even though Caesar is not that important in this play he still takes overall a big role to help the play move smoothly. Caesar appears, in dreams, and thoughts of multiple people, giving warnings and special messages to him. Brutus tries to evade all the pressure that he is being given, but yet dies at the end of the play. Because of his actions that have been said previously, those actions leads into his actions that affect others actions.

The Plebeians of Julius Caesar first appear as comedic relief, but this view affects how all Plebeians - or “member of the general citizenry in ancient Rome as opposed to the privileged patrician class” (“plebeian,” www.britannica.com) - are interpreted; as infantile and inferior to the main characters. This view is rooted in fact: “Plebeians were originally excluded from the Senate and from all public offices except that of military tribune” (“plebeian,” www.britannica.com). This oppressive class system restricted political participation from Plebeians and made them observers; people who reacted to politics without influencing it. It is for this reason that the “nobility” Brutus perceives in regicide is meaningless. When Brutus makes a speech in 3.2, he asks the Plebeians “Had you rather Caesar were liv - / ing and die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live all / freemen?” (3.2.21-23), ignoring the reality for Plebeians. They did not enjoy class mobility; they could not serve Rome in combat except as lowly soldiers; they were unable to govern themselves democratically - they lived and died slaves regardless of their leader. Brutus’s actions only helped the elite; those who were free from the burdens the Plebeians suffered, and as a result, were those who were invested in political affairs. This separation from reality in Brutus’s speech contrasts Antony’s speech. Antony’s words are not only effective due to masterful use of theatricality and rhetoric; they

“ A hundred years cannot repair a moment’s loss of honor”. In William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, Brutus tragic fall of honor leads to his downfall because of his choice to kill Caesar, and believe that it was okay to kill Caesar. In the beginning of the play, the story sees Caesar celebrating the win against the enemies of Rome and being crowned soon the king of Rome. The story then cuts to Brutus talking to Cassius, here is the first place seen Brutus talking about wanting Caesar out of power. Cassius is at first no convinced, but soon sides with Brutus. Soon after, Brutus as figured out the plan to kill Caesar and puts it into action. After killing Caesar though, Antony sees the death of Caesar and is at first furious. Brutus leaves the place Caesar death, to go out and tell the people of Rome that this death is good. Brutus leaves the scene, but Antony then comes to also talk about the why the death of Caesar is bad. Brutus has lost his honor for killing Caesar and now has lost the power of the people of Rome. Brutus and Antony then fight with their armies, with Antony being on the winning side and Brutus fleeing. Brutus is now realized that he killed Caesar for no good reason and that he deserves to die because of his actions. He is soon found dead by Antony and his army, seen as a man who regained his honor because of his actions, he will be buried like a captain of the military would.