Julius Caesar Flaws

“I love the name of honor, more than I fear death,” a quote said by one of the most famous Roman leaders named Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar was born in July 100 BC and he died on March 15, 44B.C. Caesar was a general, politician, and a dictator. Caesar was loved by many people for guiding them and providing safety for them, but he was also hated by a countless number of people. That hate ended up in him being murdered. He gave Rome hope for a better future and a promise of new land, jobs, and wealth. Caesar accomplished many things for his country like win many victories, developed the Julian calendar, and redistributed land to the poor. He used many different tactics and strategies to win his wars. Through brilliant military tactics, Julius Caesar, ruler of Rome from 49 B.C. to 44 B.C., guided the people of Italy and Rome to achieve many victories, allowing him to become a powerful ruler, hero, and inspiration and leaving a legacy that still shapes the world today.

The Roman republic was a very big step for governments. The republic was the first of its time, equalized power between people, and kept everything organized. Eventually Rome became a dictatorship. Even though the dictatorship worked decently, Rome became unevolved and died. The Roman republic equalized power between all people, but the Roman dictatorship caused one person to receive too much power.

The Roman Republic was what built up the foundation for the Roman Empire. During the Republic, a small group of people started from scratch and developed their own systems, which later develops into the Roman Empire. The strong leaders of the Republic had conquered much land and people for Rome. The Roman Republic thus ignites Roman civilization, which leads on to the second step- the Roman Empire.

Gaius Julius Caesar was regarded as one of the most significant and important person in Roman History. He was born in a Patrician (a rich Roman) family on 12th or 13th of July 100 BCE in Rome. During this time, Rome was a Republic (which meant a “matter of the people”) and was governed by the Senate, the assembly and the two Consuls. Roman citizens were divided in two groups the wealthy Patricians and the working class Plebeians. Plebeians were not happy the way they were treated and governed by the patricians. More over, as the wealth and opportunities increased among the Patricians, the competition also increased for the power. There was lot of trouble and unrest among the society.

During his life, he served as a Military leader Statesman and a political leader who promotes the public good. Dictator and a ruler who wielded absolute power over his people. Caesar ignores the soothsayer's warning to "beware the Ides of March" (Shakespeare, qtd. in 2012, pg. 897). Caesar also refused the crown three times, one time after the other. After a few days, Caesar was assassinated, by his people that he thought were his friends. The group was called the Liberators they stabbed Caesar with 23 swords and said that Caesar was ambitious. One of the liberators was Brutus; he was like a son to Caesar some people say that when Caesar saw Brutus, he closed his eyes and said, "and you son."

In “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar”, Brutus was a villain. He was a man who loved Caesar and was a friend of Caesar’s throughout the play leading to his death. Throughout the play, Brutus fell for the manipulative ways of Cassius and the other conspirators. Brutus made several mistakes along with being a bad person in the play. He had several faults which involved him killing one of his closest friends one of the first acts of the play. There were some ways that Brutus is a good person, but those ways are hard to find over the bad choices he made over the course of the play.

In William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar there were many people that had major faults that hurt them but also so helped them in some cases. For example; Antony, Cassius, Brutus, and even Caesar himself. in that day in age patriotism was a noble thing and as many people stated Brutus was a noble man. Brutus didn't believe Caesar should have been in power and that Caesar was overly ambitious and that his ambition would cause problems for the kingdom.

How was it possible that under the dictatorship and after the deification of Julius Caesar the Roman republic fell, when it had been structurally sound for four centuries before? When the republic was established around the end of the 6th century B.C.E., the Romans made clear that they wished to avoid all semblance of the monarchy that had ruled for two centuries before. (T.J. Cornell, The Beginnings of Rome: Italy and Rome from the Bronze Age to the Punic Wars (c. 1000-264 BC), London and New York: Routledge, 1995; p. 215) The rule of the Republic was to be split into powers of the senate and consuls, a system that worked for over four centuries. The republic would face problems with the rise of the first triumvirate in 60 B.C.E.,

The Roman Republic was a “democratic” republic, which allowed first citizens to vote, and to choose their governors in the senate (Hence, their consuls). However, it was a nation ruled by its aristocracy, and, consequently, the entire Republic`s power was concentrated in a few individuals. Furthermore, the Senate was controlled by Patricians, which directed the government by using wealth to buy control and power over the decisions of the senate and the consuls. This situation aroused the inconformity of the people; as result, a civil war took place in the Republic (destroying it), and then the Roman Empire was born.

As Rome became independent from the Etruscan ruling, its government walked away from having a monarch and transformed into a Republic as a way to avoid the tyranny that many times comes with an absolute autocrat. Rigorous precautions were taken from the start in order to keep the power balanced. Moreover, the structure of the government was meant to be resilient to bad judgment. The structure of the Roman Republic with its government and law provided for a more just system.

Julius Caesar’s mindset influenced the history of his people. He was born July 12, 100 b.c in Rome as Gaius Julius Caesar, known today as Julius Caesar. He was a Praetor, Aedile, Consul, Pontifex Maximus, and dictator for life, and his greatest achievement is changing the Roman republic to the Roman empire. His life ended tragically when he was stabbed twenty three times by his political enemies. Creating the Roman empire changed the history of his people.

Ancient Rome consisted of two main forms of government, the Republic and the Empire, each of which lasted about five centuries. At first, Rome was a republic, governed by members of wealthy classes. As the Republican form of government continued, a series of civil wars led to the breakdown of the system, and a new form of government, the Empire, was established in its place. The Empire began with a prolonged period of peace, the Pax Romana. However, like the Republic, the Empire also turned foul and collapsed after the Pax Romana. Still, a citizen of the Empire was better off than a citizen of the Republic. Health problems were less severe in the Empire than in the Republic. Moreover, the Empire was more peaceful and better able to provide necessities for average citizens than the Republic was. The political situation was also better in the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire generally provided a healthier and higher quality of civic life than the Roman Republic.

Even though he was extremely unpopular, being in possession of the wealth he was, he was able to buy his way through the senate to the height of power. Caesar had majestically rose to power, partaking in every major position there was, using his political ingenious in his attempt to gain full control of Rome. After Crassus had died in battle, and Caesars’ army defeated and killed Pompey, he was quick to mop up all his opposition from the senate and the oligarchs across the Mediterranean and throughout Rome, in his first step to his dictatorship, his dictatorship being the final step to the republics decline. After defeating all of his enemies, Julius Caesar was granted a 10-year dictatorship for purposes of restoring the republic, similar to the title that Sulla had granted himself many years previous. However he constituted himself as the Divine King or Ruler of Rome, essentially a REX, yet as said before, since the founding of the Republic, the Romans prided themselves on freedom from the Etruscan King, and just the term ‘King’ went against the republic mentality. Eventually killed in plot involving over 60 senators, the death of Caesar concluded the decline of the Republic.

Julius Caesar, a man born in around 12 to 13, 100 BC, was considered the start of a new legacy in the history of Rome. Participating in several wars, becoming dictator after forming multiple military alliances, to being assassinated on the Ides of March, Julius Caesar was a politically-flexible, popular leader of the Roman Empire. (Julius Caesar Biography, April 23, 2014) Although Caesar’s birth was never confirmed on the exact date, he was born and raised by his mother, Aurelia, and by his father, Gaius Julius Caesar. (Julius Caesar: Historical Background, April 23, 2014)

First and foremost, Julius Caesar’s tragic flaw was that he was too arrogant. Which because of that lead to his death by the conspirators consisting of his closest politicians and generals. At the very minute finishing the book, I immediately thought that Julius Caesar should have taken the crown the three times he was offered it. However, he chose not to so he could gain more of a better opinion to the eyes of the people in Rome. Which I believe from the text of the play is how Julius Caesar intended to play his actions. Based on the reading, Brutus and Cassius don’t believe that Julius Caesar was the king to the throne. Brutus feared for his people that they would “Choose Caesar for their king.” (Shakespeare 36). Brutus and Cassius believed