Julius Caesar Leadership Analysis

Ancient Rome is known for some of the most powerful leaders, rulers, and kings to ever walk the earth. With many powerful leaders came many different political styles, ideas, and philosophies ranging from the democracy we have in America today to power driven tyrants consumed by their greed for new land and more cities to rule.

The topic of leadership in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar has been discussed and argued ever since the play was written. The most prevalent discussion of leadership in the play revolves around Shakespeare’s tragic hero, Marcus Brutus, and the cause of his downfall. According to Shakespeare critic James Bundy, “Brutus... is a man whose affections sway more than his reason, in whom there is this tragic confederacy of passion and imagination against reason” (qtd. in Palmer 402). Ernest Shanzer, however, says that Brutus is “by no means devoid of political shrewdness and practical wisdom”, but he is a “bad judge of character” (Shanzer 1). Although both critics’ descriptions of Brutus have merit, Brutus’ shortcoming, as well as the success of the opposing leader, Mark Antony, is more accurately explained using the observations of Niccolo Machiavelli in The Prince. In this book Machiavelli outlines the characteristics of a successful leader. When using The Prince as a lens to read Julius Caesar, the correlation between a leader’s Machiavellianism and their success becomes very apparent. Marcus Brutus is undoubtedly an honorable and respectable man, but his morality prevents him from adhering to Machiavelli’s principles. Due to his lack of princely virtues, Brutus is doomed to fail, while Antony, a much more Machiavellian prince, successfully seizes power.

Unlike the common view of leaders, the potential leaders of Julius Caesar are not necessarily nice or giving. However, sometimes that is necessary. In the play Julius Caesar, a long tale of leadership shows the true qualities of the greatest leaders. Where the reader finds themselves started is at the point which Antony and Caesar, the overconfident leader of Rome, are discussing people around them. This discussion boils to a point in which Antony and Caesar discuss the possibility of Cassius being a threat to Caesar. Later, readers find Cassius is indeed a threat, as he and multiple others, including Brutus, stab Caesar to death. Antony then brings Caesar’s body to the multitude, and with a great speech inspires a hatred for those who wrongfully stabbed him. At the next point Antony is seen, he and Octavius are the new rulers of Rome. These two comrades go and finally eliminate the last of the traitors, Cassius and Brutus, in a battle that cements the two as the new leaders of Rome. Throughout all these actions, one man particularly showed that he should control the Roman Empire. Antony was created to be Rome’s leader in Julius Caesar, where William Shakespeare gave him inspirational abilities, persuasiveness, and fearlessness which are unparalleled.

Every great revolution or movement has a significant leader pulling it forward. An example of this is the Civil Rights movement which is well known and memorable by the people like Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks. These two leaders helped keep the fight of their people stay alive through their actions and words. This making them some of the most beloved and strongest leaders in history. Yet, not all people can show the leadership abilities King, Parks, and others possess. It takes certain character traits and actions to be a great leader. Potentially bad leaders on the other hand also possess traits and actions that caused them to be dangerous if given a leadership position. Brutus from the play Julius Caesar by Shakespeare displays what

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.

The driving forces in the play Julius Caesar are the characters Marcus Brutus, Julius Caesar, and Marc Antony. Julius Caesar is the center of the ordeal of leadership in Rome when the play begins. When Caesar returns to Rome he is looked upon by the fickle plebeians as a glorious and triumphant hero. The authority of his heroism is questioned when the honorable Marcus Brutus speaks to the townspeople during Caesar’s funeral. Brutus proves to be the better leader for Rome rather than Caesar or Antony. Brutus is wiser and more honorable than the other Romans. He was the only one truly looking out for the good of Rome and not himself.

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.

William Shakespeare’s tragedy Julius Caesar highlights how weak leaders affect society’s condition. Shakespeare displays this through the actions of multiple characters, one of whom is Julius Caesar, a Roman general and senator greatly favored by the people. Caesar enters the play by ignoring a soothsayer’s omen to beware the ides of March, an action that is indicative of his belief in his personal invulnerability. Caesar’s continuous disregard of warnings of his death manifests into his ultimate demise. Shakespeare extrapolates Caesar’s arrogance, physical weakness, and unfortunate fate to elucidate how rulers with similar traits would eventually fail and foment disarray between their people.

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.

Ambition is a very important thing to have if one wants to be successful. Some people view ambition as evil because it can cause a person to strive for corrupt positions, as Julius Caesar did. For others, ambition is necessary to gain fame, glory, and status in life, as the famous rappers Wale, Meek Mill, and Big Sean have explained in their hit song “Ambition.” I believe that ambition is a driving force in life. Ambition has two polar connotations: ambition can push one to strive for their own personal gain and hoarding of wealth, or to seek fame, glory, and honor.

As Warren Bennis, Founding Chairman of The Leadership Institute at the University of Southern California, once said, “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” This can be interpreted to mean that one can be classified as a leader if he or she can put a plan into action. A leader is often like a visionary, and forward thinkers are needed in society. A visionary has a vivid imagination who makes dreams come true. They provide a backbone in society, helping to plan what is to come in the future that would be most beneficial. Without a leader that has the qualities of a visionary, no civilization has a bright future. Julius Caesar, Roman general-turned-ruler, was a historical visionary who fit Warren Bennis’ description of a leader. Possibly one of the most well-known Roman figures, Caesar extensively pushed Rome to one of its best eras, despite Caesar himself having a bit of a dark side. Even though Caesar seized power in the Roman Empire and named himself “Dictator For Life,” Julius Caesar was a great leader. He helped to expand the empire into France, as well as glorifying Rome through architectural projects and reforms. Overall, ?

It was Andrew Carnegie who said “ No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself or get all the credit for doing it.” This quote relates to the topic by giving some examples of what makes a good leader. A good leader has to be able to make difficult decisions that are in the people’s best interest. Other examples of qualities that make a good leader are emotional stability, responsibility, and selflessness.

Everyone wants to be on top; to be the head honcho, the leader, the king. Some are born with greatness while other achieve it. Julius Caesar was born into greatness and achieved greatness through great leadership. Despite his arrogance, Caesar was a great leader. He shows his great leadership when refusing the crown, standing on his decision, and putting the people first.

John Maxwell once said, “People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision.” What is a leader? A leader is one who knows the way, shows the way, and goes the way. Qualities of a good leader require courage, charisma, strength, knowledge and wisdom, good morals and power. All of these qualities of leadership boil down to what is known as integrity. Integrity is doing what is morally correct; it requires honesty, making the “right” decisions for the community, taking the blame, and being selfless. A good leader should possess all these qualities in order to be capable of leading and gaining respect from others. Cassius was set at such a high place of being a leader, but Brutus proved he would’ve been a better fit for the title.

There are certain traits that make someone a great leader. Said traits range from valiance or courage, not being easily dissuaded or deterred. These attributes can almost guarantee success in any environment, such as a government or in a military standpoint. Therefore if one lacks in these traits, failure is tantamount for not only themselves, but also the ones under their leadership. In Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, the character Brutus portrays this situation almost perfectly. In the tragedy, it plays out the events leading to Julius’ death, the assassination itself, and the following turmoil. In the beginning, the original leader of the assassination, Cassius, tries tirelessly to persuade Brutus to understand the misdeeds and shortcomings