Essay on Madness and Ambition in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar

In the determination of whether Julius Caesar was an intelligent, political hero or an egocentric, dictating villain, it is important to look at all of the facts. Born in 100 B.C.E. and assassinated in 44 B.C.E., Julius Caesar was legendary. He along Pompey, and Crassus created the first unofficial Triumvirate which was negotiated to appease both the Roman citizens and the power hungry rivals. Still, this agreement would not last long. After Pompey’s wife, Julia Caesar and daughter of Caesar’s daughter given to Pompey to establish the Trimvirate, dies in childbirth, civil war breaks out as Caesar leads his army against Rome. He fights until Pompey is murdered in Egypt. As Rome is “shattered,” Julius Caesar one person should rule. He

Julius Caesar was a man of pure ambition who’s social, economic, and political reforms in the 1st century BC greatly assisted in the decline of the Republic. While it was not Caesar’s motive to directly end the Republic, it was his aim to become powerful and implement change. This, however, subsequently resulted in the final destruction of the Republic and eventual formation of the Empire.

Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. This illustrates the theme in the historical play Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. Julius Caesar was a man full of arrogance and he had a sense of being self-absorbed. This kind of personality lead to bad things, it eventually led to death. Caesar was a well-known man in Rome. The people of Rome didn 't care what he did. Everyone thought he was perfect. I ii 273 He was married to a woman named Calpurnia. She lived in Rome. At the beginning of the play, Caesar just had defeated Pompey. I i 53 Some of the people in Rome knew that Caesar was getting into deep trouble. Brutus had to make a big decision towards the end. Everyone wanted Brutus to kill Caesar because he was never going to change his personality. He didn 't know what he should do, he didn 't know what is best for Rome.

First, in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, all power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. For example, in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Flavius says,“Be hung with Caesar’s trophies. I’ll about and drive away the vulgar from the streets.” (1.1.71-72). To clarify, Caesar is being celebrated because Pompey has just been defeated and Romans are celebrating but Flavius does not like Caesar's actions. Furthermore, after the death of Caesar one could concur that his final will was an act of corruption. For instance, when Antony reads Caesar’s will Antony reads, “Here is the will, and under Caesar’s seal: to every Roman citizen he gives, to every several man, seventy-five drachmas.” (3.2.243-25). Caesar leaving money to every citizen demonstrates he might want the citizens to rebel over his death. In conclusion, Caesar became corrupt because of the power he gained.

Caesar possessed too much power. They said he was becoming a threat to the Roman Republic,

Brutus, Cassius, Caesar, and the other Senators held the power to do things others could not. With this authority came their ability to use poor judgement. In William Shakespeare’s tragic play Julius Caesar the theme Power Corrupts is arrayed thoroughly. Murder, treason, and ethical/moral corruption were three prevalent themes that proved the overall topic of Power Corrupts.

Shakespeare shows how power and the prospect of power changes people through the character of Brutus. Brutus’ attitude changes as he acquires power and detects the possibility of being powerful. Originally, everything Brutus does is for the good of the people and Rome itself. He recognizes that he has “no personal cause to spurn at [Caesar]” (I.I.11); however, he considers doing it “for the general” (I.I.12). Power has not yet changed Brutus’ attitude; he still focuses on the good of Rome as a whole and not just gaining power for himself. As the play continues, Brutus’ ongoing internal struggle of whether or not he should kill Caesar ends when he decides to kill him. He wants to kill him in a very specific way so that the people hate Caesar rather

power. Caesar was killed by men who were hoping to bring back the republic. He was trick into

Throughout the play, powerful, old, and wise words lead to the plot and theme of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. A leader that wants power at no cost will hide bad intentions in beautiful words. Words must not be trusted completely, for they lead to

With great power , comes great responsibility. With great power also leads to great corruption, dishonesty, and treason. In the Shakespearean play Julius Caesar, these things come to play as the three honourable men, come to face the harsh reality of power, and we come to think, did power corrupt such great men and ultimately lead to their downfall?

Caesar was an arrogant man who seemed like he wanted to restore the monarchy and overthrow the republic. Cassius and his fellow conspirators can see this happening and want to find a way to stop him. Overthrowing the republic would be just another way Caesar is trying to prove that he is the most important man at the time. “But I am as constant as the Northern Star, of whose true-fixed and resting quality there is no fellow in the firmament “ (Julius Caesar page 944 ) Julius Caesar goes even as far as to compare himself to the Northern Star. This shows us a lot about him and even makes us wonder why the citizens loved him. He was not the best of men and would rarely listen to sincere warnings that precede his death. He was warned twice that he would be killed when and where he was killed, but Caesar chose to go anyway. Caesar must have wanted to prove that he was fearless to everyone by going there despite all warnings, that or he truly believed that nothing could harm him. Julius Caesar was so conceited that he would do things in the thought of him and not his people, but he does get what’s coming to him in the

Considering his ancestor who, “did from the streets of Rome / The Tarquin drive, when he was call’d a king / ‘Speak, strike, redress!’” (2.1.56-58), Brutus felt a predestined sense of duty to assassinate Caesar. After joining the conspiracy, Brutus decided to lead the assassination, but lurking later in the night, Brutus exclaimed, “Seek none, conspiracy. / Hide it in smiles and affability; / For if thou path, thy native semblance on, / Not Erebus itself were dim enough / To hide thee from prevention (2.1.89-93) Nevertheless, Brutus persisted in organizing Caesar’s murder. Justifying the betrayal of Caesar to the public, Brutus said, “not that I loved Caesar less, but I loved Rome more.” While Brutus made decisions to end Caesar’s life to potentially Rome, Caesar missed opportunities to save it due to his haughty decisions. First, Caesar disregarded the soothsayer’s warning to, “Beware the ides of March” (1.2.20). Later, odd omens, Calpurnia’s dream, the heartless bull, Artemidoris’s letter, and Lucius message warned Caesar. Still, Caesar blatantly ignored them entirely because he thought Mark Antony would offer the crown a fourth time and believed that only a coward would stay home in the circumstances. Thinking himself invincible and with his “wisdom is consumed in confidence” (2.2.49), Caesar announced, “Caesar shall forth. The things that threatened me / Ne’er looked but on my back” (2.2.10-11),

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.

There were several main themes of deception that were crucial to the events that occurred in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar: Marc Antony’s dirge, Decius’s persuasion to attend the senate meeting, and Cassius’s letters to Brutus. The theme of deception was a paramount tool that Shakespeare used in the movement of the plot. Had these crucial events not occurred, have written an entirely Through these acts of deception we were able to see that Ancient Rome struggled with people deceiving each other, and also that it was mainly used by power-hungry individuals to achieve their specific goal at hand. It is also important to note that deception has been around for a long time and is something that humanity has struggled with throughout the history of its existence. Deception has always been a tool used by people to satisfy one’s own desires, and unfortunately always will

Imagine being your countries hero, imagine all the people loving you and adoring you, imagine being the best at everything – now imagine Julius Caesar. It seems as though the last one doesn’t fit, does it? However, wasn’t Caesar one of the most influential people during the time of the Roman Empire AND didn’t he influence our world today? As well as in reality, in the play Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, this man has a very interesting role. Despite the fact that he is immensely influential during his life, after his assassination it seems as though Caesar is still influential – or, more specifically, his spirit is.