Mark Antony's Lust For Power

Have you ever wondered if anything has stayed the same for over half a century? Look no further; in the drama, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, an important theme is all power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. This simple statement is true for Ancient Rome and it is also true for North Korea today.

In the Tragedy of Julius Caesar, the people of Rome have opinions that are very easily swayed. However, there is one man who does this best in comparison to the rest. This man is Marc Antony. He sways the crowd in favor of his ideas through his use of the will, his speaking techniques of ethos and logos, and by speaking directly to the hearts of the people of Rome.

       In William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, although Marc Antony is allowed to make a speech at Caesar's funeral, he must not speak ill of either the conspirators or Caesar.  Antony was infuriated with Caesar's assassination, and wants to seek revenge on his killers as well as gain power for himself in Rome's government.  He must persuade the crowd that has gathered that Caesar's murder was unjust, and turn them against Brutus and Cassius.  He tries to stir his listeners' anger, rousing them into action and yet say nothing bad about his enemies.  Marc Antony uses several persuasive devices in his speech, which allows him to successfully convince the citizens of Rome to turn

Power is the ultimate goal of many throughout their life. If power is taken advantage of it

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.

Antony was devoted and preferred to be dependent upon Julius Caesar since he rather have enjoyed life than to claim the highest position in the government. He wanted the crown to be given to Caesar so that all conflicts could be avoided. However, this additional power contributed to the conspirator's motive to assassinate him. Antony was distraught with Caesar's death and sought revenge first by speaking to the crowd in his

Mark Antony believes Brutus is the noblest Roman of them all because Brutus exemplifies a loyal and well balanced character despite his apparent moral ambiguity. Throughout the play, Brutus shows his commitment to his country and friends while also making brave and controversial decisions. Because Brutus behaves thoughtfully all of his actions are well founded in his principles. Unlike other characters, Mark Antony and Cassius especially, Brutus does and says what he honestly believes is best for all Romans. As a politician, he does not act selfishly - his love for the people is so strong that he would rather be a murderer than let the country fall into tyranny. It was not necessary for all of the conspirators to stab Caesar personally, however, Brutus’s decision to do so shows that he does not want other people to take the blame for a controversial action that he wants committed. Throughout the play, Brutus’s moral superiority is consistently shown and though Mark Antony has few scenes with Brutus, he too see how Brutus is exceptionally noble in comparison to other Romans. There is no other character in the play that shows as much compassion, virtue and ethics than Brutus.

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.

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

Desire for power is a fundamental human concern that connects Niccolo Machiavelli’s 16th century speculum principum The Prince, and Shakespeare’s 1599 historical tragedy Julius Caesar, through the contextual barrier.(respond to question) Machiavelli’s Italy has become “beaten, despoiled” by constant infighting whereas Shakespeare’s Elizabethan England is fear ridden with rife possibility of aristocratic war to acquire the throne of heirless Queen Elizabeth I when her reign ends. These contexts of different time period, but filled with the same political tension, shape their criticism of Renaissance humanism’s hubristic depiction of man created “in the image of god” especially through utilisation of historical antiquity, a Renaissance technique, to explore the compromising influence of human desire for power on their moral integrity and state’s stability and glory. Therefore, the comparison of both texts (incl. their given extracts) with different contexts but similar treatment of key human and state values, reveals the impossibility of a perfect human governed state. (respond to question)

“Even the noblest men can be seduced by power; it has the power to kill, to distort, and to corrupt” Through this passage, Matthew Sims captures in essence how individuals often turn to betrayal and deception in order to gain their heart’s desires. This characteristic is not only present in life, but can also be seen in modern and classical literature, including the well known work of Julius Caesar. In Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, the lust for power transcends any one individual and ultimately leads to death and corruption of not only Caesar, but also of Brutus and Cassius. The play begins with Caesar parading through the streets of Rome as he triumphs in his victory over Pompey. However, Brutus, Cassius, and many others hatch a plot to

When ambition fuels your desire to succeed, you’re virtually unstoppable until you start believing you are above the laws of society. Ambition is one of the central themes of Julius Caesar and is the reason Brutus cites for Caesar's assassination. In their jealousy of Caesar, the Roman conspirators show their true ambitions and in Anthony’s response to Caesar’s death he shows he is the most ambitious character of them all. Ambition isn’t something that only happened in Roman times but is something that can be seen happening all around us today.

Power is a natural desire for humans. It is what structures society, makes the world turn, and to get more of it, people will do almost anything. Yet society often follows whoever is in power without a second thought. Because the Romans follow whoever is in power without considering that person’s morals and ideals, they are responsible for the anarchy that ensues after Caesar’s death.

The tragic and untimely death of Julius Caesar, a condemned Roman tyrant, triggered William Shakespeare's creativity. In his play Julius Caesar Shakespeare writes of the treacherous conspirators, Marcus Brutus and Caius Cassius, and their plans to assassinate their Roman leader, Julius Caesar. The story continues to explain how Caesar's loyal friend, Marc Antony, helps avenge the brutal murder. After Antony receives soldiers to fight his battle, his character begins to change. The  fair and faithful Marc Antony transforms to a darker and more deceitful character. Marc Antony is not suitable to rule Rome because he holds a grand desire of great power, his conceit

“The abuse of greatness is when it disjoins remorse from power” Shakespeare believed that men and their desire for power created history. People peruse power out of selfish ambitions yet others peruse out of a sense of loyal-hood. In his play, Julius Caesar Shakespeare juxtaposed Brutus’ and Caesar’s power and decisions and compared their fate.