Politics And Power Motifs In Julius Caesar

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.

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.

Abraham Lincoln once stated, "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." The quote from the sixteenth president of the United States could be understood as power will display someone's true character by seeing what that person will do with that power that they have been given. People will follow orders blindly just to feel powerful or superior to others, and they will do unthinkable things to people just to have

Power is the most important thing a person can have. Power, and even the want for power, motivates people to do things they might not have done otherwise. We can see examples of this in both “Lord of the Flies” and “Julius Caesar” with the characters Cassius and Jack. These characters are similar because they both want to get power. Another thing they also have in common is after they get power they do bad things with the power they have.

FIRST PARAGRAPH: There are two examples in Julius Caesar where power changes the characters into greedy men. The first example is Julius Caesar. At the beginning of the play, he has already attained most of the power he could possibley have. He needs

Caesar’s relationships between prominent Romans and the Senate were a result of the tension between the populares and the optimates: while individuals such as Caesar sought mutually beneficial political alliances to fulfil their own ambitions, the optimates resisted the undermining of the established Republican system of government. Caesar’s political alliances were a method of gain for all involved individuals, however to usurp absolute power, these relationships were necessarily temporary and unstable in nature. Following the dictatorship of Sulla (82 BC), the Senate were especially wary of the accumulation of power by an individual, causing Caesar’s relationship with the Senate to become increasingly tense as his political and military

Manipulation, the ability to alter one’s position, is almost seen as a professional sport in the play Julius Caesar. The play constantly conveys the emphasis on manipulation to the readers, and displays persuasion as the main rhetorical device. Many characters, such as Brutus, Caesar, and even the people of Rome, are influenced heavily by sources such as their close friends, or even skilled politicians. Throughout Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar, the theme of manipulation is revealed through several instances, leading to detrimental occurrences in the story’s plot and clashes among the characters.

Cassius manipulating Brutus is the start of tragedy for Brutus due to Cassius being the catalyst of Brutus’ death. Cassius shows this by influencing Brutus to join him and the other conspirators in killing Caesar. “And it is very much lamented, Brutus,/That you have no such mirrors as will turn/Your hidden worthiness into your eye,/That you might see your shadow. I have heard/Where many of the best respect in Rome” (Shakespeare, Julius Caesar I.ii.54-60). Cassius attempts to manipulate Brutus into killing Caesar with him by saying the people of Rome need him to. Cassius is fueling Brutus’ ego. Brutus takes the bait because of his aspiration to be the hero of Rome and his love for his country. Brutus does not realize he is being manipulated, which is what makes Cassius succeed at controlling him. Brutus does not realize he is being manipulated because he is oblivious to the outside world. He can only see and hear what Cassiuse is telling him about. This is what inevitably causes Brutus’ demise. Brutus’ death was impacted by his inability to see that Cassius was manipulated him. He is too blindsided by Cassius telling him he’ll be a hero to pay attention to the hidden meaning of his words. Cassius’ hunger for power leads him

William Shakespeare was born in 1564, only a little while after the start of Queen Elizabeth I’s reign. As such he lived in a time of civil unrest later in his life because of the ruler being a woman, being childless and not naming an heir to the throne. Therefore Shakespeare used his tragedy Julius Caesar and the Roman politics in the play in order to reflect those of his day. Namely that even the government needs the support of its people, that advice given to political leaders should be taken into consideration, the consequences of rebellion, and the need for an heir.

This is one of the most definitive answers that Brutus has given in this play so far. He is an indecisive person who can’t seem to make a decision. He can also be characterized as insecure within this dialogue as well. Cassius is trying to convince him, even though it is in a very manipulative manner, that Brutus is more worthy of being in Caesar’s position than Caesar himself. Although, Brutus does not believe this. He thinks of himself as no more than just a commoner in Rome, no matter his political position. Overall, Brutus can be thought of as an indecisive, insecure, person who is having trouble with being caught in the middle of this feud, but as the play progresses he begins to show what he really thinks, therefore letting his true colors

Two of the most powerful and persuasive things Antony did was showing the corpse of Julius Caesar and putting himself at the level of the plebeians. Antony persuaded the plebeians further, by putting himself at their level. He even asked for permission to come to their level, “Shall I descend? And will you give me leave?” (Julius, 3.2.158). The one-act that truly made the crowd gasp was when Antony uncovered Caesar's corpse and explained, “You all do know this mantle. I remember...Through this the well-belovèd Brutus stabbed./And as he plucked/his cursèd steel away,/Mark how the blood of Caesar followed it,/As rushing out of doors, to be resolved/If Brutus so unkindly knocked, or no./For Brutus, as you know, was Caesar's angel” (Julius 3.2.165-176).

As society lacks critical thinking, people let those in power manipulate them to get a taste of power. When Caesar returns from the battle with Pompey, the people of Rome are rejoicing in the streets. Yet Marullus accuses that “[the men of Rome] have hard hearts” and “[do not remember] Pompey” (I.i.32-37). The people of Rome abandon Pompey’s side as soon as Caesar wins. If they join Caesar, Caesar will like them more and their fellow citizens will continue to respect them. If they align with Pompey, the masses will attack them because Pompey’s army no longer has all it’s honor and power. Similarly, when Cassius is asking Brutus about his thoughts on Caesar, he philosophizes that “men at some time are masters of their own fates: the fault, [Brutus], is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings” (I.ii.139-141). Cassius’ statement explains that the less power someone has, the less control of their fate they have. Because Brutus has a huge amount of power as Caesar’s friend and as a senator, the people of Rome honor and respect him. Brutus aligns himself with Caesar and Cassius

did not exist at the start of the empire, Romans felt that one man was

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