10-17 Power; “the ability to do something or act in a particular way, especially as a faculty or quality.” Some use power for good, to help the one’s around them and to support their community, but other use power for their own selfish reasons, to bring themselves to the top by pushing the people around them down. You might believe that Julius Caesar spent his life helping Rome and his people but the truth of the matter is Julius Caesar’s life was based around gaining more and more power, everything he did was to be the most dominant of them all. Because before he became dictator he was crawling his way to the top and looking for more ways to become formidable, secondly because when Caesar was a dictator he was conquering places and people …show more content…
An example of this is, because one of the leaders at the time was a man named Marius, Caesar married the daughter of a Marius supporter, in order to obtain more authority. Historpedia quotes, “while Caesar tended to form connection with Marius supporters, particularly with his marriage to the daughter of a Marius supporter/politician.” To elaborate Historpedia claims later on in the article, “When Caesar returned to Rome, he completely dedicated himself to politics. All aspects of his life, including fortune, his choice of wife, and his character all had political implications surrounding them. For example, he married several times and always to a woman that would help boost his political standing or wealth.” Many conclude from this that he could have married for love, but this argument is misguided because, was it really a coincidence that he fell in love with a supporter of the leader he was trying to win over? Julius Caesar wanted to be seen as another powerful figure and needed to become friends with those in power in order to boost his dominance, and he did just that. Another example is, Caesar also used his money to gain power, the same quote from Historpedia again
Julius Caesar was born into a well-known family that lost most of their money but he still had a good education. Ever since Julius was little, he was combative and a good speaker who took a liking to politics. When he was 18, he married the daughter of a Popular faction member. When Sulla came into power, he commanded Caesar to separate from her or he would lose his
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.
In the famous play “Julius Caesar”, Shakespeare tells the tragic story of Roman Leader Julius Caesar. At one point in the play Julius Caesar is faced with having to make a decision that could save or end his life, one from his loving and caring wife and one from a trusted friend. In the delivery of Caesar’s wife Calphurnia and his friend Decius’s arguments there is a revelation of Caesar’s two greatest flaws: his fear and his narcissism. In the end, Caesar is deceived and finds Decius’s argument stronger than Calphurnia’s because Decius appeals to Caesars ego by regarding him as the great and powerful leader of Rome, and not just as a husband, and because he knew that Caesar’s political aspirations are more of a priority to him than being with
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.
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
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.
As the first example, Julius had issues with his pride which is what led to his death. Before this occurred he was even warned by a crystal gazer by saying “beware the ides of March.” (Act 1, Scene 2, line 23) Although Caesar was warned he could careless just because his arrogance got the best of him, therefore he brushes the comment off. He had so much pride that he ignored a red flag that could have had the potential to save his life from the conspirators that were planning to kill Caesar. They later were successful with their plan and killed Caesar as the crystal gazer warned him. His own arrogance and pride led him to have immense power, but it also is what led him to his own death.
About 10 years before in 70 BC, Crassus and Pompey were also elected possibly starting one of the greatest military plans ever. He, Pompey, and Crassus formed what was known as the First Triumvirate, a military forced so strong it made Rome one of the strongest empires. When his daughter was married off to Pompey it was strengthened even more. While Pompey was off at war Crassus began to build his power. When he returned with victory, Rome celebrated but Caesar decided to marry his daughter off to Pompey which would help keep the First Triumvirate together. Finally, he was elected consul. Not that he knew this, but this was nowhere near the end of his political career as we learn later in history.
Power as a Timeless Entity Power is defined as the ability to act in a certain manner and to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events. Every individual possesses power over another thing, regardless of how minute it might be, and while some are content with the current level of power they possess, there are those individuals, like Brutus, from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar whose entire lives revolve around the acquisition of power. Quite frankly, the thirst for power is a desire that has existed since the birth of humanity. Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar paints a picture of a divided Rome; a country in which stoic ideals give away to ego and political power is mixed. Through this narrative, we witness first-hand how a country
Being a women in Julius Caesar’s time, was not a good title to have, and was often worse than better. As Caesar stated in anger towards Calphurnia “I am ashamed i did yield to them [Calphurnia’s fears]” (2 2 69). Caesar just completely disregards his own wife’s opinion and even feels ashamed of
The Tragedy of Power Corruption Julius Caesar has many themes of power and greed, which leads to corruption in various forms. Julius Caesar wanted to be the only one in power and tried his best to manipulate and convince the people that they wanted him to rule over Rome, as a king. According to John Dalberg-Acton (1887) “power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely’’ this quote can be used as a theme for Julius Caesar but can also be applied to describe the injustices we face today, as Americans. Politicians especially use their status to take advantage of individuals who are not in their rank. Donald Trump and Julius Caesar are both eerily similar in behavior and their way of thinking.
“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
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.
Julius Caesar's Middle Life was full of wars, political plotting. Caesar's first and one of the biggest political moves was when he helped Pompey take office. In 69 or 68 B.C. Caesar was elected quaestor. Shortly after this his first wife died. He then married Pompeia, a relative of Pompey. In 65 B.C. he was elected curule aedile, gaining great popularity for his gladiator games. In 62 B.C. he was elected a praetor. By this time, Caesar was making a name for himself as a political figure. He divorced Pompeia after a scandal. Caesar was made governor of Farther Spain in 61 B.C. When Julius returned to Rome in 60 B.C. he joined forces with Crassus and Pompey. In 59 B.C. Caesar was elected consul, and the year after he was appointed governor of Roman Gaul. During Caesar's first year as a governor