On the 15th of March 44 BC, a group from the Roman Senate led by Gaius Cassius Longinus, Decimus Junius Brutus and Marcus Junius Brutus assassinated Julius Caesar. Most people know this, or they at least know that Julius Caesar was assassinated, but no one ever really talks about why he was killed. As a general rule, politicians who end up with too much power or politicians who have ideas too radical for their time end up getting assassinated. It’s a recurring pattern throughout history. For example John F. Kennedy; Abraham Lincoln; Martin Luther King Jr; Mahatma Gandhi. When one is making huge changes, there is always going to be a person who doesn’t like them or those changes, which can motivate them to assassinate the person in power. The people trying to stop Caesar wanted to reverse his actions, but what they did ended up doing was counterproductive. They were trying to get rid of this threat on their Dignitas, so they completely annihilated it. Though Caesar was just in his separated world trying to be successful and creating his complex, his actions had huge effects on other people in the business. Some say this means that he may have just brought it upon himself through not being careful enough Caesar’s character was one full of what the Romans called Dignitas, which played a huge part in his success. Dignitas was a Roman version of prestige or charisma, serving as a direct root to the modern English word dignity. Dignitas was of massive importance to Roman men as it ruled their socio-political lives. The fact that Caesar was a very proud character would have undoubtedly been frustrating. For example, he often mentioned his family and their [supposed] heritage; “The family of my aunt Julia is descended by her mother from the kings, and on her father's side is akin to the immortal Gods; for the Marcii Reges go back to Ancus Marcius, and the Julii, the family of which ours is a branch, to Venus. Our stock therefore has at once the sanctity of kings, whose power is supreme among mortal men, and the claim to reverence which attaches to the Gods, who hold sway over kings themselves.” These are very boastful statements and the crudest and bluntest recorded. But there are others that appear to be less black
1.2.218-222) In this quote Caesar sees no fault in himself for being self righteous. He sees it more as a strength that he earned for being a powerful man. This hinders him in his goals to be a leader because it makes him completely blind to his faults. This self righteousness makes him very weak towards flattery, which many characters take advantage
Decisions. Decisions are what make the world go round. Without them, time would be frozen, never moving forward. They are the choices people make that determine our future. Some decisions are hard, some are easy. But, no matter what decisions are made, they will always end with the same result: an effect. So, it's important that people go through the decision making process to eventually come to a final choice. Everyone has to make many decisions every day that affect our lives. Julius Caesar also had to make many decisions that had substantial results. But, only one of his decisions stood
William Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar is one of his most monumental plays that cover Julius Caesar’s death and the fallout after it. He got the material for this play from a Greek writing called the Life of Julius Caesar. This was actually a famous biography written by Plutarch in the first century, I was later translated by Sir Thomas North in 1579. Published in 1599 this play is assumed to be the first to be ever preformed in the famous Globe Theater, it was a smash success that moved audiences. This play has stood the test of time being regarded as a timeless masterpiece and work of perfection. Shakespeare did this by displaying deep moving characters, vibrant and astounding settings, and intriguing points of view in Julius Caesar.
Julius Caesar was and still is considered to be one of the greatest military generals in history. His combination of leadership skills, military genius, and speaking ability propelled him to the forefront of Roman society. Born on June 12/13 100 B.C., Caesar was born into an ancient aristocratic family. Around the age of 16 after his father had died, Caesar had joined the military. It was apparent from this time onward that Caesar was especially gifted in the arts of strategy and warfare. By the age of 30 Caesar had begun making political strides in his perpetual quest for glory and prominence. During this time he would work closely with his friend and future mortal enemy, Pompey. In the next ten years, Caesar would become governor of Spain and ascend to the position of consul. His partnership with Marcus Licinius Crassus further increased Caesar’s rise to power, as Crassus himself was a powerful politician and general, who was arguably the wealthiest man in all of Rome. Along with Pompey, the three men formed what came to be known as the First Triumvirate. Although Caesar was aligned with Pompey, he never ceased to find ways outmaneuver him, qualities that would eventually precipitate Rome’s civil war. Continuing his military conquests, Caesar would become the governor of Gaul, which is now modern day Belgium and France. After ascending to this position, he’d engage in a near decade-long conquest of Gaul known as the Gallic War. Probably his most successful battle and
All this comes down the last point that will be made in this essay, Julius Caesar’s assassins believed that what they were doing was what was best for the Roman Republic and its citizens. Caesar showed all the signs of becoming a corrupt king-like ruler. With the past experiences of Rome the men that killed Caesar just wanted to help the people they swore
During the late Roman Republic, power was held in the senate and by controlling the power of the people. Julius Caesar quickly became a powerful influence through the help of the Pompey the Great and Marcus Licinius Crassus when they formed the political alliance the First Triumvirate. Yet, he quickly fell from power just a few years after his daughter’s death. Julius Caesar’s downfall has always been attributed to his pride and the betrayal of these allies. However, Julia Caesar, his only daughter, played a significant role in establishing the First Triumvirate, which led to Julius Caesar’s rise to power and eventually his downfall.
July 12, 100 BC a great Roman general by the name of Julius Caesar was born in Rome, Italy. Caesar was “born to a family of particans but his uncle Marius was a famous general” (History.com, 2009). Eventually, Caesar rose up through the ranks and became a great general. Caesar eventually went to war with Pompey and was able to drive Pompey out making Caesar believe declare himself the dictator for life. Even though under Caesar’s control daily Roman life improved, his assassination was for the best of the Roman people because he had stated himself as the dictator for life in Rome, ruining any chance of continuing democracy, he was self-centered, Rome got a new ruler and became successful
The killers assassinated Caesar without clear justification and did it based on their own assumptions of him. Cassius says, “Upon what meat doth this our Caesar feed That he is grown so great? Age, thous art shame! Rome thous hast last the breed of noble bloods!”(Act I, scii, 150-153). Cassius is asking what is so great about Caesar without saying what isn’t great about him. One of Caesar’s good friends, Brutus, claims he
Julius Caesar Originally a Trojan prince, Julius Caesar's birth, July 12 or 13, 100 B.C. By age 31, Caesar had fought in several wars and become involved in Roman Empire. After several years he finally became dictator of the The Roman Empire. He would only serve one year before his assassination, but in that short period Caesar changed the empire.
Even though one had been to expect the changes sought by the assassins would unambiguously benefit everyone, these changes were not likely. The republic was not going to rise impulsively from Caesar’s ashes. This would be expected in 44 BCE, at least by those not blinded by their class interests, romantic dreams of redemption, or personal vendetta. The death of a rather moderate autocrat mainly results in a worse situation. The outcomes here used to be 13 years of renewed civil war that devastated the Roman world, doomed the republic, and ushered in centuries of emperors. The conspirators had failed to handle essentially the most daunting quandary blockading political alternate, the quandary of transition: how does a revolution or assassination, if effective, then nurture the political constitution its instigators prize? In sum, the view that the assassination produced an optimistic stability of fine over evil is unpersuasive. Other matters being equal, assassins must not inflict gratuitous suffering on their political victims. Caesar’s loss of life was bloody and terrifying: 23 knife wounds to his torso amid massive panic and confusion. Did his murderers cut back the evil of their system of execution? The assassination of Gaius Julius Caesar was once morally unjustified. The act didn't carry about valuable penalties, and this is reliable from the vantage points of Caesarians and republicans alike.
When historians think of the ancient Rome, one name is the first to pop into the mind; Caesar. Undoubtedly one of the most consequential men to have ever lived, Julius Caesar left a lasting legacy of military and political domination. Caesar’s assassination sent shockwaves throughout Rome and its territories, leaving many to question what man could and would take the late leader’s place. Many men vied for the most powerful position in the ancient world, but only one man could win this struggle. Gaius Octavius, Caesar 's great nephew and adoptive son quickly usurped the dictators role and cemented his power through both military battles and political nuance. An astute politician, Octavian consolidated his rule by first eliminating his
There are several reasons people believe Caesar should have been assassinated, one of which is the fact that he thought too highly of himself, considering himself practically a god. Moments before his death, when the conspirators were asking him to free Publius Cimber from exile, Caesar was very adamant about the fact that no mortal man could sway him. He stated, "these couchings and these lowly courtesies/ might fire the blood of ordinary men.../ Be not fond/ to think that Caesar bears such rebel blood/ that will be be thawed from the true quality/ with that which melteth fools." (3.1.40-46) Julius Caesar is claiming that he is not like the ordinary men, able to be swayed by words- nothing can be done to change his mind. In fact, he later
The biography “Life of Caesar” lays out who Caeser is, and gives the reader a sense of his complexity as a character in life. Caesar seems to be a man of general good health who chooses to keep himself exemplarily in looks, yet he also holds a charm that often leads him to be involved with women. According Graves “his affairs with Women are commonly described as numerous and extravagant” (200). These affairs and shenanigans could quite possibly be the source of arrogance that ultimately leads to Caesar's demise. On the contrary, as much a Caesar cared about his own appearance he wasn’t concerned with the ways of his soldiers which shows a certain nobleness. Graves acknowledges “He judged his men by their fighting record, not by their morals
People of Rome, I, Cassius, stand before you today to tell you the reasons for Julius Caesar’s death. I know that he was a dear friend to some of you, but he was going to destroy Rome. Julius Caesar had to die because he was weak, too popular, and most of all, too ambitious.
Julius Caesar, one of the greatest Roman leaders, impacted the destiny of the nation he led, through his decision to constantly stay in battle. He knew Rome had the strongest and most powerful militia, so he focused on battle more than anything else. This choice not only greatly impacted Rome, but also impacted several nations around him. Genres of literature can be used as a proactive tool in educating people about choices and consequences of his battle focused reign.