The Theme of Julius Caesar Essay

Julius Caesar’s ambition for power drove the honorable Brutus to think negatively about Julius Caesar’s position of being the King of Rome. Negatively speaking, Julius Caesar’s ways of having most of the power and deciding not to listen to others except the ones that only tell him things he likes to hear, drove the power-hungary conspirators and the honorable Brutus to take his life away. The honorable Brutus shows his love for Rome by committing an act which he seems best fit for his city. Trying everything he can to put Rome in a democracy, the only solution he saw was to join the conspirators to murder Caesar and explain to the people why they committed such an act. A great friend of Julius Caesar Mark Antony, stood up for many things

Superstition is not something used to only foreshadow events, but it also has a key effect on the characters and the actions that they take. One of the most notable characters that have been affected by superstition was Brutus. Brutus was a man who was a friend of Caesar and as the play went along he joined Cassius in the scheme to murder their leader, Caesar. After Caesar’s death Brutus was drowned with subconscious guilt and was visited by Caesar’s ghost. The ghost was a manifestation of Brutus’ guilt and it told Brutus that they will meet in Philippi. Due to this superstition, Brutus believed that he was meant to die to meet Caesar’s ghost, so he committed suicide after the battle (5.5.55). This showcases the importance of superstition in changing the characters actions and affecting their lives. By creating the ghost of Caesar, Shakespeare not only shows the effect superstition has on Brutus but highlights Brutus’ beliefs and how he would commit suicide for his belief. This act by Brutus sets the tone for the play which is one of the main reasons why the play is considered a tragedy. Without Brutus, the play would not be a tragedy, because Brutus

In the times that Shakespeare lived ghosts were a readily accepted idea, but one had to be wary of them because it was difficult to decipher a good ghost from a bad one.

Once again in Julius Caesar, we see the use of dramatic form to convey opposing perspectives on the assassination of Caesar. Conflict is a key factor in William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar and in any Shakespearean drama. Conflicting perspectives are used to build dramatic tension, in Julius Caesar, this is both within the group of conspirators and between them and those who oppose them. From the beginning Shakespeare encourages us to question the republican cause. In the opening scene of act one, Flavius and Marullus, who are the administrative officers display their disdain for the common people of Rome. Flavius refers to the common Romans as ‘idle creatures’ and Marullus, outraged by the plebs when they turn their backs on Pompey, calls them ‘You blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things!’ ‘O you hard hearts, you cruel men of Rome, Knew you not Pompey?’ The use of insulting language, imperative, exclamation and rhetorical questioning make an important point regarding Caesar’s triumph over Pompey and the fickle nature of the plebians. They appear cruel and dictatorial, making it hard for the audience to

6. In the play, Shakespeare portrays the common man as almost incoherent. The people constantly seem to be easily swayed by the words of each and every important character. Also, all of the common people are followers. Not one stands up to the officials. At one moment, they are saying, “This Caesar was a tyrant,” (3.2.74) and the next they say that they must “tear him to pieces! He’s a conspirator,” (3.3.29), now angered with the retaliation against Caesar.

William Shakespeare's Hamlet is a drama which has been renound for its content and depiction of characters. Over the years, it has gone through many variations of interpretations and criticisms. One such criticism is the nature of the ghost who takes the form of Hamlet's dead father. At first glance, it may be sufficient to accept the ghost as the spirit of Hamlet's dead father who returns to the land of the living in order to have his son avenge his murder. However, looking deeper into the text, several unignorable signs become visible which lead us to see that the ghost is actually the devil in disguise. Kenneth Brannagh's 1997 production of Hamlet brilliantly portrays these signs of evil and

Sakespear's The Tragedy of Julius Caesar holds two possible candidates for a tragic hero, however Brutus fits the persona best. The true definition of a tragic hero, as found by Aristotle, is a character who falls from a high standing to a low standing. They suffer enourmous loss, but are eventually enlightened of their own flaw or flaws. Initially the play begins with Caesar returning to Rome from defeating Pompey. Meanwhile, the first seeds of conspiracy are begining to take root. Although Brutus ignores Cassius's chiding to join the conspirators his tragic flaw of being easily molded and persuaded lead him to fall prey and join. As time progresses Brutus makes many grievous errors, and his flawed logic leads him to become bereft

William Shakespeare's tragic play portraying the life in ancient Rome is one that closely follows many elements that make a drama interesting. The murders and the conspiracies behind the killings add to the plot of jealousy and patriotism. Within Julius Caesar also

Literary devices used in Act III Scene 2 of Julius Caesar show that the crowd has fallen victim to mob mentality. Shakespeare uses carefully chosen, emotive diction to show that the citizens aren’t thinking rationally, but rather based on emotion. For example, on lines 179-180 Marc Antony says, “Judge, O you gods, how dearly Caesar loved him! This was the most unkindest cut of all” (Montgomery 71). Here, he describes to the citizens how Caesar reacted as his dear friend Brutus stabbed him; Antony has convinced the Roman citizens not by reasoning with them honestly, but by taking advantage of their emotions, all to support his political goals. Another example, on lines 199-200 all the plebeians say, “Revenge! About! Seek! Burn! Fire! Kill! Slay! Let not a traitor live!” (Montgomery 72). The fact that the crowd is so emotional (in this case, angry) means that the people can’t be thinking clearly or rationally; the use of brutal and emotive action words such as “fire,” “kill,” and “slay” only emphasizes this point. In additon, what is most concerning is just how quickly the crowd switches from being against Brutus, to supporting him, to lastly

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar presents a variety of themes that deal with human nature throughout the narrative. However, the most out-standing characteristics portrayed within would very easily be that of deceit and manipulation. The prevalence of these aspects allows the reader to have a deeper insight, not only on the nature of humanity, but within each individual's perspective. Deception is a key factor in the character’s’ plans throughout this book, as Cassius states in referring to Brutus, “thou art noble, yet I see the honorable mettle may be wrought” (I.ii. 169-170). To truly understand the significance of Shakespeare’s intentions, we must analyze what deception really is.

    Does the ghost in Shakespeare’s Hamlet conform to the standards for ghosts in the days of the dramatist? This essay will answer this and other questions about the ghost in the drama.

The most important theme within the play of Julius Caesar is that he trusted too many people and didn’t see his “friends” plotting against him. This has to be the most important theme because he literally lost his life doing this. If he wouldn’t have trusted them he wouldn’t have been as easily lured to his final resting place. There was five or six people planning his murder and he never noticed any change in actions or attitudes, if someone was planning on taking your life I don’t think they can act the complete same as they usually do. Julius was so blind to them doing all of this right under his nose and continued to have a friendship with them all the way up until they took his life from him.

At least six or seven years pass after the writing of Midsummer Night’s Dream before we find Shakespeare engaged on Hamlet, the second of the great plays with an important Supernatural element, and, in the opinion of many, the greatest tragedy ever penned. What a profound change has come over his attitude towards the Unseen! No longer does he handle it in . . . [a] cheerful,

Julius Caesar was born on July 13, 100 B.C. Though he was a descendent of the oldest patrician family, Julius Caesar grew up in a very poor district of Rome called Subura. As a child, he studied martial arts, history, and law (“Julius Caesar”). At the age of seventeen, Julius married Cornelia, the daughter of Luciussulla, who was a dictator of Rome. Because Luciussulla did not approve of the marriage, he tried to force the two to divorce, but they both refused. Julius Caesar studied philosophy and oratory in Greece. Soon after returning to Rome, Cornelia became pregnant. Named after her father, the baby’s name was Julia. Cornelia died in 68 B.C., leaving Caesar to care for their daughter (Gruen,12).

On Wednesday 10th September 2014, I witnessed the Oratory Foundation’s presentation of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. The production was held at Naparima bowl at San Fernando. It began promptly at 9:30 am. This tale closely follows the rise to province and the ultimate demise of Roman icon and revolutionary politician Julius Caesar. The themes shown in this story are love, honour, betrayal, patriotism, selfishness and selflessness. This enticing tale also has its fair share of action such as murder, suicide, vengeance and conspiracy.