Julius Caesar Free Essays

Julius Caesar If Caesar had been more astute and willing to accept his own vulnerability, he might have recognized warnings around him which foreshadowed his assassination. One of the warnings, which was very important, was Artemidorus’ letter which contained names of all conspirators. This takes place in Act III scene i lines 5-10. We will write a custom essay sample on Julius Caesar or any similar topic only for you Order Now Caesar ignored this warning by refusing to read Artemidorus’ letter, because he wanted to read it last, as he says â€Å"What touches us ourself shall be last serv’d. The second warning that he ignored was Calphurnia’s (his wife’s) dream about Caesar’s blood upon the Capitol (Act II scene ii). After he received this warning, at first he decided not to go, but then Decius came and changed his mind by interpreting the dream such a way that seems to be good. Decius said those bloods and all mean that great Rome regards you as its lifeblood. Therefore, Caesar changed his mind and decided to go to the Senate House. As you see the warnings were all around Caesar and he just had to listen to others. The last warning that I found in the play were fortune-tellers. Before Caesar goes to Senate House, he asked soothsayers and fortune-tellers about it, and they advised him not to go out on that day (Act II scene ii). This is what they said: â€Å"Opening up the innards of a sacrifice, they couldn’t find a heart inside the beast. † From these warnings, and assassination of Caesar, we conclude that Caesar was proud of himself, believing himself as eternal as the North Star. Through the play, we find out that he is unable to separate his public image from his private image, which lead to his death. Also, He ignores all warnings and threats against his life, because of his ambition and seduction by the people’s increasing idealization and idolization of his image. Brutus was one of the most complex characters in this story, and his strong idealism is both his greatest advantage and his most deadly disadvantage. While Brutus lives up to Antony’s description of him as â€Å"the noblest of Romans†, his narrow vision leads him to make certain mistakes: wanting to reduce violence, he ignores Cassius’s suggestion they should kill Antony as well as Caesar. In another moment of idealism, he again ignores Cassius’s advice and allows Antony to speak at Caesar’s funeral over Caesar’s body. As a result of this action, Antony incites people to riot against him and the other conspirators. Some other bad examples of his weakness in idealism can be seen when Brutus endangers his good relationship with Cassius. In all of these, Brutus acts out of a desire to limit the self-serving aspects of his actions. Although, when looking at it ironically, we see that in each incident, he kills the cause that he wants to promote and get to. In other parts of the play we that Brutus only agrees to kill Caesar after becoming convinced by his dear friend, Cassius, that it is necessary for the Roman Republic. This shows that Brutus is an idealist who upholds honor above everything else. As I said earlier, Brutus is a very complex character, because he is a powerful public figure, and at the same time, a husband, a good master to his servants, a dignified military leader, and a loving friend. For example, he respects his servants and therefore his servants are very good to him and respect him very much. Also, he loves his wife, Portia, very much, that in Act II scene i we find out they have a very close connection with each other. It is important to note that he is a stoic person, because he suffers pain from his wife’s death but doesn’t show it much throughout the play. Although, at the end of play, he doesn’t act much stoic, because he commits suicide once he believes defeat in the battle. This shows that he was not able to suffer to be taken to the city as a captive and slave, and someone who’s in chains. I believe that Brutus is this play’s tragic hero. He is a good and admirable character in the play, but because of his wrong decisions and mistakes, his actions go wrong and do not satisfy the cause; in other words, he does something almost opposite that bring about a downfall. In this play, Brutus overrules all the advices that Cassius, the great thinker of conspirators, makes, and it results tragic for conspirators. First, Cassius’ advice to kill Mark Antony as well as Caesar is ignored leading to Mark Antony becoming their greatest enemy. Later at Caesar’s funeral, Cassius’ advice that Mark Antony should not speak is also ignored leading to Antony turning people against them (conspirators). Finally, in Act V, Brutus ignores Cassius’ advice to stay on high ground, leading to a battle in the plains of Philippi. Therefore, because of mistakes that Brutus makes, and his faults, he is considered to be the tragic hero of the play. As we find out through the play, superstition is an important part of it and a significant factor in Roman life. Characters in play all believe in omens and portents, and how your fate is de ermined by certain stars. Although there are few characters who don’t believe in soothsayers and what they say and predict. For example, Cassius says, â€Å"the fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars. But in ourselves, that we are underlings. † This shows that he doesn’t agree with the belief that some people have that says the star or planet under which you were born determines your characteristics and fate. In other cases, we have Caesar telling Antony to touch Calphurnia when running, and asking Calphurnia to stand in Antony’s way, so that through his touch she may shake off her â€Å"sterile curse†. It was a superstition that young men ran almost naked in the streets carrying light leather thongs with which they’d touch women who present themselves along the street; and because of that touch, these women ensured their fertility and an easy labor and delivery. Another superstitious event that occurred in the play was the interruption caused by soothsayer who wanted to tell Caesar â€Å"Beware the Ides of March. † Generally â€Å"Ideas† means middle; therefore, Ides of March is 15th of March. Caesar heard him but he asked him to repeat himself. After soothsayer repeated himself, Caesar decided that he is a dreamer, and disregarded him. This shows that even Caesar didn’t agree with beliefs that people of Rome had at that time. As it can be seen, superstition plays a role in the basic daily life of most Roman citizens; and many of them told fortune as their job. Overall, Shakespeare gives us the idea that many people try to find out about future and what it holds, such as unfortunate things, by being superstitious. For instance, Shakespeare starts Act I with a setting based upon superstition, and what goes on between soothsayers. The element Irony is defined as the strange aspect of a situation that is very different from what you expect. Therefore, we see that there are many cases in which irony has been used and extent into the characterization of different characters in the play. Brutus’ irony was irony of situation; he was the person in charge of the assassination of Caesar. Although there were all the conspirators, Brutus was the one who did most of the job. Not to forget Cassius, he was the thinker of conspirators; therefore, he was the main head of group. Although Cassius’ advices would have lead to good endings, but every time Brutus changed them and overruled them; therefore, as an irony, we didn’t thought things would go differently, the way they did. Ironically, though, we can say that Brutus assassinated his friend, Caesar, to prevent one man ruling the Roman Empire. Although, this went wrong, and Octavius, one of the Triumvirs who defeated Brutus and Cassius, was later to become a Roman Emperor ruling the entire Rome alone after his victory over Mark Antony. We also find that out because he (Octavius) is the last person who finished the play (Act V). Overall, we can conclude that irony was extent into Brutus’ character very much. In Cassius’ case, his character didn’t include much irony extent into it. He was a good thinker, and he had wise advices which were not followed correctly all the time. Therefore, things that happened after his advice was overruled are not considered to be his irony. In Julius Caesar, we have different types of Irony. The one used the most is dramatic irony, meaning the audience is aware of the character’s mistakes or misunderstandings but the character is not. For example, Caesar’s ambition, and his popularity increasing, caused the conspirators to fear that he would take over. We, as the reader, can see Caesar’s flaws although he does not. This ironic characteristic that we see shows us how Caesar’s flaws lead to his death. Julius Caesar ignored the signs and kept going in his ambitious quest to gain power; therefore, he had a lot of irony extent into his characterization. Other than dramatic irony, we have another irony called verbal irony. Verbal irony is when the writer says one thing and means another. In the play, Antony’s speech in Caesar’s funeral to the people who loved Brutus presents irony. Antony repeatedly kept saying â€Å"Brutus is an honorable man†¦ â€Å", or â€Å"Brutus is a noble man†, throughout his speech. This quote shows the irony because Antony did not mean what he was saying. His purpose was to force the people into seeing what Brutus has done without actually saying â€Å"Brutus assassinated your leader, Caesar†. What Antony did was very clever, and from that we conclude that irony has extent into his characterization very much. Finally, from all this we can conclude that Shakespeare has done an excellent job! How to cite Julius Caesar, Papers Julius Caesar Free Essays Theme Analysis of Julius Caesar The subject of a talk, a piece of writing, a person’s thoughts, or an exhibition; a topic: â€Å"the theme of the sermon was reverence†. Almost everything a person reads has some sort of theme, without a theme, is the material really meaningful? When one is asked to identify the theme of a work of literature there is not one right answer, but many. In Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, power and masculinity go hand-in-hand, pride holds both positive and negative qualities, and friendship results in manipulation and violent betrayals. We will write a custom essay sample on Julius Caesar or any similar topic only for you Order Now In ancient Rome, it was a â€Å"man’s world† where men are considered weak and cowardly at any sign of fear or emotion and women are considered inferior and irrelevant simply because they were women. In act one, Cassius attempts to undermine Caesar’s authority as a leader by attacking his masculinity multiple times: â€Å"But ere we could arrive the point proposed, / Caesar cried ‘Help me, Cassius, or I sink! ‘†¦ †(Shakespeare), here Cassius tells of a time when Caesar had tried to prove his bravery and nearly drowns in the Tiber river and called out to Cassius for help. In another instance, Cassius tells of a time when Caesar was ill and had to ask for water, â€Å"Alas, it cried ‘Give me some drink, Titinius,’ / As a sick girl. Ye gods, it doth amaze me†(Shakespeare). In ancient Rome, being sick or in distress was a sign of weakness and lack of manliness. In act two, Portia attempts to persuade Brutus to share his secrets with her by telling him if he will not tell her, then she is simply his harlot, not his wife: Within the bond of marriage, tell me, Brutus, Is it excepted I should know no secrets That appertain to you? Am I yourself But, as it were, in sort or limitation, To keep with you at meals, comfort your bed, And talk to you sometimes? Dwell I but in the suburbs Of your good pleasure? If it be no more, Portia is Brutus’ harlot, not his wife. (Shmoop Editorial Team) After a failing attempt to convince Marcus Brutus to confide in her, she decides to prove her strength by giving herself a voluntary wound in her thigh, â€Å"I have made strong proof of my constancy, / Giving myself a voluntary wound / Here, in the thigh: can I bear that with patience†(Shmoop Editorial Team). Caesar completely disregards his Calpurnia’s, his wife, ominous dream so he will not be seen as a coward to the other men, â€Å"Calphurnia here, my wife, stays me at home: / She dreamt to-night she saw my statue, / Which, like a fountain with an hundred spouts, / Did run pure blood:†¦. †(Crowther). Calpurnia begs Caesar to stay home because ancient Rome was very superstitious and she had dreamt of his death. At first, Caesar agrees because, in reality, he too is superstitious and fearful, until Decius persuades him. â€Å" How foolish do your fears seem now, Calphurnia! / I am ashamed I did yield to them. Give me my robe, for I will goâ€Å" (Crowther), Decius changes the interpretation of Calpurnia’s dream by telling Caesar that Calpurnia is unable to properly interpret her dream and everyone would question his manhood and power if he listened to his wife. Although masculinity was a problem for both men and women in ancient Rome, pride seems to be more t roublesome for the men versus the women. Julius Caesar’s lack of humility and extreme arrogance throughout his time in the play is blinding him, but Marcus Brutus’ humbleness leads him to seem wiser and more likeable compared to Caesar. Caesar’s prideful arrogance shields him from seeing the harm the conspirators accuse him of and the harm that is being planned against him: â€Å"Caesar shall forth: the things that threaten’d me / Ne’er look’d but on my back; when they shall see / The face of Caesar, they are vanished† (Crowther). The women, Portia and Clapurnia, are less affected by arrogance because for one, they lack the ability to hold arrogance. Calpurnia is open and honest about her fears of her dream and of her desires for Caesar to stay home: â€Å"Alas, my lord, Your wisdom is consumed in confidence. Do not go forth to-day: call it my fear That keeps you in the house, and not your own. We’ll send Mark Antony to the senate-house: And he shall say you are not well to-day: Let me, upon my knee, prevail in this. † (Shmoop Editorial Team) Portia is accepting of the fact that Brutus is untrusting of her because she is a woman even though her father is a great man, as is her husband (Brutus), â€Å"I grant I am a woman; but withal / A woman well-reputed, Cato’s daughter. / Think you I am no stronger than my sex, / Being so father’d and so husbanded? (Shmoop Editorial Team). Brutus’ humility is ultimately the downfall of him as he lacks the strength and conviction to justify the murder of Caesar, his friend. â€Å"O Cassius, I am sick of many griefs† (Shakespeare), here Brutus tells Cassius he is feeling guilty about his actions and decides to bear his grief nobly. He also decides to not get upset or worried about things like the death of his wif e or murdering his best friend. If he had decided that he had the right to judge Caesar, and judged him correctly, then he may not have decided to be a art of the conspiracy and the murder of Julius Caesar might not have happened. Pride played major parts in the play for both Julius Caesar and Marcus Brutus, as does friendship. The men, particularly Caesar and Brutus, in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar must decide between their friendships and their loyalty to the Roman Republic. Brutus is the first to fall victim to the manipulation and violent betrayal when he joins the conspiracy act once it appears that he, Caesar, is headed for absolute power. Cassius, Be not deceived: if I have veil’d my look, I turn the trouble of my countenance Merely upon myself. Vexed I am Of late with passions of some difference, Conceptions only proper to myself, Which give some soil perhaps to my behaviors; But let not therefore my good friends be grieved— Among which number, Cassius, be you one— Nor construe any further my neglect, Than that poor Brutus, with himself at war, Forgets the shows of love to other men. (Shmoop Editorial Team) here, Brutus goes out of his way to apologize to Cassius once he, Cassius, sks Brutus why he’s been â€Å"distant†, later in act one, Cassius manipulates Brutus’ friendship by extreme flattery, â€Å"And be not jealous on me, gentle Brutus: / Were I a common laugher, or did use / To stale with ordinary oaths my love / To every new protester; if you know / That I do fawn on men and hug them hard† (Shakespeare). Brutus then, in act three, states that his choice came down to hi s love for Rome, versus his love for his friend â€Å"–Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved / Rome more†(Shakespeare). In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, it is nearly impossible for the men to separate their true friends from their enemies. Caesar was unable to identify his true friend, Antony, who would grieve and attempt to avenge his, Caesar’s, death by killing Cassius and Brutus. In act three scene one, once Antony is notified of Caesar’s death, he tells the conspirators that if they believe he too, is corrupt, than to kill him then because he would be happiest to die next to Caesar, â€Å"No place will please me so, no mean of death, / As here by Caesar, and by you cut off, / The choice and master spirits of this age† (Shmoop Editorial Team). During Mark Antony’s speech at Caesar’s funeral, he indirectly declares vengeance against Brutus and Cassius. In this play, manipulation and friendship go together in the ways that they lead to each other. Cassius is not truly Brutus’ friend, he only used and manipulated him, Brutus, because without Brutus, the conspiracy may not have been successful; Tis just, 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, Except immortal Caesar, speaking of Brutus And groaning underneath this age’s yoke, Have wish’d that noble Brutus had his eyes. (Crowther) The conspiracy cannot be complete without Brutus as shown in the following quote â€Å"That Rome holds of his name, wherein obscurely / Caesar’s ambition shall be glanced at. / And after this let Caesar seat him sure; / For we will shake him, or worse days endureâ€Å"(Crowther), Cassius is placing fake letters from fake citizens about their desires for Brutus to rule, in hopes that this will contribute to Brutus joining the conspiracy. Also, once it is clear that Mark Antony is going to win the war, Cassius seems to attempt to leave Brutus and the war and flee, showing again, that Cassius isn’t true to Brutus or their so called â€Å"friendship†. Antony is able to use manipulation to change the citizens from being on Brutus’ side, to rioting in a matter of minutes, â€Å"Never, never. Come, away, away! / We’ll burn his body in the holy place / And with the brands fire the traitors’ houses. / Take up the body†(Shmoop Editorial Team). Masculinity, pride, and friendship are all themes affecting Shakespeare’s characters in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. The men of Rome faced many problems with the ideals of their time and some of which eventually led to the downfall of some men (and Portia) in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. How to cite Julius Caesar, Essay examples Julius Caesar Free Essays Then fall, Caesar! † These last words of Caesar show the heartbreak and betrayal that he felt inside. The relationship between Brutes and Caesar is bitterly ironic in such a way that the audience can feel the characters emotions. However, it Is somewhat difficult to choose whether you can Justify the actions of the conspirators, or if you fall into the sorrow and anger that is inside those who loved and supported Caesar. We will write a custom essay sample on Julius Caesar or any similar topic only for you Order Now Going back to Career’s last words, â€Å"Et TU Brute? Then fall, Caesar! † you can start to put an image In your head. Imagine that you were randomly Ewing stabbed by the people you thought liked you so much that they actually wanted to king you. Not only were you stabbed once, but a painful 33 times. And to really put the cherry on top, the last person to stab you was supposedly one of your closest friends. Torturous much? It doesn’t stop yet. You dedicate your last words of the feelings of defeat and utter betrayal to your close friend. It almost seems as If Caesar was reaching out to the morality of Brutes, Caesar desperately wanted Brutes to know that he was important to him, and that there is almost nothing else that loud have pained him so much than to be stabbed lastly by someone that he thought was so close. Once again, bringing it back to Caesar last words, â€Å"Et TU. Brute? † is just the English what the translator decided to write. Different translations say something like, muff too, young man? Or â€Å"You too, my son? † A popular belief is that Brutes is actually Caesar illegitimate son, as some say there is historical proof that Brutes’ mother and Caesar once intimately loved each other. For this to happen Caesar would have to be only 15 when Brutes was born, so it is found unlikely by any. Whether or not Brutes and Caesar were kin by blood, it is still known that they had an in depth relationship with each other. After Career’s death, there are oodles of complications. After Antonym had given his speech, the crowd rioted and burned down the houses of the conspirators. Antonym, Octavia, and Lipid’s had taken charge of Rome. Both Antonym and Octavia agreed to have Lipid’s to be the third person in power because of his willingness to agree with what he’s told. Such an act reveals the characters of Antonym and Octavia as loaches and avaricious. Before a war has started, Brutes encounters the ghost of Caesar. Some believe that the ghost was lust a dream, but if this were so, then it shows how Brutes really feels towards Caesar. Caesar was once his close friend, and even though he believed he was participating in the assassination for a cause, he seems to question his motives when he feels convicted by the ghost. War has begun between Antonym and Octavia against Brutes and Cassias. The armless set out, and Antonym army beats Cassias’ army, but Brutes’ army beats Activation’s army. Cassias then sends out Taluses, of his friends, to Investigate. Cassias thought that Taluses was captured, and out of his own guilt and cowardliness to see what was going on for himself, his friend would pay the price. Cassias committed suicide, even though Taluses wasn’t actually captured. Once again, the armies fight. Brutes loses the war this time, and before he is captured and paraded around the streets of his enemy in shame, he decides to commit an honorary suicide by running onto a sword while having one of his soldiers holds it. Ablest Roman of them all: [All the conspirators, save only he, [Did that they did in new of great Caesar; [He only, in a general-honest thought [And common good to all, made one of them. His life was gentle; and the elements [So mixed in him that Nature might stand up [And say to all the world, â€Å"This was a man! † Even Antonym, the enemy of Brutes, calls him noble, in which he realizes that Brutes was not in the same reasoning as Cassias. Brutes actually cared about Rome, and even though his viewpoints did not match up with Antonym’s, he still was genuine. Throughout the text it is plain to see that Brutes is open minded, but he makes mistake s. Brutes is human, and relatable. Through his moral, the reader can forgive Brutes’ bluntness. In my opinion, Brutes is the one that most people tend to favor because of his realistic and thoughtful character. Viewing the conspirators and how they Justified their decision in killing Caesar is somewhat of a confusing manner. Brutes feels like he’s in the right place, he says he loves Caesar well, so this kind of shows Brutes sacrificing is friend for the good of Rome. Cassias, on the other hand, went on with the murder for purely out of the negativity he feels towards Caesar, rather than doing it for the benefit of Rome. So when choosing a side between the people for and against Caesar, you cannot exactly pick the conspirators as a whole. Instead, one could break it down into three main sides: The people in favor of Caesar, such as Antonym and Octavo’s, the positive conspirators, such as Brutes, and lastly the negative conspirators, such as Cassias. How to cite Julius Caesar, Papers