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Analysis of caesar character in shakespeare's play julius caesar
Character analysis of marcus brutus
Summary on julius caesar
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Contrasting Characters
In Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Brutus and Cassius are contrasting characters. They differ in the way they perceive Antony as a threat to the assassination plot, their dominance in personality, and their moral fiber. In Julius Caesar, Brutus is the more naïve, dominant and noble character, while Cassius is the more perceptive, submissive, and manipulative person.
Brutus and Cassius are very different in the way they perceive Antony. Brutus is very trusting and naïve when he judges Antony. When the subject of killing Antony comes up among the conspirators, Brutus underestimates how dangerous Antony could be and says, “For Antony is but a limb of Caesar”(2.1.178). This statement means Brutus does not think it is necessary to kill Antony and he thinks that without Caesar, Antony is worthless. Another incident where Brutus misjudges Antony is when he allows Antony to speak at Caesar’s funeral. Brutus trusts that Antony will not say anything bad about the conspirators or him: “What Antony shall speak I will protest/ He speaks by leave and by permission, / And that we are contented Caesar shall/ Have all true rites and lawful ceremonies. / It shall advantage us more than do us wrong”(3.1.263-268). Brutus actually thinks that by letting Antony speak, the conspirators and he will have a better situation for themselves because it will make their plot seem honorable. Cassius, on the other hand, is a very perceptive person; he sees how dangerous Antony can be. He notices that Antony is clever and that he might not be trustworthy. When Brutus suggests that they shouldn’t kill Antony, Cassius says if Antony outlives Caesar, “[They] shall find of [Mark Antony]/ a shrewd contriver” (2.1.170-171). When Brutus gives Antony the right to speak at Caesar’s funeral, Cassius pulls Brutus aside and says, ”You know not what you do. Do/ not consent/ That Antony speak in [Caesar’s] funeral. / Know you how much the people may be moved/ by that which [Antony] will utter”(3.1.255-259)? Cassius sees that Antony is a powerful speaker and that if Antony speaks the people will side with him. This shows that Cassius has a much better idea of how dangerous Antony is.
Although Cassius is correct on how dangerous Antony really is, Brutus’ ideas are used because Brutus is the more dominant character. In the play Cassius is the more passive character and ...
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...proves Cassius is jealous and fears that Caesar will get to become king. He initiates an assassination plot and persuades Brutus to help him. After Cassius comments on how noble Brutus is, he talks about seducing Brutus into allying with him. To show that he says, “Therefore it is meet/ That noble minds keep ever with their likes; / For who so firm that cannot be seduced”(1.2.322-324). The word seduced itself means that Cassius is planning to trick Brutus into helping him. Again, Cassius shows his mischievous nature when he says how he is going to write false letters to Brutus and throw them in his window: “In several hands in at his windows throw, / As if they came from several citizens, / Writings, all tending to the great opinion that Rome holds of his name…” (1.2.227-230). This shows that Cassius is clever but not trustworthy. These examples prove that Brutus and Cassius differ between being noble and honorable, or conniving and mischievous.
Brutus and Cassius have different ways of perceiving people, different personalities, and different values. They contradict each other in these three important ways, but together they play an important part in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.
In addition to this characteristic of Cassius, he also has a devious nature. This attribute allows him to invent informed manipulative plans to eliminate his opponents. For instance, after saying his farewells to Brutus, he gives a soliloquy that reveals his idea of throwing writings of different handwritings in Brutus’ windows “as if they came from several citizens” all of which “tending to the great opinion that Rome holds of his name, wherein obscurely Caesar’s ambition shall be glancéd at” (Shakespeare I. ii. 306-309). Since Brutus and Cassius have been friends for a long period of time, Cassius holds an abundance of knowledge pertaining to his values--in this case being his honor and desire to please Rome’s citizens. This undermining plot Cassius has devised is based on an informed opinion of the most effective way to subvert Caesar’s authority, and because of the valid observations made of Brutus by Cassius, the likelihood that this clever scheme will be carried out successfully should make Caesar concerned about the intentions of his judicial
Cassius truly believes Caesar has a frail state of mind and is unfit to have any form of authority in Rome. At first glance, his words and ideology seem to strive for the end of tyranny and become the savior of Romans, but it is clear he puts more emphasis on his rank rather than the well-being of others. When he states that their ranks were not their fault and should be taken into their own hands he intends to take his place by force with no regards for the Roman people or government. Additionally, Cassius shouldn’t be commended for saving Caesar from drowning because he remembrances on that deed to convince others that Caesar is feeble than most, yet he is treated like a god. Cassius’s greed for power motivates his murderous motivations but his ability to manipulate others to his will is also evident in his words. He refers to Caesar’s overwhelming power similar to a Colossus while he and the others “…walk under his huge legs… ” or are hidden in his glory. In reality though, the senators are more esteemed than despised. Another way Cassius misleads others is by faking Caesar’s fascist behaviors toward the commoners. He does so by forging negative letters about “Caesar’s Ambition” for Brutus to be pressured into joining his cause. Consumed by envy, he convinces Brutus to assassinate Caesar for the righteousness of the people but his incentive has
Throughout the entire play, Brutus proves to have Rome’s best interest in mind and strives to be honorable. In the beginning of the play, Brutus is talking to Cassius and he remarks, “set honor in one eye and death i' th' other, and I will look on both indifferently, for let the gods so speed me as I love the name of honor more than I fear death” (1.2.88-91). Brutus feels very strongly about having a humble mindset. Brutus is so humble that he worries more about
“Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.” (3.2.24) This quote reflects the motive of Brutus for the assassination of his friend, Caesar. I believe Brutus killed him not out of disrespect, but in a selfless act to protect Rome from the decree of Caesar yet to come. I also believe that he did this out of force from the manipulation from his “friend” Cassius. In Shakespeare's “Julius Caesar”, Brutus’ two most significant characteristics are virtue and unconscious hypocrisy. In order to fully understand these characteristics, it is necessary to analyze all other contributing characteristics, the manipulation of friendship that Cassius uses against him, and the motivations for
Pro-life advocates argue that the fetuses must be saved and that many of these abortions are done in cases that are not hopeless. Pro-life can argue that only 13% of abortions are because of rape and the incapability of not being able to carry a child because of health issues. They believe that the government should preserve all human life no matter what the circumstances may be. Pro-choice advocates believe that abortions are to save the life or health of the mother or terminate pregnancies where the fetus cannot survive birth or after birth. Many of the reasons for wanting an abortion include, that it would interfere with work, they cannot afford a child, and they are a single parent. They believe that people should have unlimited independence, including making their own decisions regarding their reproductive systems. The main conflict between these two groups is that Pro-Life believes that an undeveloped human life is sacred and the government should protect, while the pro-choice group believes that the government should not intervene with a women’s right to decide whether or not if she wants to continue on with her
Caesar and Brutus were truly noble people. Caesar was a dignified and courageous man. He gained his power through hard work and courage. However, Caesar was marked by a weakness: he wanted too much power. This weakness proved to be fatal in the play. Brutus, on the other hand, was a strong leader throughout the whole play. People listened to him easily and he showed his nobility by always being open to others. Despite his good character, he did make one fatal mistake in judgment. He killed Caesar thinking he would gain too much power, yet it was truly his friend Cassius’s jealously of Caesar that truly snared him into the conspiracy.
Cassius is a sly, deceitful and an untrustworthy character. Caesar described him best. He said (act1, scene 2, line 195), “Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look; He thinks too much. Such men are dangerous”. Cassius is very superstitious. This is shown when he says (act 5, scene 1, line 75) “ you know I held Epicurus strong, and his opinion. Now I change my mind, and partly credit things that do presage…”. He believes in omen and signs that foretell events to come. Cassius is conceded. This is shown when he says to Brutus (act1, scene 2, line 116), “ And this man is now become a god, and Cassius is now a wretched creature, and must bend his body if Caesar careless but nod on him…”. Cassius continues on saying about times when he saved Caesar from drowning and when he saw Caesar with a fever and he started to shake. All this tells us that Cassius thinks he is just as good or even better than Caesar.
In the beginning of the Book Cassius uses anecdotes of Caesar’s weakness and faults, argumentum ad antiquatum, and ethos on Brutus to persuade him to join the conspiracy to kill Caesar, this works on Brutus and shows that anyone, even people as stoic as Brutus, can be persuaded by appealing to their motivations. Cassius, a very suspicious character thru ought the play tells Brutus to “be not jealous on me” (827), in the quote he tells Brutus to not be suspicious of him because he is just a friend who genuinely cares. Cassius does this to put himself on Brutus’ side and not seem like a distant person, this allows him to criticize Caesar and suggest that he is a bad influence on Rome which appeals to Brutus’ desire to keeping Rome safe. After setting himself up as a friend to Brutus, Cassius uses harsh anecdotes on the weakness of Caesar to show that he isn’t fit to rule Rome. Cassius recollects on a time when he and Caesar went swimming in the river Tiber and Caesar screamed “Help me, Cassius or I sink” (828) to de...
Cassius was the one who approached Brutus with the idea of conspiring to kill Caesar, who would soon become the king of Rome. Cassius proposed this matter to Brutus because he knows that Brutus is one of the most noblest men in Rome and would do anything for his country even if it meant sacrificing his own life. They both knew that Caesar’s upcoming coronation posed a threat to the ideals of Roman society because he intended to bring monarchy back to the Roman government. Later on the system of monarchy will soon turn into a tyranny. That is what Brutus and Cassius are afraid will happen if Caesar becomes king.
Brutus’ ignorance creates an expectation that develops a path which leads him awry. When Brutus mentions,“ I would not Cassius; yet I love him well” (1.2.81-88 ), he portrays his internal conflict. Brutus depicts the rendering struggle between Cassius’ acquisitions and Caesar’s actions. His oblivion toward the truth and goodwill concerning the greater health of Rome prompt him astray. He acts with the innocence of a child, deceive and swindle by Cassius, Brutus is an
Although Amazon has been active trying to find the perfect strategy to make profits, the numbers in its financial statements had not shown the most optimal results. We have discuss that even though its strategies have been right according to supply chain and logistics methodologies and theory, something had been missing to represent this successful strategies into financial results. It is seen that Amazon had spent too long time finding the right strategy which the last might be the one because in the financial statements profits started to come up. Amazon still have a long way to go to mature its strategy and represents it into profits for its shareholders.
Both Cassius and Brutus conspire against Caesar, yet Shakespeare depicts Brutus as doing a noble job compared to Cassius as doing a greedy and envious task. Cassius believes that he is stronger than Caesar. Therefore, Cassius does not understand why Caesar is in power and he is not. Cassius is also envious of Caesar. In Act I Scene II, Cassius describes to Brutus the time he had to save Caesar in a swimming race. Since then, Cassius feels superior to Caesar. In Cassius’ mind, kings’ right to rule should be based off of strength, not intelligence or virtue. On the other hand, Brutus knows that although a king should be strong, he must also be virtuous. Brutus always elaborates on the topic of honor. In fact, his first priority is to keep his own honor intact and Brutus fears that Caesar will change when he is crowned. Brutus says, “He would be crowned: How that might change his nature, there’s the question.” (Act II, Scene I, Page 49, lines 12-14) He senses Caesar’s greed for power, and ...
If then that friend demands why Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer: not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more." (3.2.19-24). His concentration on honor and nobility ends up being used against him by Cassius, who instigates him to kill his best friend. Cassius knows how naive and how moral Brutus is and he uses this information into making him help kill Caesar. Being naive and over trusting causes his first mistake and helps with his downfall when he refuses to listen to Cassius, who wants Antony to be also killed because he knows that he will seek revenge for Caesar. However, Brutus code of honor won 't let him approve the killing of Antony "Our plan will seem too bloody, Caius Cassius. We cut off the head and then hack the limbs, seem to kill Caesar in anger and then vent malice on his friends, for Antony is only a branch of Caesar."(2.1.169-172), he doesn 't want to be seen by the Roman people as a killer, but someone who 's doing what 's right for the people of
Throughout this play, readers see what the motives of Cassius, Brutus, and Antony drive each of them to do, and how this affects their outcomes. Though these motives did not lead to a tragic downfall for each of these characters, motives are often taken too far. They prove to be so strong that they blind characters from making educated decisions and having a sense of rationality. The many deaths in this play all started out with one person being motivated to do something, and one things leads to another. Motivation fueled by loyalty can be just as dangerous as motivation fueled by hatred. The strength of that motivation is what can really make it dangerous, and cause lives to be lost.
Julius Caesar - A Comparison of Brutus and Cassius In the play Julius Caesar, written and performed by William Shakespeare, there are many characters, but two, Brutus and Cassius, stood out. The play begins in Rome, where a celebration of Julius Caesar's victory over the former ruler of Rome, Pompeii. The victory leads to Caesar's betrayal by his jealous companions. Senators and other high status figures are jealous of Caesar's new and growing power, while others, like Brutus, fear the tyrannical rule Caesar could enforce.