In Julius Caesar, Cassius represents the epicurean philosophy as he delights on pleasure—or rather the pleasure of position and power. Cassius believes that the nobility of Rome is responsible for the government of Rome. As Cassius resents the fact that the Roman Republic has come to revere Caesar almost as a god, Cassius acts out of envy to stop Caesar’s growing power among the common man. Since the Roman Republic have allowed a man to gain excessive power; Cassius believes that the nobility have the responsibility to stop him from obtaining dictatorship. With Caesar's ambition, Cassius leads the conspiracy plot to assassinate Caesar. Though Cassius states that the assassination plot of Caesar is for the good of Rome, he mostly acts out of …show more content…
Cassius’s sentiments with Caesar’s growing power is expressed as he states “And this man is now become a god, and Cassius is a wretched creature and must bend his body, if Caesar carelessly but nod on him” (Act I, Scene II, page 13). However, Cassius tells Brutus that they can put a stop to Caesar’s growing power as he states, “Men at some time are masters of their fates: The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings” (Act I, Scene II, page 14). Cassius resents the fact that Caesar has gained so much power and that he must bend to his authority. Cassius reminds Brutus that fate does not govern the affairs of people or even a nation; people have to make decisions. Thus, they become masters of their own destiny. Brutus is essentially tellings Brutus that it would be their own fault if they allowed Caesar to rule over them as slaves. As Cassius conveys his sentiments of Caesar, he persuades Brutus to join the conspirators against …show more content…
In a dialogue, Caesar tells Marc Antony why he is distrustful of Cassius as he states, “Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look. He thinks too much. Such men are dangerous. Such men as he be never at heart’s ease Whiles they behold a greater than themselves, and therefore are they very dangerous” (Act I, Scene II, pages 16-17). With bitter criticism, Cassius tells Brutus that Caesar is just as weak as them as he describes an incident in which he had to save Caesar’s life when they went swimming. He recalls other incidents as proof of Caesar’s frailty, such as the fact that he has epileptic attack, and behaves, in his condition, like a girl and a coward (Act I, Scene II, pages 12-13). Cassius expressed his outrage to Brutus that a man as feeble as Caesar is glorified and is given the power alone to lead Rome. As Cassius points out to Brutus that Caesar is merely a mortal like them, with ordinary human weaknesses and flaws; he questions why should they have to bow down to a man like him. Caesar perceptively characterizes Cassius as he is aware of the threat Cassius poses—a shrewd man like Cassius would be able to carry out a plan to an assassination plot against
Cassius, a very suspicious character throughout 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 keep 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 a time when he and Caesar went swimming in the river Tiber and Caesar screamed “Help me, Cassius or I sink” (828) to depict Caesar as a little baby compared to the colossus he is said to be.... ... middle of paper ...
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
The idea of ignorance, and the belief of a false faith, turns this noble man into a vulgar grave, with virtuous notions. Brutus’ ignorance creates an expectation that develops a path that leads him awry. When Brutus mentions, “I would not love Cassius; yet I love him well” (1.2.81-88 ), he portrays his internal conflict. Brutus depicts the struggle between Cassius’ acquisitions and Caesar’s actions.
Initially, Brutus was wary of Cassius when Brutus said, “Into what dangers would you lead me, Cassius?” (1.2.69). Subsequently, Brutus is persuaded as he states, “.what you have said / I will consider” (1.2.176-177). Cassius is willing to control any person who stands in his way. Cassius successfully turned Brutus against his best friend in order to achieve what Cassius believes to be best for Rome.
Cassius is the leader of the conspirators. He is jealous of the power that Caesar holds and wants for himself. Caesar says that Cassius"...Cassius has a lean and hungry look. He thinks to much. Such men are dangerous.", meaning that he looks sneaky and is not to be trusted. The whole idea to kill Caesar begins with Cassius, he convinces the other Senators to do as he wishes. Cassius commits suicide because he is afraid of what will happen to him if Mark Antony and Octavius find him. Another reason for his suicide is because he believes that his men have lost the battle and he does not want to face the consequences.
This was said by Brutus after Cassius told him how Caesar had become a towering figure over Rome and how Caesar controls Rome. Notice the good in Brutus, and the extremes he will go to in order to protect democracy in Rome even if it means killing the one he loves, Caesar. Brutus possesses one of the most tragic flaws. He is too nice of a person and therefore he gets taken advantage of. He lets Cassius persuade him into killing Caesar for the good of Rome.
Brutus has a naive view of the world. He is unable to see through the roles being played by Cassius, Casca, and Antony. He does not even recognize the fake letters were sent from Cassius. Then Brutus says,“You shall not blame us Antony, in your funeral speech, but speak all the good you can of Caesar.
... middle of paper ... ... Cassius commits the murder because of his jealousy of Caesar's elevated power and mounting dominance over everyone, even his friends.
He is so motivated by ambition that he decides to kill Caesar, the leader of Rome. Although dedication can be a good quality, in Cassius, it blinds him to all other things and makes him ruthless in his quest to rule Rome. Cassius’s desire for power is evident when he states, "Men at some time are masters of their fates. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings" (1.2.146-148). Cassius’ ambition leads him to go as far as to convince a dear friend with manipulation and false notes to help him plot to kill Caesar. His ambition makes him power hungry and he lacks the honor to back up his overzealous behavior. Cassius envies Caesar and because of this he resorts to bribery, assassinations, and imposing taxes for personal
Jealousy in Julius Caesar & nbsp; Jealousy causes many of the characters in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar to commit dangerous and foolish acts. Cassius' jealousy drives him to kill. Caesar. All the conspirators, except the noble Brutus, kill Caesar because they feel threatened by his power. Brutus is the only conspirator who murders Caesar. for more honorable reasons. Jealousy is a very important theme in this play. & nbsp; Cassius feels very threatened by Caesar's power. He remembers when he was an equal to Caesar, and doesn't think that Caesar deserves this much power. He comments to Brutus, "I was born free as Caesar; so were you." fed as well, and we can both endure the cold winter as well as he" (Act I, p. 1).
Cassius does not like Caesar. I think Cassius is jealous of Caesar, and wishes he had the power. In scene II we see that Caesar is suspicious of Cassius, but he did not do much about it. We also get hints from Cassius about not liking Caesar and wanting to do something about it.
Honor and power is what drives the conspirators to assassinate Julius Caesar in William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar. Caesar is now the single leader of Rome, and members of the Senate have concerns that he will abuse his sole power. Therefore, they plot and accomplish the assassination of Caesar in an attempt to rebuild the balance of Rome. Rome falls into chaos with an unknown future with no central leader for the people to follow. In Act I, Scene 2, Cassius, a member of the Senate, explains to his friend, Brutus, that Caesar is not the god he makes himself out to be. Instead, he argues both he and Brutus are equal to Caesar and are just as deserving of the throne. Cassius’ speech to Brutus diminishes Caesar’s godly demeanor through
He was thinking about how vastly crowning Caesar as king would change Rome. The republic would be destroyed and he knew that it was the right thing to take Caesars power away before anything bad happened. While he was manipulated into joining Cassius and the other conspirators, he was reminded of his ancestor and how he kicked out tyrants in the past. Cassius used this reference to trick Brutus into thinking that he had to be part of the assassination and rid Rome of tyrants. He remained loyal to Rome, even if it meant leaving his friends side and opposing against him.
"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings. "(1.2.144-145) 501 words Response: Cassius and Brutus are amid a conversation over their troubles, as they're concerned Julius will obtain absolute power. Brutus assumed the role of a Jurist as well as a part time philosopher and politician. Cassius was a fellow politician to Caesar and Brutus.
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 ...