In William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, betrayal is used to work towards a certain goal. When Caesar takes complete control of Rome, Brutus and the conspirators plan to kick out of his throne. However, this results in war as Caesar’s best friend Antony goes against them. Betrayal is a theme as shown through the commoners betraying Pompey, the conspirators killing Caesar, and Antony breaking Brutus’ trust. The first occurrence in the play that shows betrayal is the plebeians betraying Pompey. For example, as the Romans celebrate Caesar’s return, the cobbler says, “But indeed, sir, we make holiday to see / Caesar and to rejoice in his triumph” (1.1.30-31). Here, one can see the plebeians jumped in the bandwagon of whoever is ruling. They didn’t care if Pompey died, but instead cheerful to see Caesar be in power. In addition, when yelling at the commoners, Marullus argues, “And do you now strew flowers in his way / That comes in triumph over Pompey’s blood?” (1.1.50-51). In other words, Marullus doesn’t understand how the commoners suddenly endorse Caesar. He feels they’re celebrating over his body rather than mourning over his death. The people only take notice of Caesar’s victory, not Pompey’s defeat. …show more content…
Another example discussing betrayal is when Brutus and the conspirators killed Caesar.
For instance, when the conspirators beg Caesar to free Publius Cimber from exile, Caesar acknowledges, “But I am constant as the Northern Star, / Of whose true-fixed and resting quality / There is no fellow in the firmament” (3.1.60-62). This prove Caesar doesn’t change his mind. The conspirators want a leader willing to listen to the nobility, not just the people. Next, after the conspirators stab Caesar to death, he says, “Et tu, Bruté? Then fall Caesar” (3.1.77). This relates to how much Caesar relied on Brutus. Seeing Brutus be part of the conspiracy makes him feel betrayed. Because Caesar is narrow-minded and “ambitious”, it eventually led to his
death. The final instance explaining betrayal is when Antony breaks Brutus’ trust. Once occurrence of this is after Antony promises the conspirators to only speak good of Caesar during his speech, Antony says, “O pardon thou bleeding piece of earth, / That I am meek and gentle with these butchers!” (3.1.254-255). Upon reading this, once can see Antony, though loyal to Caesar, was too “friendly” to the conspirators. This was part of his plan to eliminate them from Rome. Another example is as Antony finishes his speech criticizing Brutus’ arguments against Caesar’s ambitions, he explains, “O masters! If I were disposed to stir / Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage / I should do Brutus wrong and Cassius wrong / Who, you all know, are honorable men” (3.2.121-124). Consequently, Antony tells the people to not go against Brutus and Cassius. It’s ironic because he does expect them to go against the “murderers”. Even though Antony agrees with Brutus’ request, he tells the commoners to go against him. Shakespeare tells how not everyone can be trusted. They may seem innocent and dependable, but what secretly lies behind their personalities is treachery. No matter how they treat you, whether good or bad, don’t expect everyone to be “perfect” in a way erotic stories describe guys. Know the person before befriending them. It could be too late.
The book Julius Caesar is full of happiness, conspiracy, power, and betrayal. The people of Rome deeply loved julius Caesar and wished to make him their king. A group of senators however were not so fond of this idea and formed a conspiracy. The leader of this group was a man by the name of Cassius. In order to make sure that his scheme of killing Caesar would work and would look honorable he had to convince a senator by the name of Brutus to help. After being convinced that they had to kill Caesar to protect Rome from a tyrant Brutus joined the conspiracy and soon became the principal conspirator.On the day in which Caesar was to be crowned king he was on the way to the senate when he was stabbed by all the conspirators panic ensued and to convince Rome of their honorable intentions Brutus gave a funeral speech. Mark Antony, a very close friend of Caesar, gave his speech after Brutus had given his. Mark Antony’s speech is more persuasive to the Roman people because of his outstanding use of pathos, sarcasm, and logos.
What makes a person dishonorable? Dishonorable is defined as bringing shame or disgrace on someone or something. In Julius Caesar Brutus does not stand with his morals when he is asked to help take part in the murder of Caesar. Secondly, Brutus agrees to murder one of his closest friends. Finally, Brutus murders Caesar then goes to kill himself as well so that he does not have to suffer the outcome which makes him even more dishonorable. In William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar Marcus Brutus is not an honorable man because he betrayed his country and his dearest friend.
When Brutus says, “Let me not hinder, Cassius, your desires” (1.2.35) it is clear that Cassius has swayed Brutus to believe in his cause.... ... middle of paper ... ... Caesar passed up power, was generous, and was naive, which led to him to be killed by his best friend, Brutus, thus making Caesar an ineffective leader. In Julius Caesar, Machiavellian traits are manifested through multiple characters. Those characters who obeyed Machiavelli’s guidance were successful in achieving their goals; those who did not conform to the recommendations failed.
In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, one must read the text closely to track the shifting motivations and loyalties of each character as the play progresses. An important factor that must be kept in mind while reading is the degree of loyalty, in other words, the degree to which characters act out of a motivation to help others. Throughout the play, each character's current degree of loyalty to others is clearly exhibited by words or behavior – this holds true for the characters of Brutus, Cassius, Antony, Portia, and Calpurnia. The focus on loyalty is critical because before the play ends an even-handed justice is meted out to a number of people who fail to live up to an expected standard of loyalty to others.
Specifically, Brutus has too much pride in himself to realize that he might have a wrong political standpoint, and that killing Caesar might not have been the best option. “Stoop, Romans, stoop, and let us bathe our hands in Caesar's blood up to the elbows, and besmear our swords. Then walk we forth, even to the marketplace, and, waving our red weapons o'er our heads, let's all cry "Peace, freedom, and liberty” (3.1.117)! Brutus shows pride in his actions and thinks it will only bring out great in the world. However, Caesar is going to take the crown when he is slain by Brutus and the conspirators. Turmoil is inevitable which causes a war to break out and many people to
The Senate of the Roman Republic are the ruling power over most of the known world. Yet this powerful and influential senate is easily threatened by one man; Julius Caesar. To the senators Caesar is the catalyst for the downfall of a Republic they had worked so hard to create and protect. The playwright William Shakespeare dives into this world of betrayal and ambition with his play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. Using his voice as a writer he takes the audience into Rome and lets them experience each riveting moment of Caesar’s fall. The play shows that Caesar is not the cause of Rome’s eventual downfall, but the senators who conspire against him and ultimately kill him are the ones reprehensible. Shakespeare introduces the characters of Brutus and Cassius: two men, both of high standing, that spearhead the conspiracy against Caesar’s life. The actions of their scheme are met with chaotic consequences, consequences so dangerous that both Brutus and Cassius flee to Asia Minor. After the Battle of Phillippi, once Octavius and Marc Antony seem to have one, the two men take their lives. This final action sends them back to a world with Caesar, a world they tried so hard to escape. At the end of both Caesar and Brutus’ lives become enlightened to a truth they had so eagerly avoided. For Caesar that truth is his over confidence in his ideals and his ignorance to the warning signs so often shown to him. Caesar’s downfall and untimely understanding makes him a tragic hero.
The infamous line from William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, ”Et tu, Brute?” is seen to be the anthem of betrayal since it’s first appearance in 1599. Every way you look at it, Brutus killed Caesar, period. From an outsider’s perspective, this is seen as betrayal. But this quote from the play proves more so that Brutus wasn’t a traitor. Although the line is said with the sorrow of one being betrayer, it proves as well the love Brutus and Caesar shared. As he died, Caesar didn’t sa...
A person with dishonor can cause a honorable person pain. In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, he had a way of making his work memorable. The contrast between the tragic hero Brutus and the independent Caesar led to the theme of dishonor.
Brutus’ leadership and compassion for others make him a popular figure amongst the Roman people, and it is his reputation that establishes him as an influential individual. For example, despite the fact that Brutus loves Caesar like a brother, he warily joins the conspiracy to assassinate him. He does this because he believes that Caesar’s ambition would become tyranny and that Caesar’s death is a necessary evil in order to preserve the liberties of the Roman people. In his own words Brutus claims, “It must be by his death; and for my part, I know no personal cause to spurn at him, but for the general.”(Act 2, Scene 1, Page 1116). In addition, Brutus takes the reins of authority from Cassius and becomes the leader of the conspiracy. He gains this prerogative because of his convincing tongue and powerful influence. His leadership is evidenced when he begins to challenge Cassius’ ideas. When Cassius asks the conspirators to “swear our resolution”(Act 2...
First of all, Marcus Brutus has the character flaw of poor judge of character. He cannot discern a person’s character or true motivation. He, however, acts on his judgments, regardless of whether they are true or not. Brutus feels that Caesar is too ambitious for power, and that he, along with the other eight men plotting the demise of Caesar, must prevent it, “And therefore think him as a serpent’s egg— / Which, hatched, would as his kind grow mischievous— / And kill him in the shell” (911). Brutus decides that Caesar must die because he ambitious. Ambition is not necessarily an evil and virulent thing. Ambition causes men and women to strive towards reaching an attainment. Brutus assumes that Caesar will turn his back on his supporters due to this ambition. One of the most famous lines in Julius Caesar is the dying words of Caesar: “Et tu, Bruté?—Then fall, Caesar” (938). If Caesar had truly turned h...
In William Shakespeare's play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, two speeches are given to the people of Rome about Caesar's death. In Act 3, Scene 2 of this play Brutus and Antony both try to sway the minds of the Romans toward their views. Brutus tried to make the people believe he killed Caesar for a noble cause. Antony tried to persuade the people that the conspirators committed an act of brutality toward Caesar and were traitors. The effectiveness and ineffectiveness of both Antony's and Brutus's speech to the people are conveyed through tone and rhetorical devices.
Brutus’ tragic flaw was his perception that all men were identical to him in their motives. This factored allowed his decisions to be easily influenced by others whose motives were devious. Cassius was able to convince Brutus to join the conspiracy because Brutus thought the only reason behind the conspiracy was to prevent one man from becoming “Rex.” He allowed Antony’s speech to occur because he was sure that Antony was motivated by the same “honor” which motivated himself.
Betrayal of a loved one, family member, or friend is considered one of the worst feelings a person will go through while living. In the play Julius Caesar written by William Shakespeare there is betrayal of two best friends, Julius Caesar and Marcus Brutus. “Et tu, Brute?” (Julius Caesar 3.1.77).
Revenge. Revenge causes one to act blindly without reason. It is based on the principle of an eye for an eye, however this principle is not always a justified one to follow. In Julius Caesar, Antony seeks to avenge the death of Caesar. Antony acts on emotion which leads to the demise of Brutus, who is a noble man that does not deserve to be killed. Revenge is a central theme within Julius Caesar. This is demonstrated through Antony's desire to avenge Caesar's death, and also the return of Julius Caesar's ghost. Revenge is again exemplified through the violent course of action, which is taken by the Plebeians in an attempt to seek justice for the assassination of their Roman superior.
Caesar is always looking forward to succeed and gain power. As they parade through the streets of Rome Casca tells Brutus how Caesar was offered a crown by Marc Antony. Although Caesar did not accept it and pushed it away he would have really wanted it. “Then he offered it to him again; then he put it by again; but to my thinking, he was very loath to lay his fingers off it” (I.ii.243-245). On the other hand, Brutus was not ambitious. Brutus joined the conspiracy because he was afraid that Caesar’s ambition will over power Rome. “Shall Rome, &c.' Thus must I piece it out: Shall Rome stand under one man's awe? What, Rome?” (II.i.656). He explains how Rome should not be ruled by one person, as agreeing to the conspirators and thus, joining them