Julius Caesar: Ambition Over Honor

Ambition Over Honor

“As falls the dew on quenchless sand, blood only serves to wash ambition’s hands”(Byron). In Don Juan, Lord Byron recognised that ambition leads to ramifications on society. Julius Caesar, Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin, and Vladimir Putin are examples of ambition’s effects on society. Vain, self-glorified, covetous, and corrupt, these men were or are ambitious. Their ulterior motives led to deaths, totalitarian regimes, and scandals ultimately affecting society negatively. The consequences of ambition can be identified in history as early as 100 B.C. and still occur today.

One of the archaic examples of ambition was Julius Caesar. His thirst for power lead him to kill others and he died as the dictator of the Roman Empire.

Demonstrated in his speeches, Mussolini was quick to violence and stubborn in his own ideologies. As inventor of fascism, Hitler befriended Mussolini which lead to the Anti-Jewish Laws of 1938. Ironically, Mussolini previously claimed, “Anti-semitism does not exist in Italy” (“Benito Mussolini”). These laws came as a surprise to the people of Italy, especially the Jewish friends of Mussolini who helped found his fascist state. The pressure to demonstrate his power to Hitler lead Mussolini to dishonor his loyal friends. Furthermore, his determination to control his nation lead to the use of secret police. “No one had a right to protection from the dictator, even if he were unreasonable or unjust… the secret police enforced his policies in sometimes cruel ways. Public opinion began to turn against him” (“Benito Mussolini” 4). Mussolini sacrificed the opinion of the public to maintain his dictatorship, he did not have to be justified by the law to punish someone. According to the Italians of the time, “Mussolini is always right”(“Benito Mussolini” ). This popular campaign slogan demonstrated the self-glorified attitude that Mussolini held. He did not feel guilty for using any means necessary to accomplish his goals, because he was always right. The people of Italy suffered because an ambitious, self-glorified person was in