Cassius: Tyrant of Manipulation Many characters in Julius Caesar demonstrate qualities of contrasting ambitious objectives. Deception and manipulation appear to be two of the main qualities contributing to the plot for the assassination of Caesar. Although Brutus is seen as the leader of the conspirators Cassius established himself as a deceitful manipulator with an immoral agenda. Although seen throughout the play, Cassius’s soliloquy primarily demonstrates the immoral aspects of his character as he is driven by manipulating Brutus’s political position for personal advancement. Cassius’s despises Caesar due to his popularity amongst the Roman people as well as his ambitious pursuit of becoming the sole ruler of Rome. Caesar dislikes Cassius …show more content…
He describes that his ancestor was responsible for killing the last king of Rome thus making it Brutus’s diplomatic responsibility to strongly consider the assassination. Dishonesty is represented by Cassius in his Soliloquy as he stated, “I will this night, In several hands, in at his windows throw, As if they came from several citizens,” (311-313). Here, Cassius attempts to influence Brutus’s thinking further by throwing stones with letters attached through his window written by citizens of Rome expressing their great respect for Brutus. Many situations allow the reader to deconstruct intentions of characters and distinguish their true characteristics which contribute to defining ones priorities. As Cassius enables Brutus to believe that many people would support his decision to turn against Caesar, this exposes Brutus as a fool, however, it more importantly demonstrates that Cassius is a liar. This act is most primarily associated with adulation as well as dishonesty as it relates to a potion of the text where Cassius is calculatingly ranting about how his worthiness and popularity is unbounded, “ 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
Caesar’s friendship shall soon be lost to dishonesty and decisiveness. Brutus, Cassius, and the conspirators develop a fake friendship with Caesar that eventu...
In William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Brutus is presented as an honourable and loyal servant to Rome. In the opening Act of the play, the audience learns that Brutus is devoted to both Rome and Caesar. As the play continues to progress into Act II, his intentions are slowly corrupted by a band of conspirators and Brutus turns against Caesar. This process of corruption in the opening couple of Acts shows that Brutus is an honourable Roman who is taken advantage of to suit the needs of others.
After analyzing the play of “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar” I found that the characteristics of betrayal, deception and exaggeration were abundant in the character of Cassius. Cassius was the leader of the conspirators against Caesar. There are similarities between Cassius and Adolf Hitler. Both had a hunger for power and control over their respective nations.
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 is thinking about how he can manipulate Brutus. He comes up with a plan to write letters that appear to be from the people of Rome saying that they hate Caesar and want Brutus to rule. Cassius thinks, “Well Brutus thou art noble. Yet I see...and after this let Caesar seat his sure,” (I.ii.304-318). Cassius says that Brutus is a noble guy but he could bend his shape and use ot for his own will to kill Caesar. Cassius is using letters that seem to be Romans’ to make Brutus hate Caesar because the people of Rome are Brutus’
Tragedies are more often than not titled after the tragic hero. A piece that its title challenged by its name is Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar. Many people contend that the title should 've been named after Brutus and not Julius Caesar. And Brutus should be the title since he is the implicit tragic hero.
Brutus’ tragic flaws are part of what makes him a tragic hero. In Julius Caesar, Brutus is a great example of a tragic hero. His tragic flaws are honor, poor judgement, and idealism (Bedell). In Shakespeare’s plays, the tragic hero and his flaws cause the downfall of the play (Tragic Flaws).
He held his moral values for Rome and its people above his values for friendship. Brutus' values for Rome led him to join a conspiracy against Caesar that was particularly put together by Cassius. Brutus mainly joined as he did not t want Caesar to turn his back on Rome. At certain times throughout the play, Brutus' trustworthiness was so constant that it made him seem rather dim-witted. He was also the most morally strong character in the play. The leadership qualities in him encouraged and urged him to execute the assassination of Caesar as it was the "best thing to do for the public and for himself". Brutus also possesses certain qualities such as idealism, nobility, and uprightness that makes him somewhat of a tragic hero. His greatest flaw is his love for Rome and its people turning into naivety. Yet, his morality may also be considered one of the most admirable traits. He did not desire for the assassination of a close friend; he desired the best for the public. Brutus finds Caesar's desire of pride to be revolting. However, he has his own problems with pride. Brutus shows great pride when it comes to his family. Cassius uses this weakness to his advantage in Act one, Scene two, when he tries to convince Brutus that he should take over Caesar's throne. Cassius asks: "'Caesar?' Why should that name be sounded more than yours?" Brutus is an idealist who holds honor above everything else. Therefore,
Cassius, a member of the senate who possessed an envious attitude towards Caesar, had created a plan to strip Caesar of his power. He persuaded the other members of the senate to believe Caesar was an ambitious tyrant who held too much power over Rome. Brutus, however, had first declined Cassius’ proposal of assassinating Caesar, remaining loyal to his morals and his leader. Due to his opposition, Cassius develped another plan to manipulate Brutus by throwing forged letters into his window, expressing the plebians fear that Caesar would demolish the Roman Empire and tarnish the reputation of previous Roman leaders. Upon reading these letters, Brutus felt
Although Caesar was ambitious he was also very naive when it came to the assassination plot against him. The naive sense Caesar expedited later lead to his untimely death. Marcus Brutus was a nobleman, the people of Rome respected and valued his ideas. His ego, patriotic nature, and honesty are all flaws that can’t be masked within himself. Brutus’s ego for his family and his honesty is used by Cassius to persuade Brutus into joining in the plot against his dear friend Caesar. Brutus’s patriotic nature for Rome is the main reason he joined in the assassination. In the play Brutus confesses that he isn’t doing it out of jealousy but to save the Roman people. Antony was loyal individual, he honored Caesar and wanted him to become the dictator of Rome. Throughout the play you notice Antony’s loyalty, even after Caesar dies. Antony wants the conspirators to pay for the actions of killing his friend by persuading the Roman people to turn against Brutus and Cassius. Antony tricks the conspirators into thinking that he is their accomplice. Cassius was a jealous man but he was also very knowledgeable. He hated the fact that Caesar had gained all of this power over the Roman people and decided . He had
The first time deception appears in the play is when Cassius manipulates Brutus into believing conspiring against Caesar is for the better good. Not only does he convince him that this is the best choice, but he also persuades him to trust him when he says that the people want him to lead Rome. To do this, Cassius throws letters into his window which are ‘written’ by the people of Rome. Cassius believes that these letters will “let Caesar seat him sure” (1.3.321), or in other words help him see who’s side he should really be on. Brutus gains a false confidence that makes him join the conspiracy.This manipulation allows the murder of Caesar, which affects the rest of the play. Here, it is seen that deception had a big impact on how the
Cassius uses clever tactics to fool a naïve Brutus, and he even says himself that “if I were Brutus now, and he were Cassius, He should not humour me.” (Shakespeare Act 1, Scene 2, Lines 312-313). By proving that Cassius knows his motives are to hurt Brutus, Shakespeare is giving the audience information that Brutus himself is unaware of, which is an instance of dramatic irony. By choosing to confide in Cassius, Brutus mistakenly wraps himself up in a murderous plot that is supported by false claims and so-called “supporters” of the cause that were conjured up by the deceitful mind of Cassius. Brutus simply wanted to do what was best for Rome, and in the days leading up to the planned assassination, Cassius compiles an assortment of forged letters in support of Caesar’s slaying, which further convinced Brutus to carry out the plan. If not for his gullibility, Brutus would have trusted his best friend, Caesar, in leading Rome, and his demise brought on by the assassination would not have
In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar Shakespeare wastes no time in incorporating the recurring theme of manipulation into Act 1 of the play. Enter the ever so cunning Cassius, with his manipulative ways trailing behind as he works his way into recruiting Brutus to his crew of conspirators. During scene 2 of Act 1 when Cassius encounters Brutus he wastes no time in diving into his chance and asks Brutus a very peculiar question, " Can you see your face?". Cassius is asking Brutus if he knows how others view him and then offers to illuminate Brutus of the great love and adoration the people Rome have for him. Cassius is flattering Brutus and persuading him that he is equal to Caesar. Cassius is hoping that by making Brutus realize how amazing he
In Act, I Scene II Cassius is persuaded a bit after caesar is warned by someone to beware the ides of march. Cassius worries that Brutus is not being friendly to him. Next, he learns that Brutus hasn’t been friendly because he has been troubled by his inner thoughts. After that, Cassius is told of his greatness, and Brutus tries to instill in him a sense that he is better than caesar. Caesar is almost crowned king and it is revealed that Brutus is afraid of it. The two tell stories of the weakness of caesar, and Cassius begins to understand what Brutus wants him to do.
The Character of Brutus in Julius Caesar Brutus was a very important character in the play Julius Caesar. written by William Shakespeare,. He helped plan a plot against one of the most powerful people in Rome and killed the king. Brutus was well renowned for his deep thinking, his honor, and most importantly, his belief in a stoicism. Brutus's stoic qualities played a major role in his character.