“I love the name of honor, more than I fear death.”~Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar’s predominant interest was not the security and posterity of his people; rather, it was rooted in personal power and the impressions others had of him. He was willing to compromise the well-being of his republic in order to obtain glory, wealth, and popularity. Caesar was a selfish ruler who treated people poorly, made bad political decisions, and only cared about the power he'd receive.
Julius Caesar treated people poorly by manipulating them for his own benefit and personal gain. Caesar used people, deceiving the wives of his rivals in order to obtain information. He appealed to his army by offering friendship in exchange for loyalty and support. If Caesar was not supported by a conquered tribe, he sold it, in its entirety, into slavery, without hesitation. Brutally conquering the Gauls, Caesar’s selfishness came with a desire to punish anyone who undermined his power. Julius Caesar was a man whose motives emerged from pure selfishness; however, he masked his greed with deception through empathy. Overall, Caesar used people and treated them with both disrespect and objectification, using individuals for his own benefit.
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When it came to political decisions, Caesar was led by his own interests.
He had initiated the Gallic war in order to gain power, wealth, and territory, allowing hundreds of thousands of Roman citizens to be enslaved and killed. Additionally, he instigated the Roman Civil War by ignoring his republic’s advice in 49 B.C. Despite opposition from the Senate, Caesar crossed the Rubicon with his army, engaging in war. He was directly responsible for the deaths of around two million, one hundred thousand of them being Roman citizens. This decision eventually contributed to the downfall of the Roman Empire. Caesar’s political decisions disregarded his people and his republic in exchange for glory and
wealth. When the empire drew near its end, and Caesar was put under pressure by Rome, his only concern was the way others perceived him. He was more worried about his popularity than with the well-being of his Empire. He was known in Rome as someone of great power; one who appealed to the poor by promising land in conquered areas in exchange for service in his army. He built power upon the needs of the less fortunate, gaining wealth and popularity through manipulation and deception. Declaring himself dictator for life, Caesar’s prominent goal for ultimate glory overpowered everything else. Julius Caesar might just have been the most selfish ruler of his time, and maybe even ours. In conclusion, I believe that Julius Caesar was not the worst dictator; however, he certainly wasn’t the best either. Caesar’s decision to treat people poorly and use them for his own benefit developed his manipulative and power-hungry character, leading to larger mistakes that endangered his own people. Caesar eventually began to make horrible political decisions that compromised his republic, and his undeniable greed for power that stood above all other components was his fatal flaw; the one that led to his last breath.
Gaius Julius Caesar ( 100 BCE – 44 BCE) contributed to the breakdown of the roman republic through his political military by decreasing senate power, dismissing Rome’s aversion to monarchy, and his attempt to remove senate, military and religious authority, as well as his civil war; in which he overthrew the government and walked on the Rubicon river. The Roman Republic’s degeneration is Europe’s first case of the downfall of a constitutional system. The previous consuls and dictators of Rome during the republic also influenced the republics destruction however, these actions collaboratively impacted towards the end of the republic by Caesars anti-republic like methods and leadership role.
Plutarch writes of Caesar’s character, “He had an ability to make himself liked which was remarkable in one of his age, and he was very much in the good graces of the ordinary citizen because of his easy manners and the friendly way in which he mixed with people” (Plutarch 257). By examining Caesar’s character, one can understand how he used his love of the people to gain power and to keep it with his military victories which had brought a vast amount of wealth and land to Rome. Caesar embarked on creating Rome’s biggests debts in order to achieve friends. Plutarch remarks on Caesar’s enemies who “thought that this influence of his would soon come to nothing, once he stopped spending money, and they stood aside and watched it grow among the common people. Later on it had become too great for anything to be done about it, and was plainly aimed at a complete revolution in the state” (Plutarch 257). Caesar relied on friendship, and used his friends tactically in forming the First Triumvirate with Pompey and Crassus, and he was able to gain their followers while also establishing his own name. Caesar learned from Sulla’s decree of proscriptions on one’s enemies and instead pardoned his enemies to make them his friends. This ultimately would turn out be disastrous for Caesar, as those whom he pardoned would switch sides at the last minute and stab
... Besides that, he conquered Gaul (modern France) and defeated his rival Pompey in the civil war of 49-45 BC. By doing so, he managed to bring peace to Rome and also expanded Rome's provinces. Caesar proved himself as a potential leader, whom the Romans agreed after the conspirators killed him. In conclusion, it is clear that the conspirators made a wrong decision to assassinate Caesar because of the following reasons: Caesar recreated Rome, conspirators had personal motives in his assassination, he did not force the Romans to give him honours, the conspirators' failure in gaining freedom for the Romans, Caesar's position as the Chief Priest, monarchy was the best government available, the conspirators' wrong judgement in killing Caesar, and Caesar was a consummate statesman.
Julius Caesar was unquestionable a cunning Politian as portrayed within historical documents, even though the events were documented after the accounts of his rule materialized there are still numerous theories about his political ability’s and how he was viewed by the people he governed. This paper is intended to present the reader clear vision on how Julius Caesar was viewed during his dictatorship of Rome. Was Julius Caesar a selfish dictator or model politician? There will be five diverse source accounts of the events which will be examined for similarities and differences based on the historical evidences.
Julius Caesar is the leader of Rome and is seeking to become king in a matter of time. Though he is a good military strategist, he lacks knowledge in running government and is too greedy to have any concern for the peasants when he is alive. Caesar is all about conquering and power and he is afraid of nothing. Before he is murdered, he says “The things that threatened me ne’er looked but on my back. When they shall see the face of Caesar, they are vanished” (II, ii, 575). Th...
Julius Caesar (July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general, statesman, Consul, and author of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the events that led to the demise of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire. On March 15 44 B.C.E, the Roman dictator Julius Caesar was murdered. There are multiple accounts of this incident, while all accounts came after the death of Caesar, the writing on the incident portray Julius Caesar to have been a selfish dictator.
For thousands of years people have been talking about the great powerful Caesar. He is one of the greatest known dictators known to people today mostly because of all of the things he was able to accomplish during his rein as emperor. After reading primary sources about Caesar, it has given me a better understanding of what other people thought of him during this time period. It’s safe to say that Caesar was obsessed with power and respect from other people that would explain his thirst for war and land, which is one of his greatest strengths and helped in making Rome a great empire.
In the end, the characters of Julius Caesar all have more complicated relationships with honor than they appear at first glance. Brutus, while well intentioned and seemingly honorable, cannot see the line that separates honor from murder, Cassius who appears dishonorable in every way aims, at least in part, to protect rome and its people and Portia who appears dedicated loyal and honorable, commits suicide and believes the lies she is told about her self, beneath the surface of these characters, lies complex motives and twisted logic, which makes singling them out as honorable or dishonorable, nearly impossible, as they are very human, and humans are rarely one or the
However, Caesar had the approval of many citizens in Rome, which gave him more power of Pompey. Most citizens of Rome wanted him to run the Republic instead of Pompey, therefore, they supported and even encouraged his battle against Pompey. By having more power, he was essentially more easily persuaded to cross the Rubicon with his troops. Doing so, he crossed the Rubicon and began the fight due to the power of the people. Once he crossed the Rubicon, he was hailed as a hero (Civil Wars by Julius Caesar) and was persuaded to continue fighting for power in Rome. With Caesar’s army of troops growing and the support rising, he felt he had no choice but to continue fighting for power over Pompey. However, Pompey also had supporters on his side, making the battle longer and more difficult. Obviously you can not stop a war in the middle of The civil war lasted four years and Caesar eventually won power of Rome over
Greed, ambition, and the possibility of self-gain are always constant in their efforts to influence people’s actions. In Julius Caesar, Marcus Brutus, a venerable politician, becomes a victim of the perpetual conflict between power-hungry politicians and ignorant commoners. He is a man of honor and good intentions who sacrifices his own happiness for the benefit of others. Unfortunately, his honor is strung into a fine balance between oblivion and belief and it is ultimately the cause of his downfall. His apparent obliviousness leads him to his grave as his merciful sparing of Mark Antony’s life, much like Julius Caesar’s ghost, comes back to haunt him. Overall, Brutus is an honest, sincere man who holds the lives of others in high regard while he himself acts as a servant to Rome.
“Caesar was a brilliant general, a clever engineer, and administrator of genius, and a leader who demanded and commanded loyalty. He also was a corrupt politician” (Dando-Collins 4). Caesar would go on to be a dictator and his gain in power would corrupt him. He often bypassed the Senate, taking their power away. With Caesar’s growing power the Senate feared that they would soon lose their political relevance.
Two powerful leaders, one power hungry whose ambitious ideas lead to his downfall, the other mindful of people who deserve their higher positions. A true leader is someone who has a vision, a drive and commitment to achieve what's best. In the play written by William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Brutus and Caesar are one of the main characters. They demonstrate leadership qualities that are still relevant to today. They are both very ambitious characters; however, they do so for different reasons and differ in their openness to others. There are many similarities and differences that lie between them. Both are noble and great men with loyal followers and neither man questions the rightness of his own path. Both made crucial mistakes that resulted in their death. However, Caesar acts out of love for for himself, his country, and to retain his power as ruler of Rome. Brutus on the other hand acts out of love for freedom of Rome. This essay will discuss and compare their qualities as leaders as well as their styles and how they are effective/ineffective in the play.
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
All in all, many characters in Julius Caesar are not able to achieve what they set out to do without their ability to manipulate the people around them. Despite knowing that being untruthful is not looked kindly upon in society, people constantly lie and deceive. The human desire to achieve one’s goals and receive what they want pressures people into falsification. At some point in everyone’s life, they tell at least a white lie in order to satisfy their desires. Manipulation is something that helps to define humanity and is inside every single one of us. In the end, people believe that their manipulation will benefit themselves, but the consideration of others is not always in one’s mind. This is seen in both the play and in society today.
Greed can disrupt a family, town, or even a country. The play "Julius Caesar" was a great example of the power of greed. In the play "Julius Caesar" the driving forces were Cassius, Brutus, Marc Antony, and Octavius Caesar. Cassius was the brother in-law of Brutus and was also the creator of the group of conspirators. Cassius was also a senator of Rome. Cassius's greed for power, good reputation, and his jealousy lead to Caesars death. Cassius had the most honorable man in Rome to help in his plot to kill Caesar. Brutus was the honorable roman which Cassius took control of. Brutus loved Rome and all of the Roman people. Brutus was actually the true leader of the conspirators because he made the important decisions. Brutus had a different motivation for killing Caesar. The conspirators killed Julius Caesar because they were worried that if Caesar had succeeded in becoming king all the conspirators would lose their power. Brutus's motive for killing Julius Caesar was his fear of Caesar destroying the city of Rome. Mark Antony was a regular Roman citizen, who was good friends with Julius Caesar. After Julius Caesar's death, Marc Antony recited a speech at Julius Caesar's funeral to all the people of Rome. The speech caused the plebeians to destroy everything in sight. It was by his speech that Marc Antony got his revenge towards Brutus and Cassius. Octavius Caesar was the nephew of Julius Caesar. When he got to Rome he and Marc Antony teamed up to fight against the forces of Brutus and Cassius. It was at Brutus and Cassius's last battle where Octavius and Marc Antony succeeded in their plan.