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Out of all the characters in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Caius Cassius is definitely the one most negatively seen, as his more unfavorable traits are focused on. Throughout the play, Cassius reveals other aspects of his personality, although most of them are cynical. In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, Cassius is revealed through what he says, what he does, and what others say about him. What Cassius says and how he says it reveals him as a character. In Act I, Cassius is attempting to lead Brutus to believe that Caesar has become too powerful and must die. “I have heard where many of the best respect in Rome (except immortal Caesar), speaking of Brutus And groaning underneath this age’s yoke, Have wish'd that noble Brutus had his eyes” (17). In this quote, Cassius is attempting to manipulate Brutus into believing that Roman citizens want him to lead them instead of Caesar, and that they are “groaning underneath this age’s yoke”, in which he is stating that the Roman people are tired of the way Caesar rules. Brutus replies, “Into what dangers would you lead me, Cassius, That you would have me seek into myself For that which is not in me” (19). Brutus is stating that he doesn’t believe what Cassius is telling him, asking him what …show more content…
In Act I, Cassius forges letters from the citizens of Rome addressed to Brutus. “I will this night, In several hands in at his window throw, As if they came from several citizens, Writings, all tending to the great opinion That Rome holds of his name, wherein obscurely Caesar’s ambition shall be glanced at And after this, let Caesar seat him sure, For we will shake him, or worse days endure” (35). Cassius has written forged letters from “citizens”, each with different handwriting, urging him to lead Rome, and hopefully leading him to join the conspiracy to assassinate
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 ...
Considers killing Caesar but also does not want to. Finally decides that it is the best
Who is the tragic hero in Shakespeare’s “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar”? To answer this question, we need to know what is a Shakespearean tragic hero. The Shakespearean tragic hero is a person of noble stature, who has a flaw (often fatal) and leaves a legacy. After we know what a Shakespearean tragic hero is, the next step in order to answer the question is finding out which character fits the description of Shakespearean tragic hero the best in the play. The character that best fits the description of the Shakespearean tragic hero is Brutus.
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
In Shakespeare’s play, the conspirators are not justified because of their selfish motives. During the beginning of the play, Cassius is depicted as covetous when he tries to convince Casca to join the conspirators by speaking poorly of Caesar. “What trash is Rome, what rubbish and what offal, when it serves for the base matter to illuminate so vile a thing as Caesar” (I.II.108-110). Using a disgusted pattern of diction, Shakespeare helps to convey a bitter tone when Cassius states, “trash”, “rubbish” and “offal” to express his belief that Rome will become a terrible place when Caesar rules. Also, the fact that Cassius says, “a thing”, to describe Caesar shows how disrespectful he is, portraying his revolting attitude as a bad motive. This language characterizes Cassius as jealous and greedy of Caesar’s power,
Brutus’ ignorance creates an expectation that develops a path which leads him awry. When Brutus mentions,“ I would not Cassius; yet I love him well” (1.2.81-88 ), he portrays his internal conflict. Brutus depicts the rendering struggle between Cassius’ acquisitions and Caesar’s actions. His oblivion toward the truth and goodwill concerning the greater health of Rome prompt him astray. He acts with the innocence of a child, deceive and swindle by Cassius, Brutus is an
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.
If there were to be a villain in the Tragedy of Julius Caesar Cassius would be it. Cassius is the character who first thought up of the conspiracy against Julius Caesar. His motives weren’t as noble as Brutus’ but he made Brutus believe they were. Cassius did whatever it took to get Brutus to join in the conspiracy. We can clearly see Cassius’ true nature by what he does and says in the play.
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...
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.
In the first place, Cassius deeply dislikes Caesar and he has and evil plan to fool Brutus to kill Caesar. He wanted to find a way to convince Brutus that Caesar is bad, and they should kill him to save Rome. The thing Caesar did was he wrote fake letters talking about Caesars death and he sends it to Brutus to fool him to convince him to come with him to kill Caesar. It states on the passage on page 10 act 1, scene 2 "Good bye Brutus. Oh, I am glad that he is gone! I must get Brutus to help me, for Caesar loves and trusts Brutus, and without him,
In the play Julius Caesar, there are many themes to choose form and the two that such out to me the most were friendship and pride. Julius Caesar and Brutus shared many hardships that followed along with friendships. Along their journey, the pride they had grew and they turned on one another.
In the beginning, Cassius claims: “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” (1.2.150-152). Cassius believes that men have control over their fate, however this is ironic because out of all the characters, he is the least in control. Cassius encounters numerous opportunities which allowed him to alter his fate, nevertheless he choose to respond to these events based on Brutus’s opinions instead of his own. In addition, Cassius is aware that he does not possess positive qualities, therefore decides to manipulate Brutus in joining the conspiracy to bring legitimacy to his actions. Cassius is cautious not to provoke Brutus regardless of that fact that he engenders unfavorable outcomes. Soon after Caesar’s death, Brutus permits Antony to deliver a farewell address even though Cassius objects. Cassius voices his disapproval to Brutus’s decision once more: “Do not consent/ That Antony speak in his funeral/ Know you how much the people may be moved/ By that which he will utter?” (3.1.245-248). Cassius is suspicious of Antony’s sudden reconciliation, yet remains silent when Brutus reasserts that he is adamant about his decision. His compliance undermines the conspirators plan, ultimately costing them their lives. Furthermore, Cassius’ readiness to abandon his beliefs harms the success of the conspirators in battle. When discussing military tactics, Cassius urges for the army to remain in Sardis, but Brutus disagrees and argues that the army should march towards Philippi. Cassius establishes his credibility by mentioning that he is “older in practice” (4.3.37), and believes that his strategy will drain Antony’s soldiers tenacity to fight, allowing Cassius’s troops to be victorious. Nonetheless, Cassius eventually yields to Brutus’s requests even though he recognizes that Brutus’
...re about Cassius through the things he does, such as persuading others in the direction of things that go towards what he wants. However, Brutus’ character can be more closely examined by the dialogues of others. As a result of all of this, Shakespeare’s audience has a negative attitude towards Cassius and a positive attitude towards Brutus.
Caesar’s hubris limits his ability to recognize the threat against him in Act 1. Although he has remarked to Antony that Cassius had a “hungry look” meaning Cassius seems suspicious and may poses a threat to Caesar since is not content with his position. Meanwhile in the back alleys of Rome, Cassius is convincing many senators that Caesar should not be the representative of Rome. “ I know that he would not be a wolf/ But that he sees the romans are but sheep./ He were no lion, were not Romans hinds.” (shakespeare, act 1 scene 3 line 105-107). The exchange between Cassius and Casca illustrates the image of Caesar that many of the senators have. The senators conception of Caesar is that he is arrogant and regards himself as the only person worthy