Manipulation In Homer's Odyssey And Julius Caesar

In almost all works of literature, people have used the concept of themes to further deepen the meaning of stories. Themes give stories dimension and allow the stories to have some sort of deep and philosophical lesson. If you look at Homer’s Odyssey and Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, you will find that there are many relatable features concerning the two. Both of these works give themes about life and death to keep the main point of each passage interesting to the readers. One of the major life lessons and themes we see numerous of times throughout each of the texts is the rules of manipulation. Manipulation is very crucial to the survival of the characters in both the Odyssey and play, Julius Caesar. In this essay, I will use evidence from both works to demonstrate how manipulation is used within these texts and why it is used as a strength and a weakness.

Manipulation involves luring people into a situation that pleases the person who is responsible for the action. We see this act of deception happen frequently throughout the Odyssey. In the Odyssey, for example, Odysseus uses his rhetorical skills to try and outsmart the one-eyed

giant, Polyphemus. He does this by planning to get Polyphemus intoxicated and drowsy and it works, with the help of his cleverness of course. He then blinds the giant and tells him his name, “Nobody is my name. My father and mother call me Nobody, as do all the others who are my companions.” Odysseus ends up getting what he wants from Polyphemus and is praised for his bravery. His tactics in reeling Polyphemus show a perfect example of how manipulation works as a strength. The Odyssey constantly uses lies and manipulation to build up suspense into the story. This is an example of psychological manipulation, which involves deceptive and underhanded tactics.
Manipulation also involves alterations in another person’s position or status. In other words, manipulation requires strategic decision making to alter one’s position. William Shakespeare tends to make his characters in the story very deceitful and manipulative and even begins the play with some cunning . In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, one of main characters, Brutus, has a good relationship with Caesar but does not want Julius Caesar to be crowned king of Rome. Brutus speaks with Cassius, who tells him a story that convinces him to join the conspiracy against Caesar. Cassius says to Brutus, “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.” By reading this quote, it’s quite obvious that Cassius wants Brutus to plot against Caesar, but he wins him over in a different way. He uses flattery and compliments to boost Brutus’s confidence and even mentions Caesar as an immortal so that Brutus joins his side. Unlike the Odyssey, this example shows manipulation by using reverence in order to “resolve” the character’s situation.
The power of manipulation leads to the characters stairway of getting what they really desire.

In any situation regarding manipulation, including these two stories, this point is always taken as the main reason why manipulation even happens in the first place. If manipulation is used sufficiently, the entire plan is made clear and everything is played out correctly, though it may still be detrimental to the character. In Julius Caesar, the characters make it clear that their plan was successful and they are quite impressed with the outcome. Cinna and Casca scream out, “Liberty! Freedom! Tyranny is dead! Run hence, proclaim, cry it about the streets. Some to the common pulpits, and cry out 80 'Liberty, freedom, and enfranchisement!” They both seem to be pleased with their plan, which shows that their “good” work actually did pay

off.
Although manipulation plays out be a strength for the characters, there some downsides to this devious method. For instance, persuasion and manipulation are often interpreted incorrectly.