Power In Julius Caesar

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Power is how much control and support one has. Power can be controversial because the people who want it sometimes don't know how to handle it. In Julius Caesar, written by Shakespeare, many different people possess power. They gain the power in varied ways and react to having it differently. Since there are so many situations in Julius Caesar, power shifts are very common because diverse times call for the amounts of power to vary between different people. In Act I, Julius Caesar holds the most power throughout Rome because of his "heroic" deeds and his acts of bravery. He has gained his power after conquering the rest of the triumvirate and becoming the lone ruler of Rome. In the eyes of the common people, Caesar is seen as a god, but among …show more content…

Brutus has gained the most power by agreeing to join the conspiracy to kill Caesar. By doing this, Brutus has most of the senators wanting him to have the most power. For example, Brutus and Cassius were arguing about whether Cicero would join the conspiracy. When Brutus says, “O name him not! Let us not break with him, / For he will never follow anything/ That other men begin” (A2, s1, line 156-158). After Brutus says this, all of the other men agree to what he has said. This shows that the senators respect and honor Brutus, thus giving him power. They think that Brutus is just as much of a king as Caesar is to the common people. Brutus has also always been seen as honorable and very valuable to the Roman society and to the common people. If Brutus did, in fact, join the conspiracy, the senators believe that the common people will forgive him. For example, when Brutus says, “I know no personal cause to spurn at him, /But for the general: he would be crowned” (A2, s1, line 11-12). This means Brutus has no reason to have anything against Caesar then the wellness of the people of Rome. Brutus is an elected official who wants more for the good of the people of Rome than committing a terrible crime. The people, senators, and everyone in Rome respect and think highly of Brutus. Brutus has the most power in Rome because he is the most honorable person, and he is for the common good. At this time, Brutus has …show more content…

At the beginning of Act III, Brutus has the most power because he is still the most honorable person, and has not murdered Caesar yet. The people know about the conspiracy to kill Caesar, based on the fact that Artimidorous tried to warn Caesar, however, they did not try to stop the conspirators. These events demonstrate that the people thought he was doing the right thing for the people of Rome. After the conspirators killed Caesar, the common people were saying, “Caesar’s better parts / shall be crowned in Brutus” (A3, s2, line 52-53). This means that everything that the people liked in Caesar will be in Brutus, once they crown him king. Right after the plebeians said this, Mark Antony made all of the people change their minds and go against Brutus and the other conspirators. At this point, Antony now has the most power in Rome because he has changed the minds of all the people in Rome. The people were for Brutus being the king, but in a very short time, Antony swayed the people against the conspirators. This shows that the people value his opinion so highly that it overruled the fact that Brutus only does actions for the most honorable reasons. For example, when the people say, “Revenge! About! Seek! Burn! Fire! Kill! Slay! /Let not a traitor live!” (A3, s2, line 210-211). This means the the people of Rome won’t let the death of Caesar rest until the people avenge the death of their soon to

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