In “Julius Caesar,” Shakespeare used two different strategies of tragedy. His main influence being of ancient Greek tragedies, and used his style to create a brand new way of tragedies. The play follows all seven structures of a Greek tragedy. The action occurs over a short period of time, such as the senators plotting the assassination, carrying it out, and fleeing all takes place very quickly. There is no huge time gaps between any of the events. All the action occurs in Italy, or specifically Rome, and the setting does not change throughout the story. The story is based on true events in ancient Rome, with the murder of Caesar, with characters based on themselves in ancient times. Brutus and Cassius had a real historical fight west of the …show more content…
Brutus and Cassius have conflicting values, Brutus wanted the best for the Roman people, and Cassius did it of what seemed to be envy. Brutus also tosses around the idea in his head that killing Caesar could have been the wrong choice to make to try to help the Roman people. Brutus and Cassius display a limited number of traits, but they are unquestionable. Brutus is a reputable man, and his known for being the most noble of all the Romans according to Octavius in the end of the play. Brutus also bears the fatal flaw of being naive to his actions. He could not find means to justify the murder of his friend Caesar, and was very quick to make decisions throughout the play. Cassius was very passive, and let Brutus boss him around and make heavy decisions when Cassius suggested opposition. The chain of private guilt is very clear with Brutus. He killed one of his friends, for almost no apparent reason, and he administered the most unkindest cut of all, finishing Caesar. He murdered Caesar with no motive, other than Cassius saying he should. He has this internal struggle and is haunted by a vision of Caesar’s spirit throughout the end of the …show more content…
The contrast is clear between Brutus and Cassius, who seem to never agree with anything throughout the play. Fate is Brutus and Cassius’s army being defeated by Marc Antony and Octavius, and losing everything they worked for. It can cause sympathy for readers because main characters in stories usually have a happy ending, yet these characters have a tragic ending and die in the end. The supernatural occurrence in the play is the ghost of Caesar, who visits Brutus and warns him of his fate at Phillippi. The pathetic fallacy being the way Brutus and Cassius’s army is so easily defeated, due to improper planning and high ground advantage. The suspense of the play in the lines is present, and intends to make the viewer enjoy the play, opposed to the Greek
Brutus is the most important character in this play in that he is the tragic character in a tragedy. Cassius says “Brutus, thou art noble: yet I see thy honorable mettle may be wrought”(1214). Cassius is the speaker in this quote, and
Catherine Terry Mr. Graham 19 October 2022 Freshman English - E The Hardship and Tragedy of Julius Caesar The roles of conflict, foreshadowing, and rhetoric are prominent traits to take into consideration, when discussing the play Julius Caesar. Conflict is what leads to one of the ultimate plots of the play, the rebellion against Caesar, and the decision to follow through with his assanation. Foreshadowing is consistently shown throughout the play, and takes on a massive role.
Cassius was the lead conspirator who saw Brutus as the catalyst to unite the leading noble people against Julius Caesar. He was jealous throughout the entire play, which makes him a flat and static character. Cassius was a senator, a nobleman, a human being who had every right to be dictator himself. Even though he was jealous, Cassius
For the past 400 years critics have considered Julius Caesar the tragic hero of William Shakespeare's play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. However, in more recent years critics have challenged that, declaring that Brutus is more fit for the position. In the play, Brutus is a tragic hero because he is overly trusting in multiple instances, therefore, leading to his downfall and death. The first example of Brutus being confiding can be seen when he joins the conspirators. He unites with the conspirators not because he “loved caesar less” (III.ii.22), but because he, “loved Rome more” (III.ii.22).
Throughout the duration of the play numerous people attempt to expose Caesar of his domineering and autocratic power. Among these men are two preeminent characters, Marcus Brutus and Caius Cassius. However in comparison to Brutus, Cassius deserves to be the character memorialized and venerated as he asserts himself as a skillful Machiavellian leader that provides the ingenuity behind the plot to kill Caesar. In correlation Brutus is perceived as the noblest Roman, yet contributes nothing significant to advancing the plot of the play. Individually, the moral beliefs of each prominent character can attest to the notion of who should be respected, criticized or forgotten.
William Shakespeare has been known for making multiple plays that are still read and performed for over 450 years and continuing. One of his well-known plays is “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar”. In the “Tragedy of Julius Caesar” Act 1, the play mostly revolves around 3 characters; Cassius, Brutus, and Caesar. The relationships between those threes characters tend to be different from one another. Cassius tends to dislike Caesar but he likes Brutus.
Themes are the indispensable and often extensive ideas which are explored, by use of various stylistic devices, throughout plays. Julius Caesar, being no exception. From the opening of the play, to it’s closing, Shakespeare makes use of symbolism in order to demonstrate the play’s central thematic ideas of fate and misinterpretations. As a result of the manifestation of omens and portents at various definitive events in the play, Shakespeare leaves the audience to question whether these signs are simply presenting what is bound to occur, or whether they serve as warning signs for what could take place if a specific character fails to change their comportment. Collectively, forces of nature play an immensely crucial role in the play.
He would have rather watched himself die a thousand deaths than to watch his city in peril. Cassius helped talk Brutus into killing Caesar over jealousy. Brutus only went along with the idea because he knew that Caesar was an improper ruler for rome and its people. Brutus put his city and its people n front of him and that was his tragic flaw. Since brutus put his city before himself t stopped him from thinking what was the best himself.
Brutus fled his country where he eventually killed himself. While Brutus experiences an impactful turning point, Cassius ' actions and personality remain fairly constant within the negative traits. He represents gloominess from the beginning of the play; he is jealous, manipulative and pessimistic. “O coward that I am, to live so long to see my best friend ta 'en before my face.” (V.III.34-35).
The Tragedy of Julius Caesar written by William Shakespeare is not only about the death of Julius Caesar, but the aftermath and inner struggles of the men who killed him. Whenever Julius Caesar assumes power after the war with Pompey, he wants to become king. This upsets most of the noblemen living in Rome since they could be living like slaves under Caesar until they die. Caius Cassius is the head of the conspirators who got the great Marcus Brutus to join him. The journey of the tragic hero Brutus begins and ends with his internal struggles.
Cassius saves the life of Caesar, sees him beg for water, and witnesses his epileptic seizure. From these weaknesses, Cassius finds himself to be just as worthy of the crown as is Caesar. His reasons are emotionally tied to getting rid of Caesar, Brutus chooses to become a conspirator for the good of Rome. He does not know how Caesar will use his power.
Caesar is brought to the senate where he eventually is stabbed by the conspirators, his friends, his allies, and the people he trusted. The conspirators didn’t think of the reproductions of their actions and they have now started a war. They lose the battle against Mark Antony, some conspirators commit suicide, and some are executed. Shakespeare wanted us to develop sympathy for Julius Caesar through the betrayal of his friends, his overthrow of power, and the ultimate death of his once friends.
He is losing all of his honorable traits, including the ones he earned in his political position as senator, by going against his fellow senator, Caesar. This affects the work as a whole because of the themes of the play, ambition, and conflict, have a strong impact on what Shakespeare is ultimately trying to express between the main characters. Ambition has an effect on the plot because Caesar is a very ambitious man. This alone and the numerous letters Brutus has been receiving leads him to think that he is no good for Rome, Caesar’s ambition worries Brutus. Cassius is a man of great ambition also.
The focus on the characters’ motivations offers an engaging look into the psyches’ of the characters. For instance, in the case of the character Brutus, the reader is given a glimpse into the character’s internal struggle. Throughout the story, Brutus struggles with his feelings regarding Caesar. Cassius
The story of Julius Caesar is one of Shakespeare's greatest classics. It would be one of the first tragedies that would come to mind when Shakespeare is mentioned. Caesar is undoubtedly one of his greatest works and so were his characters. There is just one thing though, the kingdom and the administration. Though Rome was truly a model to behold, the story left a lot of loopholes in the manner in which administration and the kingdom functioned.