Greed In Julius Caesar Essay

In Ancient Rome, noble families grew tiresome of their kings’ have hasty behavior. Due to this, they revolted in 509 BCE, establishing the creation of the Roman Republic. The Republic was not strong enough to withhold the force that accompanied influential men and that led the creation of an Empire. The Roman Republic fell into crisis because of the internal unrest provoked by various leader’s reckless behavior and greed.

One of the most famous scenes in Julius Caesar is Act 3, Scene 2, a rhetorical clash during which the the fate of all of Rome hangs in the balance. It is during these moments that Brutus and Marc Antony showcase their rhetorical skills, turning the tides against the conspirators and ultimately culminating in their demises. This is when we, as readers, receive an opportunity to see both the good and the supposed “tyranny” of Caesar, in the form of Brutus’s and Antony’s well-crafted orations. More importantly, it symbolizes the fall of Brutus’s good reputation, and the rising in power of Octavius and Antony, who will later form the second triumvirate with Lepidus.

Mark Antony, as noble as a bald eagle in the eyes of Rome, was one of the most intelligent, trustworthy, and popular people of his time. After Caesar’s murder, Antony gains the trust of the conspirators to speak to the citizens at Caesar’s funeral. He uses his speech to indirectly turn the people of Rome against the conspirators. Antony was one of many to give a long speech within the story, but what stands out in his speeches is the ability to move a whole population’s tendencies and beliefs to side with himself using the power of rhetoric. Although Antony’s speech may be seen as him just feeding the people’s ears with words they want to hear, the well structured devices used enable the listeners to fill their own ears with their second guessing thoughts.

(II, 10-15) Brutus says the conspiracy is nothing personal towards Caesar. Similarly, Brutus sincerely believes that evil may come rather than the good that may come from Caesar, once he gets full power of Rome. Furthermore, they were both true friends, but Brutus thought the decision of killing Caesar was necessary to free Rome from Caesar's tyranny.

The beginning to Brutus’s inner thoughts reveal that he is questionable of his ambitions, meaning that he believes that Caesar’s plan for Rome and its people is wrong, but never knowing for sure. In the beginning of Brutus’s soliloquy (Act II, Scene i, Lines 10-15), Brutus states to the audience that he has no real reason to oppose Caesar, and that he is questioning what being crowned king will do to his ambition as a leader. Brutus fears that Caesar will become a rambunctious tyrant, doing only what is best for him and ignoring the needs of the people of Rome. At this point, Caesar had not even been crowned king of Rome by the Senate, and the conspiracy group is going off of pure speculation.

In the play, Julius Caesar, written and directed by William Shakespeare. His story allowed great stories to come alive, even thousands of years after his death. This play had 5 acts that gave a great story, which was all based on a true story. This was a tragic and painful story, that was about a man who was a great leader. He was executed and taken away because of constrictors and friends who betrayed him for his power and ended up paying the price after his death.

1. Introduction In William Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar, Gaius Julius Caesar is described by the character of Mark Antony as being, “…the noblest Roman of them all…” (Shakespeare Julius Caesar 5.5.67.231). Julius Caesar has been represented in history as a multi-faceted Roman leader, excelling in the military, social and political spheres of Roman life.

His story of Caesar’s death riles up the crowd, but not enough to satisfy his desire for chaos. Antony furthers the crowd's emotions by comparing the crowd’s current actions to what Brutus’s would be in the same

Following Caesar's death, a funeral is held at which both Brutus and Mark Antony speak. Each attempts to sway the crowd towards their own cause, and both are successful to some degree. However, Antony’s use of rhetorical strategies, figurative language, and tonal shifts allows him to incite enough outrage at the conspirators that Cassius and Brutus are forced to flee the city. The largest component in Antony’s ability to turn the people of Rome against the conspirators is his use of ethos, logos, and pathos.

While undeniably possessing great power and charisma, Caesar fails to exhibit the political acumen necessary to navigate the treacherous landscape of Roman politics. His lack of foresight and a deep understanding of the minds and motives of those around him blinds him to the brewing storm of dissent. Caesar’s arrogance leads him to dismiss the warnings and concerns of his closest allies, and breeding discontent. Ultimately his failure to gauge the depth of the resentment he had ignited proves to be his undoing, demonstrating a tragic flaw that underlines the importance of political astuteness in wielding and maintaining

And while Brutus did work in part with other conspirators, which eventually led to him killing Caesar, he did it for a more morally sound reason which was that Caesar was going to cause the downfall of Rome because he was too ambitious, which is ironic because Caesar's death led to a string of unfit leaders, and civil unrest that eventually led to the downfall of the roman empire. Brutus was also focused on preventing corruption. “The name of Cassius honors this corruption,/ And chastisement doth therefore hide his head (IV.iii.15-6)... Remember March, the ides of March remember./ Did not great Julius bleed for justice' sake” (IV.iii.18-9).

NAME – AKUL KHANNA PROFESSOR – KANIKA DANG ENGLISH THESIS PAPER DATE -2ND NOVEMBER 2015 MARK ANTONY’S DEVELOPMENT IN JULIUS CEASAR In the year 44 BC the powerful empire of Rome had lost its ruler due to the assassination led by the senators and Julius Caesar’s brother Brutus. Caesar’s death was a huge setback for Rome and its people and the whole empire was in utter chaos. Mark Antony a very noble, loyal and affectionate friend of Caesar.

In conclusion, from the moment of Caesar’s death there was an immediate and permit effect on Antony’s life. The man who had come from a prominent plebian family, who went on to become a great soldier, who served under Caesar and became his right hand man would be profoundly impacted by his death. He would gain power and fame. He would make new friends and new enemies. He would get revenge on those who conspired against and murdered Caesar.

Marcus Junius Brutus and Mark Antony both deliver speeches to justify the death of Julius Caesar in 44 BCE and both use Logos and Ethos to convince the Roman citizens to join their sides. Both sides deliver their speeches with vehemence and start by elucidating why Brutus killed Caesar to begin with, why Antony’s desire for revenge is justified, and what the future of Rome will be because of his death. Antony teases the citizens of Rome with the will of Caesar that he holds in hand and claims it will dishonor Brutus and the other conspirators and is also one of his vital uses of Ethos in his speech. Most of the citizens, if not all of them side with Antony and will most likely help him accede to a great title of power in the future and also betray Brutus because of what Antony has them believe, i.e. an ignoble assassin. Brutus and Antony 's speeches were both compelling, although Antony´s speech was more successful, but it is because he was able to manipulate the people of Rome with

Sin’s Perpetrator and Victim Human desire knows no bounds; everyone thirsts for something. Some thirst for power, some for wealth, and others for truth. This thirst is a driving factor for most actions, but it is not always for the best. Nowhere else are the dangers of wanting more prevalent than in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. The underlying premise of the play is that one’s own ambition can end up destroying him/her and creating unintended chaos.