Julius Caesar Manipulation Essay

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The power of manipulation has the ability to cloud an individual’s mind, making them act out of character. The play, Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, opens in the streets of Rome, where they celebrate Caesar’s victory over Pompey’s sons. Although people celebrate his victory, some are against Caesar and his rule. One of these individuals is Cassius, who’s motivated to manipulate Brutus in order to overthrow Caesar. By Cassius inciting how Brutus is just as worthy as Caesar, Brutus sees how Caesar shouldn’t be a higher standard, and by making Caesar appear weak, he sees that he is unfit to be in a position of power. Cassius uses comparability manipulation; he compares Caesar to Brutus to prove his point of them being no different from one another. In Cassius’s dialogue in Act 1, Scene 2, on page 19, he tells Brutus, “What’s so special about “Caesar”? Why should the name be proclaimed more than yours?” By emphasizing the belief that Caesar and Brutus have no differences between them and what they’re capable of, Cassius initiated the plan of poisoning Brutus against Caesar. This scene from the play is crucial to exhibit how Cassius is able to infiltrate Brutus’s beliefs and trust in Caesar. …show more content…

Cassius uses this as a manipulation tactic in order to get Brutus on his side of the conspiracy. Moreover, in Cassius’s dialogue, he exclaims to Brutus that “Caesar had a fever and it made him shake. It’s true, this so-called “god” - he shook.” Not only does Cassius take advantage of Brutus’s concern, but he also exploits it by highlighting how Caesar is not everything that his admirers make him out to be. By making a point of Caesar being as weak as an ordinary man, Cassius plants the seed of doubt and cynicism in Brutus for Caesar and his true intentions regarding the power that he

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