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Julius caesar the corrupting influence of power
Julius caesar the corrupting influence of power
Julius caesar the corrupting influence of power
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In Brutus’s first attempt to fill his desire for power he sheds light on the development of Caesar’s character. Brutus addresses,“And therefore think him as a serpent's egg which hatch’d would as his kind grow mischievous, and kill him in the shell. (Shakespeare 2.1.33-35) Brutus realises the danger of Caesar by comparing to a serpent’s egg.
If you are reading your history book, a play, or even watching the news today, you will see how people abuse the power that they have over somethings. There have been many leaders and people who abuse their power over civilization and places. Even the littlest taste of power often leads them to corruption. Many times, citizens and adversaries riot over some of the things that they disagree on and, in some cases, murder comes in to play.
“Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, this is a prevalent quote to most of the characters. This was true in particular to the characters of Brutus, Julius Caesar, and Cassius. Although some of these characters in the start of the play may have seemed without the corruption of power, they all developed it at some point in the play. To Brutus it seemed to make him nobler without the gain of any success from power.
Caesar was trying to differentiate between breaking the law for a good reason and a bad reason. In other words, if you seize power you do it for a variety of reasons, mostly in those days to expand an empire or revolt against an unjust regime. If those in power are 'good ' then you do not need to seize power, and the enforced rules are there to protect you. So, in short, only break the rules to change them.
Corruption is defined as dishonest or illegal behavior, especially by powerful people, and just like its definition, corruption and power go hand in hand. The more power a person has, generally, the easier it is for them to be corrupted. Just like in Julius Caesar where power and corruption are very prevalent, and most of the leaders in Julius Caesar became corrupted by their power, but in some rare cases leaders have avoided corruption, these people are very valuable in society, and must not be taken for granted. Just like many other leaders in Julius Caesar, Caesar was corrupted by his power. He wasn’t corrupt in the normal sense, he was socially corrupt in the fact that he didn’t stick to the social norms of respecting fellow senators in
Have you ever been stabbed? In the play Julius Caesar by Shakespeare, julius Caesar was stabbed because of people being corrupted by power and wanting more power. One person having all the power is always dangerous because power tends to corrupt those who hold it. In the play Julius Caesar they use the power of their words to sway the people to their side, to have the chance to gain more power. Senators such as Brutus, Cassius, and Caesar had too much power which led to the downfall of Rome Power tends to cause a lot of problems between people trying to get more of it, people abusing their power, and people being treated unfairly because they don’t have enough power.
Manipulation is used frequently by characters such as Caesar, Cassius and Decius Brutus to get what they want from others. Caesar manipulates the people of Rome by denying the crown three times. When Caesar returns to Rome, Mark Antony greets him and offers him the crown of Rome, which he denies all 3 times. This is revealed in a back and forth conversation between Casca, Cassius and Brutus, where Casca tells Brutus that “Why, there was a crown offered him; and, being offered him, he put it by with the back of his hand, thus, and then the people fell a-shouting (1.2.231-233).” Brutus responds, “What was that second noise for? (1.2.234)” Cassius then tells him, “Why, for that too (1.2.235).”
The Power Effect Power affects many people and the outcomes of life. Power is a way of controlling people or events. In the play, Tragedy of Julius Caesar, written by William Shakespeare, power causes jealousy that destroys friendships and alliances. Julius Caesar is offered to rule Rome which makes other powerful people jealous. Cassius is jealous and tries to manipulate Brutus into assassinating Caesar.
Another main theme of the play is that power tends to corrupt those who hold it. “Et tu, Brute? Then fall Caesar!” (3.1.77). These were the last words of Caesar before he died.
Kaela Shea English 9: World Studies Nick Talotta 1/31/23 Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, is a play written in 1599. This play is about the assassination of a young man named Julius Caesar. In the play, as well as in real life, Caesar was a prominent and powerful political figure in Rome. He was offered leadership of Rome and other countries many times, but he rejected each offer. In the play, there is a group of high-powered men, called the Conspirators, that want Caesar dead.
In the play Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, the story of a corrupt Roman government unfolds. Brutus, the loyal “best friend” of Caesar, murders him in an attempt to save the citizens of Rome from becoming slaves under Caesar’s rule. Brutus and other conspirators, such as Cassius, believe that Caesar would have been a terrible king to the people of Rome because of the false proclamations of Caesar being a god. The idea of murder for the justice of the Roman people those against Caesar had was the idea of using violence to evoke justice. These similar tactics and ideas that violence can solve most problems are still used today in the American government.
As a Roman senator whose ancestor once defeated tyranny in Rome, Brutus had honour. He was highly regarded by the citizenry and had a well deserved reputation for integrity, all whilst harboring no personal ambition, embracing the ideals of freedom and democracy, and feeling a personal responsibility to preserve these ideals for the Roman people. Living in his own world where honour dictates behavior, Brutus is unable to survive in the real world of Rome at the time of Julius Caesar’s ascendancy to power. Brutus tells Cassius, “What means this shouting? I do fear the people / Choose Caesar for their king.”
Marcus Brutus’ Manipulation Manipulation:to treat or operate with or as if with the hands or by mechanical means especially in a skillful manner. In William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, this quote is entirely true. We are also introduced into the idea of manipulation very early in the play, which impacts the plot. The play is about Marcus Brutus, the tragic hero, being manipulated into being in a conspiracy to assassinate Gaius Julius Caesar, a politician for Rome.
In William Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar, Marc Antony appears to be a strong advocate for Julius Caesar’s triumphs and increasing power. However, like Caesar, Antony is extremely manipulative and powerful. After Caesar’s death, Antony manipulated the conspirators into believing he was on their side before requesting to speak at Caesar’s funeral. While Brutus and the conspirators remained fooled by Antony’s innocence, Antony took the initiative to inform the Roman citizens of the conspirator’s horrendous actions towards their beloved leader, Julius Caesar. Caesar’s funeral was a time of reflection for the citizens of Rome, as Marc Antony caused them to question their allegiance to Brutus.
Many places found themselves successful with dictatorship, but not all places were well structured and succeeded. Rome, Italy was greatly impacted by their dictator was Julius. The benefit of having one person with the power is that there is less people to try to listen to, people could make sure they followed those expectations and that everyone was able to listen to him and complete orders. The drawbacks of having one Roman dictator was that Julius Caesar had taken advantage of his power and used it the wrong way. Since he thought he was so powerful, he brought his troops to places they weren’t supposed to go to.
