Comparison Of Julius Caesar And Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal

In this essay I will be comparing and contrasting the texts ‘Julius Caesar’ by William Shakespeare and ‘Great Expectations’ by Charles Dickens and ‘Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal’ by Jeanette Winterson, in regard to what extent they each apply to Anthony Trollope’s statement “It is a grand thing to rise in the world”. The ambition to do so is the very salt of the earth. It is the parent of all enterprise, and the cause of all improvement.” This quote gives several definitions for ambition such as the essence or nature of life, the source of all daring projects and as the motor of all betterment. Overall, his outlook on ambition reflects something that is good and positive.

In ‘Great Expectation’, Pip strives to rise above his humble

Julius Caesar’s ambition is fuelled by his ruthlessness and greed for power, and eventually is the cause of his downfall. “No, Caesar shall not: danger knows full well That Caesar is more dangerous than he: We are two lions littered in one day, And I the elder and more terrible: And Caesar shall go forth” The comparison of Caesar and ‘danger’ to the “two lions” is a metaphor for their fierce and powerful nature. In addition, Caesar personifies ‘danger’ by giving it knowledge and awareness; he not only places himself above it but also states that danger itself - a powerful entity - is conscious of his superiority, thus elevating himself to an even higher state. The imagery evident here in Caesar’s description is almost godlike and exudes power and dominance. His vaulting ambition for power has warped his perception of himself and that of the world. Ultimately, by letting himself be consumed by his ego, and through his ignorance, he allows himself to be vulnerable. Caesar’s assassination shows how blinded he was by his ambition and greed. This illustration of ambition through Caesar’s character completely contradicts Trollope’s view of

Although Pip’s ambition is the cause of his rise in society, it is not the cause of all the betterment in his personal life. “Let me confess exactly, with what feelings I looked forward to Joe’s coming. Not with pleasure, though I was bound to him by so many ties; not with considerable disturbance, some mortification, and a keen sense of incongruity. If I could have kept him away by paying money, I certainly would have paid money” The fulfilment of Pip’s aspiration to elevate his social status and become a gentleman creates a wedge between himself and the people he cares about. He begins by saying ‘confess’ which invokes a sentiment of wrongdoing and sets the tone as despondent, the use of ‘incongruity’ suggests Pip is destabilized by Joe’s arrival and realizes the incompatibility of his past life and his present life. Moreover, Pip’s character has become superficial and materialistic in contrast to his younger self; at the beginning of the novel, Pip once “had believed in the forge as the glowing road to manhood and independence”. the ‘belief’ in an idea, in this case the forge, is to have faith and to trust in something without any doubt, Pip as a young boy believed in the forge and what it symbolized and put the notion of it on a pedestal. He idolised the thought of becoming a blacksmith, just as he had always idolised and admired Joe. This stark contrast between