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Corruption In Julius Caesar Essay

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Ambition, Power, and Corruption The play Julius Caesar, written by William Shakespeare, has many themes. The themes, or life lessons, that most relate to the world today are ambition, power, and corruption. These motifs relate to politics and politicians today. Does giving politicians power make them ambitious for more power? Are politicians power hungry? Is the system of politics or are the politicians corrupt? These are the most frequently asked questions that make the public and society curious about politics. The questions can be linked to the themes of power, corruption, and ambition in Rome in the play Julius Caesar.Giving a politician more power does make them ambitious for more power politicians are power hungry, and both the system …show more content…

The citizens do not know if the politician that wins the race will use the power they received to the best interest of the nation or country. Shakespeare deals with political power in his play by showing that just like in politics today there is a leader, or the president, who associates themselves with the conspirators, or congress, to make the laws of the nation, or country. Also, that a party that they are associated with can also cause the leader, or president, to lose their power and even their life, because their associate want their power. Grassley argued that "no one -- not even the President -- is above the law," and asked Gorsuch if it would be problematic for him to decide against the President."That's a softball, Mr. Chairman," Gorsuch responded. "I have no difficulty ruling against or for any party other than based on what the law and the facts in the particular case require." This quote describes that a leader of a country can not even be above the law. It shows that the leader can be ambitious for more power but will never get it because no one can be above the law. Political ambition relates to Julius Caesar because Brutus and Cassius have ambition for more power, they get that power by stabbing Caesar, who was said to be ambitious by the by Brutus Cassius and the other

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There are many instances in media such as movies, books, and TV shows where a good character is turned evil either by their actions or the influences of another. This polarizing action also occurs in the real world and can be witnessed through looking at history, or looking at our world today. In the case of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar there are several characters who go mad with power, most noticeably Marcus Brutus, often referred to as ‘Brutus’. Another instance of a person of significance being corrupted by power is Henry VIII of England. Both men in a like manner started out innocent, were given a taste of power, and then took advantage of that power and became corrupt.

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Particularly when Caesar sees Cassius and Brutus talking and he worries something might happen political from how he knows them personally, he talks about how they are smart and a great observer, but that he also power hungry (l ii 221). Caesar is mixing what he thinks of them as a person and how he acts as a senator. This is a prime example of how relationships struggle when business and personal mix. Another famous example if when Caesar says “Et tu, Bruté?” this is the last thing Caesar says, which

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While Brutus maintains noble intentions, Cassius goes into this scheme with every intention of leaving everyone else behind to claim the power for himself, as he has been compelled by their society to do. Cassius tells Brutus that Caesar “doth bestride the narrow world like a Colossus” while convincing him that Caesar is accumulating too much power for one man, despite harboring the belief that all of that power should be his (JC I.ii.142-143). To further prove his point to Brutus, Cassius gives Brutus fake letters telling him that the common people would rather have Brutus in charge than Caesar. While this is just Cassius himself manipulating Brutus, Cassius is motivated by the pressures of their society and Brutus, motivated by the belief that his society wants him to, joins the conspirators in their plot to kill Caesar and take power for themselves. Caught in a vicious cycle of societal pressure, these men continue to fight for power even after they achieve their original goal as evidenced by the civil war that breaks out following the assassination of Julius

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