‘Julius Caesar’ and ‘Henry V’ are plays whose themes are reflective of their respective contextual climates. They were both written in the time of renaissance theatre under the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, who was an avid supporter of Shakespeare’s work. The plays were written consecutively, and they both present historical figures that were greatly idolised in the period in which they were composed. Both history plays convey how, on political scenery, deceit is omnipresent. In Julius Caesar, it is used to bring down the monarchial rule and to ultimately implant a new democratic government, while in Henry V, the King makes use of multiple facets of his personality among which is deceitful behavior in order to conquer France and win over his …show more content…
When Cassius sends the letters that command Brutus to “awake and see thyself!” he makes use of the character’s hamartia and uses it in his favour. It is in fact these letters that ultimately lead Brutus to join the conspiracy, a major step towards the accomplishment of Caesar’s fate. Without the use of deception, it is most likely that Brutus would not fall into Cassius’ power-hungry hands; and without Brutus being in the conspiracy, the events of the play (and of history) would have followed completely different routes, showing the power deception has in certain circumstances. In the end of the play, Cassius shows evidence of stoical thinking , as he finally believes in “the determining power of Fate”, and how his vindictiveness has led to him discovering the “worthy cause of suicide”. Cassius realizes how the most cowardly and catastrophic way to get revenge is in a deceitful way, and after he thinks he has lost Titinius, he realizes the magnitude of what he has done, “O, coward that I am, to live so long…” and finally asks Pindarus to use the sword that killed Caesar to end his life. This signifies how deceit never leads to