The play Julius Caesar and the movie Man of Steel share a similar timeless theme. Julius Caesar was written in 1599-1600 A.D. by William Shakespeare. Zack Snyder's film Man of Steel, released in 2013, stars Henry Cavill as Superman and Michael Shannon as General Zod. In these productions we meet two power hungry characters, Julius Caesar and General Zod. Both of these characters are leaders who demonstrate a relentless desire for power and are eventually betrayed by those close to them. We have seen throughout history that power and ambition can corrupt even the best of individuals, and this corruption often comes in the form of betrayal.
Both men become overly power hungry and ambitious. Julius Caesar spent years conquering surrounding lands and opening all the political doors he could to deliberately gain power and
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An obvious difference is the time period, Caesar’s quest for power was around 75 B.C. General Zod’s campaign takes place in modern times through Man of Steel. Caesar’s intentions for his power was to overthrow current governments in order to expand the Roman Empire. Zod is driven to overthrow for a different reason, he wants control over the genetics of the people themselves. The strategies used to obtain power differed as well. Caesar uses a traditional political and war campaign of the time to defeat the sons of deceased Roman general, Pompey. He manipulates the people through moving speeches and actions such as refusing the crown three times (Shakespeare, 1.2. 230-240). Conversely, General Zod employed a military style using force and destruction from the start. Centuries separate the two men, yet Shakespeare's theme of men with unbridled power becoming corrupt is played out in Man of Steel. Neither leader’s plans consider the welfare of the people, so someone will have to stop