Julius Caesar Point Of View Essay

There are a plethora of points of view in Acts IV and V of Julius Caesar, to show the different plots intertwining during these acts. During the play, there is no single, sustained point of view, but during Acts IV and V, the point of view shifts between Brutus, Cassius, and Antony and Octavius. This adds to the central theme, because each point of view changes whether the speakers fought for ambition and power, or for honor. Brutus makes his intentions clear, that he is fighting for honor, and to make sure Caesar was not killed in vain, that his death is for a purpose. Cassius is fighting for power, and his hatred for Caesar is the reason why he went through with his murder. He is fighting for the power that Caesar’s death has left open, simply to one-up his long-time enemy. Antony and Octavius are both fighting to avenge the death of their beloved Caesar, but also for the power to some degree. Shakespeare’s purpose in switching points of view during these acts was to give the reader a clearer picture of each side of the battle, as well as to further develop the central theme.

We learn that they are going to cut Lepidus from the power and money they will gain, because he will not be able to handle it. This is significant because if Shakespeare had simply stuck with the point of view of Brutus, we would not learn about Antony and Octavius as characters, and their motivations. We learn through their point of view that while they are avenging Caesar, they also want the power, and are ambitious. As Antony says, “This is a slight unmeritable man, / Meet to be sent on errands: is it fit, / The three-fold world divided, he should stand / One of the three to share it?” (Shakespeare IV:i:1873-1876). We only learn this because this scene is in a different point of view. In the very next scene, the point of view switches to Brutus, and we see a different take on the