Julius Caesar: Political Landscape Of America Today

Mahak Sethi
Pd. 7/8
Julius Caesar Essay Shakespeare's plays are studied to this day due to their surprising relevance to modern issues. Julius Caesar's lessons are especially applicable to the political landscape of America today. Greedy personal agendas, a fractious republic, and politicians not particularly tuned in to the wants and needs of their citizens, sound familiar? One such issue that Shakespeare brings up concerns governing and ethics. Shakespeare shows that it is impossible to be a good, moral person and an effective, strong leader through the success of immoral leaders such as Julius Caesar and Marc Antony and the failure of ethical characters such as Brutus. First, Shakespeare shows that it is impossible to be a good, moral

He dislikes Cassius because "he thinks too much", showing that he threatens his power. This demonstrates that Caesar was a tyrannical ruler who wanted power all to himself. The lengths Caesar goes to in order to sustain his power further demonstrate his dictatorship. For instance, in Act 1 Scene 2, Cassius describes how "Marullus and Flavius, for pulling scarves/off Caesar's images, are put to silence." For exercising their freedoms but showing disdain for Caesar, Caesar had Marullus and Flavius presumably put to death. However, even though Caesar ruled tyrannically and immorally, he is still shown to be beloved by the majority of his people and an effective ruler. In

"Brutus is unsuccessful due to his rigid ideals which force him to eventually fail since he does not know how to skillfully maneuver the political landscape the way Caesar and Antony do" (Hartley 272). For example, the way Brutus speaks out against corruption in Act 4 when Cassius tries to raise money unethically. He states, "Remember March, the ides of March remember./Did not great Julius bleed for justice' sake?...shall we now/Contaminate our fingers with base bribes/And sell the mighty space of our large honors". Brutus' armies go onto fail. In contrast, Antony's armies, which raised money through unethical means, succeed. Brutus cannot put aside his morals even if that is what it takes to be successful, proving his inability to govern effectively. Now some may say Brutus rules ineffectually not because morals cloud his judgment but because he lacks the skills to navigate the political landscape. He does not perceive Antony as a threat, unlike Cassius, even though he had devoted himself to Caesar. However, this does not hold true because Brutus dismisses Antony as a threat not out of lack of political skill but because he did not want any more blood on his hands. This is shown when Brutus states, "Our course will seem too bloody, Caius Cassius,/To cut the head off and then hack the