Julius Caesar Source Analysis

The first document that will be discussed is called The Lives of the Caesar’s which is a set of bibliographies written about Julius Caesar, his rise to power, and the continuous rule of his relatives after his death. In addition, this piece of historical work also discusses the significant and critical period of the Principate. In Rome, Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus wrote this source in order to record the past in history and this occurred in 110 CE. The bibliography at hand was used as a written model for the bibliographies to be created in the next centuries. As the reader analyzes this piece, many will notice that there are times in which the author expresses his opinions and knowledge. This could harm the validity of the source greatly. Suetonius

This piece was written in order to inform the reader of the many contributions of Julius Caesar, his personality, and the wars in which he fought. Many have concluded that he abused his power and that he was rightfully assassinated. Caesar accepted excessive honors such as an uninterrupted consulship. Once victorious over all his old enemies, he also had himself declared a dictator for life. In this role, he cancelled all elections for lower offices, abolished the power of the tribunes, and personally selected the office of consul members. As dictator, Caesar seemed to lose all touch with reality. In the Ides of March section of this source, he forced Romans to build him a palace and construct a statue of him next to the early Roman kings. However, he refused to allow anyone to call him a king. For example, he rejected a crown placed on his head by Marc Antony. Caesar’s assassination provided historical context that complete dictatorship was not always the best option. In addition, his death illustrated the need for a government as civil war broke out after he was killed. Once a corrupt individual makes their way into the government, it can be very difficult to control the power given and the actions that are taken. However, Julius Caesar contributed a lot to society as stated in this article. For example, “his social and political reforms as well as

He was arrogant which can make an individual behave as though they are the most important person and the only one who can help a situation. As a result, I believe that this created some issues within his rule. His motives were very self centered. He wanted to conquer as many territories as he could in order to gain the praise of his citizens. He completed tasks and made important decisions without the greater good in mind, instead, he did what he thought was best for his image. Before he declared himself a dictator for life, he also rigged the voting polls so that he would win no matter what. This essentially halted any individual choice for the people. Therefore, it destroys the idea of rule by the people as mentioned earlier. In addition, it was noted that he was very violent from a young age. A person should be able to control themselves and resolve a conflict in other ways, especially a person who is in the position to rule. An aspect I found particularly interesting was that of his love affairs. In our present day and society, infidelity and adultery is frowned upon as it was in Roman cultures also. Most importantly, this indicates a lack of trustworthiness. Who would want an individual to rule the country if they are known to be untrustworthy? This could create multiple issues within the state and possible conspiracies. He also demonstrated his lack of respect for the