Julius Caesar
Having a lot of power could corrupt people and turn them into bad. In Julius Caesar, Shakespeare illustrates Julius Caesar, a successful general and politician, is assassinated by a group of conspirators who feared his growing power. In the play, Julius Caesar, Shakespeare explores the theme of misused power through the characters Julius Caesar, Mark Anthony, and finally through Cassius.
The author portrays the theme of misused power through the character Julius Caesar. He is a character admired and loved by the people of Rome. In the play, people see him as a good leader and a Roman general who has done much for Rome. However, Caesar’s desire for power blinded him to the danger around him. The soothsayer warns Caesar to
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He is portrayed as a loyal follower of Caesar. During Caesar’s funeral, Anthony uses his position of power to manipulate the people of Rome and turn them against the conspirators by giving a speech. He used Caesar’s will to manipulate them. Mark Anthony tells Lepidus, “But, Lepidus, go you to Caesar’s house; Fetch the will hither, and we shall determine How to cut off some charge in legacies” (Shakespeare 4.1.9-11). This quote by Mark Antony to Lepidus is saying how he wanted to find a way to reduce Caesar’s gift to the people so he could keep it. This quote shows that Mark Antony got selfish after manipulating the people to turn against the conspirators. After Antony gains more power, he orders to kill several innocent people, such as Cicero and works to sabotage the power of Brutus and the other conspirators. Antony states, “These many, then, shall die; their names are pricked” (Shakespeare 4.1.1-2). In this scene, Antony is ordering Lepidus to create a list of people who are not fully supporting them so they can kill them. This indicates that Antony is willing to sacrifice innocent lives to achieve his goals. This reveals that his misuse of power led to violence and fear in Rome. His actions ultimately led to a civil war. Antony’s misuse of power can be seen through his manipulation of the Roman people, his desire to change Caesar’s will, and his cruel