Similarities Between Julius Caesar And Epitaph On A Tyrant

Bridges to Shakespeare

There are significant parallels between William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar and W.H. Auden’s “Epitaph on a Tyrant”, in which both works examine the nature of power, and the consequences of a tyrannic character

One of the most striking similarities between the two works is the portrayal of Marcus Brutus as a complex and noble character and how W.H. Auden portrays the authoritarian in the poem. In Shakespeare's play, Brutus is illustrated as a strong and charismatic person whom the Roman populace admires. He is known to have a way with his words, for instance in Act 2, where he states, “We shall be called purgers, not murderers./ And for Mark Antony, think not of him;/ For he can do no more than Caesar’s arm/ When Caesar's head is off,” (Shakespeare 2.1.180-183). There was a debate in the conspiracy of whether to kill Antony; Brutus prevails over Cassius with a speech, which seizes Cassius’s leadership of the

In turn, the faction determines to kill only Caesar. Meaning, Brutus, using his power, got his way within the conspiracy. Similarly, the figure described in Auden's poem is portrayed as a tyrant who seems sympathetic, but rules with an iron hand. This could be seen in line four, “He knew human folly like the back of his hand,” (Auden, lines 4-5) in other words, he (the tyrant) was able to