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Suicide In Julius Caesar Research Paper

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Alexander Preston Jones 4 Julius Caesar essay 6 March 2024 Why you should fall on your sword In William Shakespeare's play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, the theme of suicide and its relation, to philosophy, is a central theme. Characters in the play grapple with the idea of suicide influenced by their beliefs and personal circumstances while being bound by values. The main depiction of suicide in the play is seen through Brutus, a senator involved in the conspiracy to assassinate Caesar. For Brutus, suicide is not just an escape from pain but a deliberate and calculated choice rooted in his commitment to Stoicism. Stoicism underscores the importance of virtue and honor above all else during times. Thus, when Brutus realizes the failure of his cause and …show more content…

Despite their motives and grand aspirations, both Brutus and Cassius ultimately fall victim to their ambitions and hunger for political control. Their acts of self destruction can be interpreted as an acknowledgment of the fruitlessness of their pursuits and a renunciation of the corrupting effects of authority. Cassius’s corruption is clearly stated after the death of Caesar by Brutus, while both working together on building their ideal Rome. Brutus states “For I can raise no money by vile means./ By heaven, I had rather coin my heart/ And drop my blood for drachmas than to wring/From the hard hands of peasants their vile trash”(4.3.80-3). Brutus’s and Cassius’s bickering only emphasize the inevitability of suicide from the both of them. As Cassius dirties his honor by taking bribes, he creates a path for further dishonor later in the play, specifically suicide. Additionally, the suicides depicted in the play raise questions regarding the concepts of fate and free will. In Julius Caesar, the characters grapple with the notion of destiny and how much influence they have over their lives. Despite being forewarned about

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During a fiery dispute at the tents, Brutus is infuriated and accuses Cassius of corrupting his army: “Let me tell you, Cassius, you yourself are much condemned to have an itching palm to sell and mart your offices for gold to undeservers.” Brutus is accusing Cassius of selling important positions in his army to unqualified people. With unqualified army officials, Cassius’s army has a likely chance to fail. Brutus now realizes that Cassius had manipulated him and only cared for money and political power. Brutus is deeply angered because he killed Caesar to combat corruption: “Did not great Julius bleed for justice' sake?

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Adam Hjouj Ms. Perrotta ENG1DB-05 2023-05-08 Selfishness and its Consequences, The Duality of Brutus and Cassius Oscar Wilde once said, “Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes.” Selfishness is a very common topic in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. It is evident that many people are only acting for themselves, especially leaders. In Julius Caesar, the two leaders Brutus and Cassius work together to assassinate the dictator Julius Caesar, but for very different reasons. Brutus is a noble leader looking out for Rome and its justice, while Cassius is a greedy man hungry for power.

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Simon C Downey Mrs. Hansen January 3, 2023 Honors English II Caesar Argument Essay In the play, The Tragedy of Julius Cesar by William Shaksphere, Caesar was murdered by Brutus and other conspirators. They were then confronted by Mark Antony who promises not to say anything bad about the conspirators at Caesar's funeral. Brutus does not see Antony as a threat but Cassius, Brutus’s friend and fellow conspirator does. Antony does deceive the conspirators and ends up bringing Rome into chaos in his oration.

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There were many deaths in the book “Julius Caesar” by Shakespeare. Every death or suicide in this book didn’t happen without a strong reason to back them up. Some people were very brave and selfless people, other characters in this book were very selfish people who only thought about themselves, and for those people it ended very badly. There were three main people that come to mind instantly when I think of deaths in this play, Julius Caesar, Cassius, and Brutus. These three characters are the ones that will be talked about during this essay. Julius Caesar of course will be the first to be talked about.

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Julius Caesar, a play about a venerated general that a group of conspirators slaughter, one of which was his own friend, who made the decision to proceed with it. Brutus, Caesar's friend, killed him as a result of being swindled by Cassius. As a result, encompassed by overwhelming guilt, ended up taking his own life. The person who influenced Brutus, Cassius, had a hand in killing Caesar and later, in an effort to evade capture, also killed himself. All of the men in the play were used in one way or another which led to their demise.

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Brutus truly believes that Caesar's death will benefit Rome. Cassius asked Brutus something about killing Caesar and therefore Brutus agrees with Cassius and other conspirators to kill Caesar. Later, in the play Caesar get stabbed by all the conspirators included Cassius and Brutus; Brutus was the last person to stab Caesar. Later, in the the play Brutus see Caesar ghost which tells people he feels guilty. Shakespeare’s play shows Marcus Brutus is not an honorable man because Brutus was not loyal to Caesar, turns his back on and stab him other words kills his best friend Caesar.

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Brutus fled his country where he eventually killed himself. While Brutus experiences an impactful turning point, Cassius ' actions and personality remain fairly constant within the negative traits. He represents gloominess from the beginning of the play; he is jealous, manipulative and pessimistic. “O coward that I am, to live so long to see my best friend ta 'en before my face.” (V.III.34-35).

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Next, hoping to talk some sense into Brutus, Cassius discloses the harsh reality of Caesar's rule. As Caesar rises to power, he and Brutus will slowly “find [them]selves dishonorable graves,” fading into the distance (1.2.139). By using this form of pathos, Cassius reaches out to Brutus’s emotions. Brutus realizes the true love Cassius has for him and starts to realize why the conspiracy wants him on their side. Next, Cassius tries spurring up the idea of self-gain in Brutus.

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While Brutus maintains noble intentions, Cassius goes into this scheme with every intention of leaving everyone else behind to claim the power for himself, as he has been compelled by their society to do. Cassius tells Brutus that Caesar “doth bestride the narrow world like a Colossus” while convincing him that Caesar is accumulating too much power for one man, despite harboring the belief that all of that power should be his (JC I.ii.142-143). To further prove his point to Brutus, Cassius gives Brutus fake letters telling him that the common people would rather have Brutus in charge than Caesar. While this is just Cassius himself manipulating Brutus, Cassius is motivated by the pressures of their society and Brutus, motivated by the belief that his society wants him to, joins the conspirators in their plot to kill Caesar and take power for themselves. Caught in a vicious cycle of societal pressure, these men continue to fight for power even after they achieve their original goal as evidenced by the civil war that breaks out following the assassination of Julius

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In their plot to kill Caesar, Cassius is much more doubtful and cunning with the scheme, while Brutus is more trusting and open about his plan. Starting with Cassius, he is very skeptical of others. For example, after the conspirators had just killed Caesar and Mark Antony has just found them, Antony asks to speak at Caesar’s funeral. Cassius is concerned and says to Brutus, “Do not consent that Antony speak in his funeral. Know you how much the people may be moved by that which he will utter?”

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Julius Caesar Pre-Reading Research Fun 1. Attitudes towards suicide held by the Romans during the time of Julius Caesar were contrasting to the attitudes towards this sensitive topic in modern American life, but their thought process of why they wanted to commit suicide can also be seen as similar to how it is now. Various cultures did have different views on suicide that will either more closely relate to how it is now a days, or even further contrast. In some cultures, taking your own life was seen as a punishable sin, as well as a crime.

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Cassius influenced Brutus to conspire against Caesar by stating, Caesar “is now become a god… and his name has been sounded more than [Brutus’s]” (Act 1, Scene 2, Line 118-145-6). Cassius’s arguments convinced Brutus in proving Caesar's murder would be just, but Caesar’s death is unjust because he is being murdered out of Brutus and Cassius’s jealousy. Both of the individuals are envious of the power that Caesar is being given by the people of Rome and want to end his life before they will lose their own power in the senate after Caesar becomes king. Brutus’ naive mind was easily convinced by Cassius that Caesar was not the best choice to assume the Roman throne because he would not listen to their political thoughts.

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The unexpected play “Julius Caesar” by William Shakespeare is a story about a character that is arrogant. He tries to look generous and humble, yet he is actually power hungry. Four smart men realized that he was going to ruin the Roman Empire; therefore, they decided to stab him to death. Even though it was a major crime, they performed it thinking it was done for the good of Rome. The conspirators, especially Brutus (Caesar’s main man) felt shameful.

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Unfortunately, Cassius uses Brutus’ altruistic characteristic and devout loyalty against him by sending fake letters with concerns regarding the crowning of Caesar for Brutus to read and be persuaded to join the conspirators. Cassius’ manipulation of Brutus serves as an example of how Shakespeare

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Cassius saves the life of Caesar, sees him beg for water, and witnesses his epileptic seizure. From these weaknesses, Cassius finds himself to be just as worthy of the crown as is Caesar. His reasons are emotionally tied to getting rid of Caesar, Brutus chooses to become a conspirator for the good of Rome. He does not know how Caesar will use his power.

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