Theme Of Betrayal In Julius Caesar

The play, Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, and the novella, Animal Farm, by George Orwell, demonstrates many examples of loyal characters and ones who betray. Betrayal can bloom between the closest of friends to a pleasant acquaintance or even an idea; it can be one-sided and happen to anyone at any time, but there must be trust in a relationship before treachery. Which one is worse if the two live within each other? One must prevail against the other, but why do the two subsist? Just like hate comes from love, betrayal comes from loyalty; the two go hand in hand. Even if it seems like a dedicated fan base stands, that can cease to exist in a matter of seconds because people fluctuate between ideals and opinions in the blink of an eye.

Napoleon stays true to his beliefs, but not in admirable ways. “And finally there was a tremendous baying of dogs and a shrill coming from the black cockerel, and out came Napoleon himself, majestically upright,” the author describes Napoleon as he stands on his two hind legs, “casting haughty glances from side to side, and with his dogs gambolling round him” (Orwell 133). At this point, Napoleon has turned his back on the animals and the Dream. He is a hypocrite. Antony gains power by avenging Caesar and that causes him to become a power-hungry. As Antony says to Octavius, “There is a slight unmeritable man, meet to be sent on errands. Is it fit, the threefold world divided, he should stand one of the three to share it?” (IV i 12). He wants to strip his third, weakest partner in the triumvirate of control. Even though Antony becomes a leader by chance, he still becomes thirsty for power as a result of his loyalty to Caesar. Possibly because Caesar wanted total domination, he unknowingly passed on the trait to his incognizant follower Antony, who now has supremacy engraved in his brain. Although Brutus bears noble and idealistic notions, his conviction also makes him foolish. “To think that or our cause or our performance did need an oath when every drop of blood that every Roman bears, and nobly bears, is guilty of a several bastardy if he do break the smallest particle of any promise that hath passed from him” (II i 135). In this scene, Brutus trusts the conspirators not to spill the secret, so much that he refuses to let them swear an oath. One of the conspirators ends up telling the confidential information to somebody, thus, why Popillius wishes Cassius good luck before they plan to take action. Brutus fails to discern that people cannot be trusted. Even though he himself is very honorable, it does not necessarily mean that people have the