What Once Was Honor Abraham Lincoln once stated "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." One significant term in Lincoln’s statement is stand, by means of enduring an experience without being damaged. Test, meaning to check the reliability of something in order to reveal its strengths or capabilities by putting them under strain, is also an essential term in the declaration. Taken as a whole, Lincoln addresses the fact that it is most common to think that overcoming obstacles is a proof of strength. However, he affirms that the true test is if someone can withstand the influence of power and its ability to corrupt. Furthermore, Lincoln implies in his statement that power can bring out …show more content…
After Julius Caesar is offered the crown, Cassius and Brutus are outside on the crowded streets of Rome when Brutus says, “I love the name of honor more than I fear death” (I.ii.88-89). Cassius replies, “I know that to be a virtue in you, Brutus, as well as I do know your outward favor” (I.ii.90-93). Brutus is well-respected by the Roman people because he comes from a powerful family and is a very successful lawyer and a volunteer senator, which are both jobs that fight for the well-being of the people. The reader is able to see through Cassius’s statement the admiration and high regard Brutus has earned from the Romans. Shakespeare reveals these qualities of Brutus, which distinguishes him as the tragic hero of the play. This scene expresses the theme private self versus public self by Shakespeare showing how both the public Brutus and the private Brutus are the same at this point. This affects the work as a whole because it foreshadows the reason why Brutus feels he has to commit suicide at the Battle of Philippi. Brutus has too much honor to walk into the streets of Rome as a prisoner of war, and would rather die. The principled reputation that Brutus continues to possess even though he is afraid that giving Caesar power as king will damage the Roman republic clearly shows that the lens is true because Brutus remains strong and moral in his character, as he bears this