William Shakespeare's 'Julius Caesar' is a tale of a very ambitious roman who is betrayed by his nearest and dearest, not to mention most trusted, friends. Caesar, a famous military general had great hopes of one day becoming sole ruler of Rome, but was prevented from doing so by his own death . Caesar was a great man,- brave and noble,- having all the virtues of a hero,- but most terrible in his ambitiousness. Ultimately,- it is his great ambition that leads to his downfall.
Caesar's death was a most tragic event indeed, for he would have made a great roman monarch. However, there were many unheeded warnings and…show more content Calpurnia feels sure that these astonishing but bizarre events are all warnings or omens of some kind. She fears that her husband is in great danger and begs him to stay home that day,- but Caesar pays no heed to her pleas. He feels that these warnings are not directed at him specifically.
A servant informs them that a calf, which had been cut open for a sacrifice, was found to have no heart. This worries Calpurnia even more, but Caesar, so foolish in his arrogance, claims to be unafraid. He says that he is not afraid because he is not a coward,- he feels that if he were to stay at home in fear of these things, he would be 'a beast without a heart'. He says that he is not afraid of danger because he is brave and courageous, and claims to be more terrible and powerful than danger itself. In this way, Caesar lets his common sense be consumed by his arrogance and overconfidence.
Calpurnia has a strange vision or nightmare in which she sees the statue of Caesar spout blood like a fountain, around which many smiling 'lusty Romans' crowded to bathe their hands in his blood. This convinced Calpurnia further of the danger Caesar was in and she pleaded with him to stay at home.
Cassius intensely dislikes Caesar personally, but he also deeply resents being subservient to a tyrant, and there are indications that he would fight for his personal freedom under any tyrant. He does not resent following the almost dictatorial pronouncements of his equal, Brutus, although he does disagree heatedly with most of Brutus' tactical decisions. To accomplish his goal of removing
Caesar from power, he resorts to using his keen insight into human nature to deceive Brutus by means of a long and passionate argument, coupled with bogus notes. In the conversation, he appeals to Brutus' sense of honor, nobility, and pride more than he presents concrete examples of Caesar's tyrannical actions. Later, he is more outrightly devious in the use of forged notes, the last of which prompts Brutus to leave off contemplation and to join the conspiracy. Cassius later uses similar means to bring Casca into the plot.
Clearly, Cassius has his negative aspects. He envies Caesar; he becomes an assassin; and he will consent to bribery, sell commissions, and impose ruinous taxation to raise money. But he also has a certain nobility of mind that is generally recognized. When Caesar tells Antony that Cassius is dangerous, Antony answers, "Fear him not, Caesar; he's not dangerous. / He's a noble Roman and well given."
He was no doubt expressing sentiments popular at the time. Cassius is also highly emotional. He displays extreme hatred in his verbal attack on Caesar during Lupercal; he almost loses control because of fear when Popilius reveals that the conspirators' plans have been leaked; he gives vent to anger in his argument with Brutus in the tent at Sardis; he expresses an understanding tolerance of the poet who pleads for him and Brutus to stop their quarrel; and he threatens suicide repeatedly and finally chooses self-inflicted death to humiliating capture by Antony and Octavius. When he becomes a genuine friend of Brutus following the reconciliation in the tent, he remains faithful and refuses to blame Brutus for the dilemma that he encounters at Philippi, even though he has reason to do so.
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