Julius Caesar is portrayed at the start as a prominent leader returning to Rome after a military victory in Spain. However, Julius Caesar is not the main character of the play that bears his name; Brutus has over four times as many lines, and the play does not show us Caesar’s point of view. Nonetheless, virtually every other character is preoccupied with Caesar-specifically, with the possibility that Caesar may soon become king.
If Caesar were to become king, it would mean the end of Rome’s republican system of government, in which senators, representing the citizens of Rome, wield most of the power. To oblemen like Brutus and Cassius, who consider themselves the equals of Caesar or any other citizen in their views. Caesar’s coronation would mean they would no longer be free men but rather slaves.
Caesar never explicitly says that he wants to be king-he even refuses the crown three times for a dramatic public display-but everything he says and does demonstrates that he regards himself as special and superior to other mortals citizens, and in his own mind, he seems already to be an absolute ruler. He is represented by Shakespeare in many different ways from one nice and caring leader of the citizens, hen a ‘evil’, arrogant dictator above and beyond the rest looking down at the rest.
Shakespeare uses very contradicting and a paradox to describe Caesar one as a motivating and strong man essential for the rest, then other as a weak and delicate person with sicknesses and disabilities. Through out the play Julius Caesar changes both in personality and ambition, developing into a stronger and self centered character; Shakespeare describes both side of Julius Caesar ones supporting him and ones against him, with one similarity that he is viewed as arrogant. rrogant person by the way him interacts and respond to others who are ‘below’ him, treating others unfairly.
Julius Caesar is uses illeism who speaks about himself in the third person supporting the idea of the pompous character of Caesar, this only take place later in the play nearer the assassination where he becomes more stubborn, with more desire and greed to power. There are many parts in the play where Caesar is very dismissive of the people around him ignoring what they say, Caesar uses third person more frequently as the story leads up to his death, near the very start where he speaks to the oothsayer, he hears the soothsayer ‘Cry “Caesar! Speak, Caesar is turned to hear’ that puts the soothsayer in a lower status, and that Caesar’s use of third person make the others feel less important. There are many different examples through out the book showing Caesar’s arrogance, especially when he is feeling vulnerable , and by using third person to talk about him self he feels more confident allowing him to be more dismissive upon others.
Julius Caesar is unashamed of his arrogance, over confidence, too proud sometimes feeling insecure telling ‘thee what is to be feared. Than what I fear; for always l am Caesar. Another quote is saying that ‘Caesar should be a beast without a heart,if he should stay at home today for fear. No, Caesar shall not. Danger knows full well that Caesar is more dangerous than he. ‘ This is when Caesar is talking to his wife, who is persuading Caesar to stay home, but Caesar is too proud and stubborn to listen. ‘Caesar shall forth. The things that threatened meNe’er looked but on my back. When they shall see the face of Caesar, they are vanished. ‘ This is when Caesar is speaking to Calpurnia, Shakespeare presents Caesar as an fter both him and the servant have warned him of some danger.
During Caesar’s famous “Im the brightest star in the sky” speech right before his assassination, he claims to be the most ‘constant’ (steady) guy in the universe because he can’t be convinced and changed by others. This shows a lot of Caesar’s character especially when Caesar compares himself with the ‘northern star,’ he attempts to elevate himself above all other men. According to Caesar, even though there are other ‘stars’ (men) ‘in the sky’ (Rome), ‘there’s but one in all doth hold his place.
Meaning, he claims that he’s the only guy strong enough to rule Rome, which is very ironic because right after his long and outstanding speech he gets killed by conspirators. Finally concluding that Julius Caesar like to use the third person to talk about himself in order to elevate his position above everyone else to a God like place, feeling more secure and In addition, Caesar is viewed differently by his supporters and enemies such as the conspirators, many of Caesar’s supporters are from the public crowd within the mobs made up of plebeians.
Shakespeare presents Caesar with many eaknesses but most are all natural like his left deaf ear, to the confident. public he is like their savior and hero, admired by the mob. His dramatic act in when he was ‘offered it the third time. He put it the third time by, and still as he refused it the rabblement hooted and clapped their chapped hands and threw up their sweaty nightcaps and uttered such a deal of stinking breath because Caesar refused the crown that it had almost choked Caesar, for he swooned and fell down at it. “, This shows the way which the nobles think of the plebs;Shakespeare presents
Caesar with the highest power controlling everyone, but yet with many disabilities and physical weaknesses. hand, his enemies view him for his weakness and his bad doing for example during which he was being crowned, Caesar fell down in the market place, and foamed at mouth’, this shows his physical weakness compared to his military abilities. The conspirators view him as a major threat to Rome in the future, being too ambitious and arrogant; not fit enough to be leading others and not a good model for younger generations to look up to.
All the conspirators seem to share the same opinion that Caesar is too ambitious and could easily become a dangerous threat to Rome if he became a dictator with his power. But many were become enraged and carried away after murdering On the other Caesar, Brutus says ‘Stoop, Romans, Stoop, and let us bather our hands in Caesar’s blood up to the elbows, and besmear our swords then walk we forth even to the marketplace and, waving our red weapons o’er our heads let’s all cry “Peace, freedom, and liberty! ” This also shows how Caesar’s enemy think of him, not respecting his body and power.
Shakespeare presents Caesar as a stubborn and arrogant haracter but also showing his strengths and disadvantages views from his friends and enemies, many say Caesar deserved his death because ‘he was ambitious,’ they killed him, and that they ‘loved Rome more. ‘ But there was no way of telling that Julius Caesar would have became a tyranny and a dictator with all his power, shakespeare left it as a cliff hanger not letting us In conclusion, know if it was better or worse for Rome. Caesar is described as very proud and over confident around others, with arrogance in his speech which lead to his own death because of the risk he poses.
