“The only way is to kill Caesar. I have no personal reason to strike at him—only the best interest of the people. He wants to be crowned. The question is, how would being king change him? Evil can come from good, just as poisonous snakes tend to come out into the open on bright sunny days” (2.1. 10-5)
Men’s hearts can be swayed easily as seen in the play Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. I think the thing that really fascinated me was that Brutus thought that Caesar was going to be corrupted with power. But in reality, Brutus was the one corrupted by Cassius. And Cassius was jealous of Caesar and sees him as his equal or even his superior but the Roman people love him so much more. This is a story of how good and honorable people can do bad things, but it is also a story of how people can be persuaded by the seven deadly sins. Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Laziness, Wrath, Envy and Pride. Cassius felt lust and envy for Caesar’s power over the people and was prideful of being greater than Caesar. Cassius succumbed to these sins and also corrupted Brutus who was led to corrupt other people with good intentions but bad ways of carrying out those intentions. Brutus is scared because he fears that Caesar will have too much power and corrupt himself. All Brutus wants to do is save Rome. The funny thing is, that he didn’t succumb to any of the seven deadly sins. The worst thing that he ever did was expect the best from people (and kill someone). But while Brutus wasn’t acting out of personal gain, he was acting out of fear. Fear that Caesar would get too powerful and afraid that it would bring a dark age to Rome.
“I offered him a king’s crown three times, and he refused it three times. Was this ambition? Yet Brutus says he was ambitious. And, no question, Brutus is an honorable man. I am not here to disprove what Brutus has said, but to say what I know.” (3.2. 95-0)
As I said above, the worst thing that Brutus did was expect the best from people and this lead to his downfall. Cassius wanted to kill Antony but Brutus saw only the best in him and wanted to limit the bloodshed, which is honorable. Antony then goes against them and lies to the people of Rome so that he can be in power in a time of confusion in Rome. Antony is a liar and a cheater and that might make him a bad person to befriend, but would he be a good leader? The public loves him and even more after Caesar’s death and he is ambitious just like Caesar. Brutus says this is what is wrong with Caesar but is it? The play ends before we can tell, but things are looking up for the future of Rome.
You make a good point about how each character has found a way to become corrupt, whether it is by power, bad influence, or jealousy. Although Brutus' intentions are noble in his own mind, his actions and those whom he trusts to guide him are not.
ReplyDeleteIf each person would take time to examine their motivations, they would each deem themselves as just. Who gets to decide who is actually just? Perhaps Mark Antony is most correct - the general population or the audience has the ultimate say in who is remembered as truly noble, even if they are not motivated by the right reasons.