Gaius Julius Caesar, the boy who was born into a family far from wealth but grew into a man, a soldier, and one who changed the visage and notoriety of Rome for all years to come, even without his mighty presence. Although it seems as though Caesar will be highly spoken of even after his death, Plutarch the Greek biographer and historian, states that Caesar’s “unlimited ambition” and hunger for power was the element of his downfall. Centuries later, Caesar’s motives and reputation are debated in terms of what he really is; did he live as a brave and courageous hero or an overly ambitious and greedy tyrant?
Julius Caesar’s journey to be in the position that many remember him to be was not easy as one may assume it to be. He suffered loss, an …show more content…
Unlike other rulers, Caesar did not just send out commands and watched and waited for his battalion to come home from a victory or defeat, but Caesar did indeed stand by his men on the front lines. It is stated that, “when Caesar addressed his troops it was always as ‘comrades’ (commilitones in latin), never ‘men’ or ‘soldiers’” (Freeman, 235). Simply by calling his troops “comrades,” it is evident that he was close to his soldiers and stood by them rather than distinguishing them as being separate from him in calling them “men” or “soldiers.” Due to the fact that Caesar went alongside his soldiers and was in battle shows that he is brave, knowing that he is of the highest ranking and that he may lose that ranking and his wealth if he were to die fighting. Caesar did not only command, he acted upon those commands and did so with bravery and courage by being in the front lines, just as a hero would. On the contrary, just as any community, there will be some disagreements among its inhabitants. Caesar’s life in many of the biographies of him highlighted more of the greatness in Caesar, but just as in a community, others have displayed Caesar as the complete opposite of a hero; a tyrant and a dictator. Some believe that Caesar’s success and his victories was not for his love of Rome, but rather his thirst for power which was driven with mad ambition. As previously mentioned, Plutarch wrote that Caesar’s desire for power was the cause of his
Julius Caesar’s journey to be in the position that many remember him to be was not easy as one may assume it to be. He suffered loss, an …show more content…
Unlike other rulers, Caesar did not just send out commands and watched and waited for his battalion to come home from a victory or defeat, but Caesar did indeed stand by his men on the front lines. It is stated that, “when Caesar addressed his troops it was always as ‘comrades’ (commilitones in latin), never ‘men’ or ‘soldiers’” (Freeman, 235). Simply by calling his troops “comrades,” it is evident that he was close to his soldiers and stood by them rather than distinguishing them as being separate from him in calling them “men” or “soldiers.” Due to the fact that Caesar went alongside his soldiers and was in battle shows that he is brave, knowing that he is of the highest ranking and that he may lose that ranking and his wealth if he were to die fighting. Caesar did not only command, he acted upon those commands and did so with bravery and courage by being in the front lines, just as a hero would. On the contrary, just as any community, there will be some disagreements among its inhabitants. Caesar’s life in many of the biographies of him highlighted more of the greatness in Caesar, but just as in a community, others have displayed Caesar as the complete opposite of a hero; a tyrant and a dictator. Some believe that Caesar’s success and his victories was not for his love of Rome, but rather his thirst for power which was driven with mad ambition. As previously mentioned, Plutarch wrote that Caesar’s desire for power was the cause of his