The idea of duality presents a crucial question: why do people create a public and private face? This concept directly relates to life today; people are constantly manipulated on a daily basis. They may not realize it, but others use them for their own personal benefit all the time. Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, depicts the lives of numerous characters who use this method to their advantage. Through various literary techniques, Shakespeare conveys the idea that duality is essential to getting what is desired. In the beginning of the play, Caesar, the newly appointed leader, strives to gain the approval of the masses. He secretly proves to be very arrogant, yet desperately tries to appear humble in front of the citizens. His arrogance
…show more content…
Cassius has always maintained a personal grudge against Caesar and plans on killing him for selfish purposes. He reveals his true feelings about Caesar as he vividly recalls a day with him: “And this man / Is now become a god, and Cassius is / A wretched creature and must bend his body / If Caesar carelessly but nod on him” (1.2.122-125). Cassius uses hyperbole to portray Caesar as a god and himself as a creature. By including this, Shakespeare emphasizes Cassius’s true emotions. He feels inferior to Caesar, and envies his power and success. Shakespeare uncovers Cassius’s innermost thoughts through a soliloquy, where he even admits that he uses Brutus’s own honor against him. In order to convince Brutus to join his side, he puts on a huge show of being honorable and noble. If Cassius simply went up to him and revealed his honest intentions, Brutus would have never agreed to join the conspiracy. Instead, he appeals to his virtue and nobility. He deceives Brutus into thinking he is noble by offering him his bare chest and dagger, even though he is well aware of the fact that Brutus is too compassionate to kill him. He convinces Brutus that Caesar is not strong enough to rule the people: “And when the fit was on him, I did mark / How he did shake” (1.2.127-128). Through this meticulous word choice, Cassius forces Brutus to believe that Caesar is no better …show more content…
However, he pretends to be on their side so that he may get what he wants: to talk at Caesar’s funeral and turn the masses against them. He shakes all of their hands in order to assure them that he is on the same team. Shakespeare incorporates a soliloquy where Antony reveals his true motives: “O pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth, / That I am meek and gentle with these butchers” (3.1.280-281). He speaks negatively of these men, elaborating on the idea that he is only using them to get what he wants. Once he finally begins his speech to the Romans, he persuades them through rhetorical questions. He appeals to pathos as he weeps in front of the crowd: “My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar, / And I must pause till it come back to me” (3.2.116-117). By including this metaphor in his argument, Antony is able to get the crowd to empathize with him. Through these various effective methods, Antony gains the people’s support in the fight against Brutus, Cassius and the rest of the murderers. Later on, he proves to be a huge hypocrite: “Is it fit, / The threefold world divided, he should stand / One of the three to share it?” (4.1.15-17). Through this rhetorical question, Antony’s secret power-hungry nature surfaces. He previously convinced the crowd that Caesar was unjustly murdered due to mere assumptions, while here he is committing the exact same deed. He is assuming that Lepidus is too weak to share power
Cassius has always maintained a personal grudge against Caesar and plans on killing him for selfish purposes. He reveals his true feelings about Caesar as he vividly recalls a day with him: “And this man / Is now become a god, and Cassius is / A wretched creature and must bend his body / If Caesar carelessly but nod on him” (1.2.122-125). Cassius uses hyperbole to portray Caesar as a god and himself as a creature. By including this, Shakespeare emphasizes Cassius’s true emotions. He feels inferior to Caesar, and envies his power and success. Shakespeare uncovers Cassius’s innermost thoughts through a soliloquy, where he even admits that he uses Brutus’s own honor against him. In order to convince Brutus to join his side, he puts on a huge show of being honorable and noble. If Cassius simply went up to him and revealed his honest intentions, Brutus would have never agreed to join the conspiracy. Instead, he appeals to his virtue and nobility. He deceives Brutus into thinking he is noble by offering him his bare chest and dagger, even though he is well aware of the fact that Brutus is too compassionate to kill him. He convinces Brutus that Caesar is not strong enough to rule the people: “And when the fit was on him, I did mark / How he did shake” (1.2.127-128). Through this meticulous word choice, Cassius forces Brutus to believe that Caesar is no better …show more content…
However, he pretends to be on their side so that he may get what he wants: to talk at Caesar’s funeral and turn the masses against them. He shakes all of their hands in order to assure them that he is on the same team. Shakespeare incorporates a soliloquy where Antony reveals his true motives: “O pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth, / That I am meek and gentle with these butchers” (3.1.280-281). He speaks negatively of these men, elaborating on the idea that he is only using them to get what he wants. Once he finally begins his speech to the Romans, he persuades them through rhetorical questions. He appeals to pathos as he weeps in front of the crowd: “My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar, / And I must pause till it come back to me” (3.2.116-117). By including this metaphor in his argument, Antony is able to get the crowd to empathize with him. Through these various effective methods, Antony gains the people’s support in the fight against Brutus, Cassius and the rest of the murderers. Later on, he proves to be a huge hypocrite: “Is it fit, / The threefold world divided, he should stand / One of the three to share it?” (4.1.15-17). Through this rhetorical question, Antony’s secret power-hungry nature surfaces. He previously convinced the crowd that Caesar was unjustly murdered due to mere assumptions, while here he is committing the exact same deed. He is assuming that Lepidus is too weak to share power