A lot of people claim to be things that they are not in order to gain credibility from a particular crowd they might be trying to impress. The same tactic of exaggerating one’s true character is used in Many characters in Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar claim to be honorable, but they do not always come across as honorable individuals in the audience’s point of view. A lot of main characters are perceived as honorable or claim honor but participate in activities that completely disprove their point.
There are a lot of false accusations to honor exposed in this play, starting with Antony who believes that an honorable man is one who is loyal. Antony takes pride in his role as Caesar’s right-hand man by staying completely loyal to him, even …show more content…
Caesar believes that honor comes from consistency and the capability of staying true to one’s word. Caesar is consistent in a way that he is not one to go back on prior decisions or change his mind frequently. Caesar even goes as far as comparing himself to a higher force of astrology saying that he is “constant as the northern star,” when refusing to change his decision about a slave's banishment from Rome (3.1.60). During this time period, flattery was not to be taken seriously and should never influence a man’s point of view. In Caesar’s mind, not being able to stick with one’s original beliefs or opinions and easily being persuaded by others into changing one’s mind are signs of weakness and do not deserve the title of an honorable man. On the other hand, Caesar does not hold up to his own standards on the Ides of march when Caesar’s wife Calpurnia had a bad dream that predicted the death of her husband if he were to arrive at the senate that day. Caesar believed that her dream was not directed at him specifically but agreed not to go into the Senate as long as it would ease her mind. But one a nobleman, Decius, shows up and begins to flatter Caesar by telling the “most mighty Caesar” how he is too brave to believe that Rome wants him dead (CITE). He begins to tell Caesar how loved he is by the commoners and how the Senate was even going “to give this day a crown to [Caesar]” (CITE). At the mention of the crown, Caesar completely abandons the idea that going into the Senate is a bad idea, and is overcome by Decius' flattery. Caesar's actions show the audience his lack of honorable, he proves himself unworthy of that title due to his inconsistency within the
There are a lot of false accusations to honor exposed in this play, starting with Antony who believes that an honorable man is one who is loyal. Antony takes pride in his role as Caesar’s right-hand man by staying completely loyal to him, even …show more content…
Caesar believes that honor comes from consistency and the capability of staying true to one’s word. Caesar is consistent in a way that he is not one to go back on prior decisions or change his mind frequently. Caesar even goes as far as comparing himself to a higher force of astrology saying that he is “constant as the northern star,” when refusing to change his decision about a slave's banishment from Rome (3.1.60). During this time period, flattery was not to be taken seriously and should never influence a man’s point of view. In Caesar’s mind, not being able to stick with one’s original beliefs or opinions and easily being persuaded by others into changing one’s mind are signs of weakness and do not deserve the title of an honorable man. On the other hand, Caesar does not hold up to his own standards on the Ides of march when Caesar’s wife Calpurnia had a bad dream that predicted the death of her husband if he were to arrive at the senate that day. Caesar believed that her dream was not directed at him specifically but agreed not to go into the Senate as long as it would ease her mind. But one a nobleman, Decius, shows up and begins to flatter Caesar by telling the “most mighty Caesar” how he is too brave to believe that Rome wants him dead (CITE). He begins to tell Caesar how loved he is by the commoners and how the Senate was even going “to give this day a crown to [Caesar]” (CITE). At the mention of the crown, Caesar completely abandons the idea that going into the Senate is a bad idea, and is overcome by Decius' flattery. Caesar's actions show the audience his lack of honorable, he proves himself unworthy of that title due to his inconsistency within the