One of the biggest themes in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar is leadership. Whether it be good or bad, the idea of leadership and what it takes to be a successful ruler comes up over and over again as the story progresses. But the real question is- what does it take to be a good leader? For the people of Rome, it means more than just having a title and conquering a few cities. A leader is someone who knows the difference between right and wrong and is able to put the needs of others before themselves. Without these two integral qualities, a person can never hope to be an affluent ruler.
In the play, Brutus is considered to be one of the strongest leaders and is often the voice of reason. He always follows his own morals over what others want …show more content…
Ultimately, it was his ambition that killed him. He was a successful conqueror and his morals were well-placed, but he put himself above the people.. One of the first and most important scenes in the play is at the very beginning when Casca is telling Brutus and Cassius about Antony offering the crown to Caesar. While Caesar does reject it, Casca tells them, “to my thinking, he was very loath to lay his fingers off it,” (1.2. 239-240). A man who did not want to be ruler would not have been so hesitant to let go. If it were not for the optics of the situation, he would have gratefully accepted the crown. However, he knew the citizens of Rome might think poorly of him if he seemed over eager, and therefore manipulated them into believing he was too humble to take it. Julius Caesar was many things, but humble was not one of them. If anything, he was easily one of the most arrogant characters in the play. He held onto his arrogance until his death. Before being stabbed, Caesar said,“I am constant as the northern star, of whose true-fixed and resting quality there is no fellow in the firmament,” (3.1. 65-67). The North Star was just as irreplaceable then as it is now, thus Caesar was saying that without him, Rome would have no direction. His god complex led him to believe no one matter as much as him. By having that mentality, he was being a terrible ruler. He did not think of the …show more content…
He was the most egotistical of all the characters, and his motivation to kill Caesar had nothing to do with helping Rome. He was envious of Caesar’s power, and manipulated Brutus as well. In the beginning of the play, he says “Caesar's ambition shall be glanced at and after this, let Caesar seat him sure, for we will shake him, or worse days endure,” (1.2. 331-334), showing his jealousy. The fact that he was willing to kill someone over his jealousy also shows that his sense of right and wrong was severely warped. While most people experience jealousy in their lives, it rarely ends in a mass conspiracy against one of Rome’s senators. The real tragedy comes when he begins to exploit Brutus’s friendship with Caesar to help his plan. He was well aware of the influence Brutus had, and knew that, “Caesar doth bear me hard, but he loves Brutus,” (1.2. 309). He used Caesar’s love for Brutus against him. Only a truly dreadful person could exploit another like
In the play, Brutus is considered to be one of the strongest leaders and is often the voice of reason. He always follows his own morals over what others want …show more content…
Ultimately, it was his ambition that killed him. He was a successful conqueror and his morals were well-placed, but he put himself above the people.. One of the first and most important scenes in the play is at the very beginning when Casca is telling Brutus and Cassius about Antony offering the crown to Caesar. While Caesar does reject it, Casca tells them, “to my thinking, he was very loath to lay his fingers off it,” (1.2. 239-240). A man who did not want to be ruler would not have been so hesitant to let go. If it were not for the optics of the situation, he would have gratefully accepted the crown. However, he knew the citizens of Rome might think poorly of him if he seemed over eager, and therefore manipulated them into believing he was too humble to take it. Julius Caesar was many things, but humble was not one of them. If anything, he was easily one of the most arrogant characters in the play. He held onto his arrogance until his death. Before being stabbed, Caesar said,“I am constant as the northern star, of whose true-fixed and resting quality there is no fellow in the firmament,” (3.1. 65-67). The North Star was just as irreplaceable then as it is now, thus Caesar was saying that without him, Rome would have no direction. His god complex led him to believe no one matter as much as him. By having that mentality, he was being a terrible ruler. He did not think of the …show more content…
He was the most egotistical of all the characters, and his motivation to kill Caesar had nothing to do with helping Rome. He was envious of Caesar’s power, and manipulated Brutus as well. In the beginning of the play, he says “Caesar's ambition shall be glanced at and after this, let Caesar seat him sure, for we will shake him, or worse days endure,” (1.2. 331-334), showing his jealousy. The fact that he was willing to kill someone over his jealousy also shows that his sense of right and wrong was severely warped. While most people experience jealousy in their lives, it rarely ends in a mass conspiracy against one of Rome’s senators. The real tragedy comes when he begins to exploit Brutus’s friendship with Caesar to help his plan. He was well aware of the influence Brutus had, and knew that, “Caesar doth bear me hard, but he loves Brutus,” (1.2. 309). He used Caesar’s love for Brutus against him. Only a truly dreadful person could exploit another like