Julius Caesar Argumentative Essay Example For Students

Julius Caesar Argumentative Essay The era of Julius Caesar was a time when many peoples feelings toward thegovernment began to change. This was one of the first times in Roman historywhen people began to question the power of their ruler. In the play, The Tragedyof Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, we see a brief picture of this Romanlife during the time of the First Triumvirate. In this snap shot, manyunfortunate things occur as a result of these strong feelings towards thegovernment of that time. Shakespeare gives us the idea that many people try tocircumvent what the future holds, such as unfortunate things, by beingsuperstitious. Superstition seems to play a role in the basic daily life of mostRoman citizens, and exists as an important, deciding factor in the events andoutcome of the play itself. The setting of the first scene of the play is basedupon superstition. The Feast of Lupercal is in honor of the god Pan, the queenof fertility. During this time, infertile females are supposed to be able toprocreate, and fertile ones are supposed to be able to bear more. It is also asupposed time of sexual glorification and happiness. Other scenes depict howmysterious sooth-sayers, who are supposedly given the power to predict thefuture, roam the streets of Rome. Dictating what is to come through tersetidbits, these people may also be looked upon as superstitious. In the openingscene, one sooth-sayer, old in his years, warns Caesar to Beware the Idesof March, an admonition of Caesars impending death. Although sooth-sayersare looked upon by many as insane, out of touch lower classmen, a good deal ofthem, obviously including the sayer Caesar encountered, are indeed right on themark. Since they lack any formal office or shop, and they predict forthcomingswithout fee, one can see quite easily why citizens would distrust theirpredictions. Superstition, in general elements such as the Feast of Lupercal, aswell as on a personal level such as with the sooth-sayers, is an importantfactor in determining t he events and the outcome of The Tragedy of JuliusCaesar, and a significant force throughout the entire course of the play. Beforethe play fully unravels, we see other signs of Caesars tragic end. Aside fromthe sooth-sayers warning, we see another sign during Caesars visit with theAugerers, the latter day psychics. They find No heart in thebeast, which they interpret as advice to Caesar that he should remain athome. Caesar brushes it off and thinks of it as a rebuke from the gods, meaningthat he is a coward if he does not go out, and so he dismisses the wise adviceas hearsay. However, the next morning, his wife Calpurnia wakes up frighteneddue to a horrible nightmare. She tells Caesar of a battle breaking out in theheart of Rome, Which drizzled blood upon the Capitol, with Caesarpainfully dying, such that The heavens themselves blaze forth the deathof princes. Although Caesar realizes Calpurnia is truly concerned abouthis well being, he seeks another interpretation, coming to the co nclusion thatthe person who imagines the dream may not be the wisest one to interpret itsmeaning. Later Caesar tells his faithful companion Decius about it, and heinterprets it quite the contrary, That it was a vision fair andfortunate, and indeed, today is an ideal day to go out, since this is theday To give a crown to mighty Caesar. Perhaps Decius is implyinghere that today is a day where much appreciation and appraisal will be given toCaesar, surely not the endangerment of his well being as Calpurnia interpretsit. Caesar predictably agrees with him, as most citizens enjoy believing themore positive of two interpretations. After Caesars assassination at the handof Brutus, Cassius, and the rest of the conspirators, Brutus and Cassius arechased into the countryside, where we see a few superstitious signs of theirforthcoming painful death in battle. In a dream, Brutus sees Caesarsghost, interpreted as an omen of his defeat. He also looks upon theensign, and instead of the usual stock of eagles, ravens and kites replace them,construed as another sign of their loss at Phillipi. Not surprisingly, Caesarsdeath is avenged in the end, with two of the conspirators, Titanius andBrutus double suicide. The play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, by WilliamShakespeare, clearly reveals how important superstition was to the people ofRome at the time of Caesar, and to the play itself. Superstition was used by thepeople of Rome to somehow change the unfortunate occurrences that inevitablywaited for them in the future. The Romans, with their government in a state ofturmoil, wanted to believe that they were somehow in control of their destinyand the unfortunate happenings that could occur, when in fact, they were not. .u0203865132d0b1207335730ae10d7b3e , .u0203865132d0b1207335730ae10d7b3e .postImageUrl , .u0203865132d0b1207335730ae10d7b3e .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u0203865132d0b1207335730ae10d7b3e , .u0203865132d0b1207335730ae10d7b3e:hover , .u0203865132d0b1207335730ae10d7b3e:visited , .u0203865132d0b1207335730ae10d7b3e:active { border:0!important; } .u0203865132d0b1207335730ae10d7b3e .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u0203865132d0b1207335730ae10d7b3e { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u0203865132d0b1207335730ae10d7b3e:active , .u0203865132d0b1207335730ae10d7b3e:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u0203865132d0b1207335730ae10d7b3e .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u0203865132d0b1207335730ae10d7b3e .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u0203865132d0b1207335730ae10d7b3e .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u0203865132d0b1207335730ae10d7b3e .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u0203865132d0b1207335730ae10d7b3e:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u0203865132d0b1207335730ae10d7b3e .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u0203865132d0b1207335730ae10d7b3e .u0203865132d0b1207335730ae10d7b3e-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u0203865132d0b1207335730ae10d7b3e:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Punk Profile Essay The armies of Brutus and Cassius set up camps near another city and knowing that Antonys soldiers are coming, they decide to march toward the enemy at once. The fighting begins with the confrontation of the two sides, as Cassius and Brutus armies arrive. Antony and his partner challenge the assassins to fight, and the bloody battle begins. The armies of the conspirators fall into vulnerability many times, and their side does poorly, losing many men. Cassius hears mistakenly that one of his important soldiers has been captured, loses hope, and commits suicide, while Brutus feels that his army has been cornered, and throws himself onto another mans sword, killing himself also. They call off the rest of the battle, for Antonys army now had victory over Brutus and Cassius, Caesars murder had been avenged, and order had been restored. CHARACTERS:There are a couple of main characters in this story. Caesar is well liked by the citizens of Rome, yet is a somewhat arrogant man and believes himself to be above everybody else. He is given praise often and honored by events such as a holiday in his name. However, several men do not agree that Caesar should have such a high title, as they despise his character. These six men conspire to kill the emperor to end what they see as his tyranny and oppression in Rome. A man named Cassius organizes the event, while a powerful figure, Brutus, persuades Caesar to come to the senate, where he is to be killed. While the emperor argues with one of the conspirators, a man named Casca stabs him in the back, and the other men follow and wound him with their swords until he falls to the ground, dead. EVALUATION:In this play, Shakespeare gave morals to the audience about right and wrong and acting upon ones opinion. He showed that one should not bring death to someone else based on their personal desires, or whether they believe it is in the best interest of their society, for they are only one person out of the many who have a voice. He also implies that if one commits an act of wrong, justified, or not, they can expect to be punished for it by the others who were hurt by those actions.