Sarah Cullen
Mr. Riskind
Caesar Final Essay
12/18/14
Deception and Manipulation (question #6)
No matter how hard a person tries, they will never be able to avoid being manipulated or tricked by someone in their life. Most people want to assume the best and trust others, but unfortunately the world is full of manipulative and deceiving people. William Shakespeare’s, “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar,” shows the worst characteristics of Ancient Rome such as betrayal, conspiracies, and gory battles resulting in countless deaths and suicides (THESIS). However, none of these characteristics are as crucial for the development of the story as the power of manipulation and deception, which Shakespeare uses with characters like Cassius and Antony, to move the plot forward and let key events take place (THESIS).
Cassius was the first person to use deception and manipulation in the play in order to get Brutus to join the conspiracy(TS). Cassius started this manipulation at the Feast of Luprical in Act One when he tried to persuade Brutus to join the conspiracy by telling him that Caesar was no more worthy of being emperor than Brutus himself (CD). He described Caesars many physical weaknesses, such as his falling sickness or his inability to swim for distances (CD). Cassius had hoped that Brutus would agree to help kill Caesar by explaining to him how bad of a leader Caesar would be to Rome (CM). After Cassius’ manipulative words, Brutus began to second guess himself and
Lydia Stock Mrs. Jex Language arts 03 January 2023 Antony’s persuasion Essay Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare, Conspiracy and the assassination of Caesar, In William Shakespear’s famous historical play, Julius Caesar, political intrigue and the conspiracy lead to the assassination of one of the world’s most prominent and controversial leaders of all time. In order for Antony to persuade the people of Rome of the wrongdoing of the liberators, he uses ethos, pathos, and logos. In order for Antony to persuade the people of Rome of the wrongdoing of the liberators, he uses ethos, pathos, and logos.
Derry Pinkston mrs. Tamayo American Literature 2/28/2017 More Power than weapons! People use emotions and logical manipulation: which allows manipulators to use words as weapons.
Corruption is defined as dishonest or illegal behavior, especially by powerful people, and just like its definition, corruption and power go hand in hand. The more power a person has, generally, the easier it is for them to be corrupted. Just like in Julius Caesar where power and corruption are very prevalent, and most of the leaders in Julius Caesar became corrupted by their power, but in some rare cases leaders have avoided corruption, these people are very valuable in society, and must not be taken for granted. Just like many other leaders in Julius Caesar, Caesar was corrupted by his power. He wasn’t corrupt in the normal sense, he was socially corrupt in the fact that he didn’t stick to the social norms of respecting fellow senators in
While Brutus maintains noble intentions, Cassius goes into this scheme with every intention of leaving everyone else behind to claim the power for himself, as he has been compelled by their society to do. Cassius tells Brutus that Caesar “doth bestride the narrow world like a Colossus” while convincing him that Caesar is accumulating too much power for one man, despite harboring the belief that all of that power should be his (JC I.ii.142-143). To further prove his point to Brutus, Cassius gives Brutus fake letters telling him that the common people would rather have Brutus in charge than Caesar. While this is just Cassius himself manipulating Brutus, Cassius is motivated by the pressures of their society and Brutus, motivated by the belief that his society wants him to, joins the conspirators in their plot to kill Caesar and take power for themselves. Caught in a vicious cycle of societal pressure, these men continue to fight for power even after they achieve their original goal as evidenced by the civil war that breaks out following the assassination of Julius
First, Cassius uses ethos, pathos and logos to manipulate Brutus into joining the conspirators. When Cassius first mentions joining the conspirators Brutus is sceptical and asks him “into what
Although Cassius and Brutus play significant roles in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, both men differ in their rank, views of justice, and possess contrasting personalities. Both men knew Caesar but differed in their motives to kill him. For example, the reader may view Brutus as a hero who desires fair treatment in Rome. Cassius may be looked upon as a manipulative and jealous man seeking to fulfill his own agenda. Despite Brutus’ decision to kill Caesar, it can be argued that he is a man of virtue while Cassius is a man of vice.
Marcus Brutus and Cassius are both strong characters in William Shakespeare 's Julius Caesar; but Brutus is the only character who experiences a crucial change towards the end of the drama, which makes him the dynamic character. Brutus can be considered the dynamic character in William Shakespeare 's Julius Caesar. Brutus ' role changes from the beginning of the play to the end while Cassius remains fairly constant. At first he is known as Caesar 's dear friend. He then joins a conspiracy to kill Caesar.
Unfortunately, Cassius uses Brutus’ altruistic characteristic and devout loyalty against him by sending fake letters with concerns regarding the crowning of Caesar for Brutus to read and be persuaded to join the conspirators. Cassius’ manipulation of Brutus serves as an example of how Shakespeare
In William Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar, Marc Antony appears to be a strong advocate for Julius Caesar’s triumphs and increasing power. However, like Caesar, Antony is extremely manipulative and powerful. After Caesar’s death, Antony manipulated the conspirators into believing he was on their side before requesting to speak at Caesar’s funeral. While Brutus and the conspirators remained fooled by Antony’s innocence, Antony took the initiative to inform the Roman citizens of the conspirator’s horrendous actions towards their beloved leader, Julius Caesar. Caesar’s funeral was a time of reflection for the citizens of Rome, as Marc Antony caused them to question their allegiance to Brutus.
Cassius saves the life of Caesar, sees him beg for water, and witnesses his epileptic seizure. From these weaknesses, Cassius finds himself to be just as worthy of the crown as is Caesar. His reasons are emotionally tied to getting rid of Caesar, Brutus chooses to become a conspirator for the good of Rome. He does not know how Caesar will use his power.
Cassius wants Brutus to think that if Throughout the play Julius Caesar, written by William shakespeare, Cassius uses manipulation to form his group of conspirators and make them perform his biddings. Most importantly, Cassius turns Brutus, one of Caesar’s greatest friends, to his side through various creative tactics. Body 1: During the Feast of Lupercal, Cassius pulls Brutus aside to begin his manipulative plan. Cassius explains to Brutus that “Men are sometimes masters of their fates”. They have the potential to change their future.
Brutus is without a doubt the most noble character in this play. Nonetheless, his impeccable sense of morality also blindfolds him to other people’s sordid motives and makes him easy to be manipulated. Indeed, Brutus is easily manipulated by Cassius in Act 1, Scene 2. In hope to convince Brutus to join the conspirators, Cassius says “Men at some time are masters of their fates: The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings” (1.2.150-152). As a result, Brutus starts to believes that it is his job to murder Caesar, as he says in Act 2, Scene 1: “It must be by his death: and for my part, I know no personal cause to spurn at him, but for the general” (2.1.14-16).
There are a lot of different themes that could be used to describe the play of Julius Caesar. Power is a big part of the play and is probably the best theme of it. Throughout the play, power has a big impact on the story line and the way the story goes. It is evident to the conspirators that Julius Caesar is headed for absolute power; he becomes a threat to the ideals and values of the Roman Republic. They assassinate Caesar before he can be crowned king.
These statements mixed with examples counteractive to Brutus’ argument create an antithesis that results in the plebeians not only doubting the argument of Brutus but beginning to believe that Caesar’s death was unjust. By restating the statements over and over again by to the point that the true intention of the conspirators is a rhetorical question for the plebeians. Antony’s use of this device not only affects the logos of the people by giving them a rhetorical question as to what is happening, but also affects their ethos by causing them to doubt the credibility of Brutus’ argument. Lastly, Antony begins to finish his speech and win the plebeians over by orating “.O masters, if I were disposed to stir your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage, I should do Brutus wrong, and Cassius wrong— who, you all know, are honorable men” (Shakespeare 3.2.120-123). Antony by turning Brutus and Cassius into villains.
Sin’s Perpetrator and Victim Human desire knows no bounds; everyone thirsts for something. Some thirst for power, some for wealth, and others for truth. This thirst is a driving factor for most actions, but it is not always for the best. Nowhere else are the dangers of wanting more prevalent than in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. The underlying premise of the play is that one’s own ambition can end up destroying him/her and creating unintended chaos.