The Victimization of Rome
The fate of Mankind's greatest civilizations has always been determined by the whims of their masters. Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Julius Caesar illustrates how man destroys the purity of his ideal civilizations through ambition. The Roman Republic was the world's crown jewel until the selfish desires of men tarnished it with their foolish aspirations, turning the greatest civilization of ancient times into a victim of tragedy and corruption. The play reveals how man's utopian ideals are warped by selfish desires, wrecking any chance at perfection.
According to Cassius and the conspirators, Caesar is dangerous because he wishes to be king, and that a Rome ruled by Caesar would be calamitous. To bolster his case, Cassius cites Caesar's history of infirmities to Brutus in order to portray Caesar as a cripple unfit to rule a country like Rome. Cassius is jealous that Caesar is physically weak yet the people revere him as a hero, while Cassius finds himself left in obscurity. According to Cassius, if Caesar were to rule Rome, the Republic would become just like its leader, weak and plagued by disability. Cassius fears that Caesar's rising power will further cripple the people, stating that a king would restrict the rights of noble citizens when they should always "be the masters of their fates" (I. ii. 47.). Cassius hates the idea of a weak man like Caesar in charge of Rome's destiny, as well as having his own personal freedoms stripped away. Driven by jealousy, Cassius believes that the only way to save the Republic is to murder its greatest champion. Patriotic Brutus is soon convinced that Caesar must be eliminated, as he expresses that Caesar will be "…scorning the base degrees from which he did ascend" (II. i. 26.), leaving the citizens as the Republic as mere pawns in a campaign of domination. Brutus' greatest loyalty is to the Republic, and in his mind no man should have the right to tamper with the stability of Rome. Without Rome, Brutus would be a shell of a man, and he fears that Caesar's rise to power would destroy the ideals he holds true, and in turn destroy Brutus as well. Thus, Brutus joins Cassius and his conspiracy to remove Caesar permanently, not knowing that their actions are only hurting the great Republic that they serve willingly.
The conspirators band together under Brutus and Cassius, but it is Brutus' loyalties to the Republic that truly unites them. Brutus views Rome as an idea greater than himself, and Cassius uses this to his advantage when he thinks of how Brutus' "honorable mettle may be wrought from that it is disposed". (I. ii. 93.) Cassius plans to let Brutus' patriotism blind him by manipulating Brutus into thinking that murdering Caesar would be for 'justice's sake'. Brutus falls into Cassius' trap, thus entering a conspiracy that will bring an end to the Roman Republic through violence. Brutus' ideas of justice are in fact instruments of corruption, a fact that he does not realize until the moment of his death. He relishes the violent deeds he has done, and tells the other conspirators to "bathe our hands in Caesar's blood" (III. i. 106.), to show the world how they have saved Rome. The conspirators do not see that the blood on their hands will eventually mark them as traitors. But Brutus does not wish to be classified as a lowly murderer, and thus starts to preach about the 'just cause' of the conspirators. He even begins to use his beloved Rome as a scapegoat for murder, stating that he had committed violence not because he had "loved Caesar less", but that he "loved Rome more." (III. ii. 22.) Brutus does not want the murder of Caesar to tarnish his honor, so instead he uses the 'state of the Republic' as an excuse. Brutus is driven by honor and loyalty, yet he fails to realize that these noble qualities have blinded him from the severity of his actions, as well as the consequences that came with them. By killing Caesar, Brutus and the conspirators ironically transformed him into a martyr for the people of Rome, thus magnifying his power and undermining the sanctity of the great Republic they were trying to save.
The murder of Julius Caesar plunged the Roman Republic into its death throes, while the conspirators campaigned on the side of 'justice'. The conspirators cry out with joy that with the fall of Caesar " Tyranny is dead!" (III. i. 80.), but their bliss is short lived, as their acts have only started a chain reaction that will lead to the downfall of their Republic. The conspirators fail to realize that their quest to liberate Rome from Caesar's iron fist is only a prelude to anarchy and chaos. Mark Antony rises up during the chaos following Caesar's death, and uses it to his advantage by depicting how treacherous the murder of Caesar was. Antony eloquently states that since the conspirators have killed one of the "noblest men that ever lived in the tide of our times" (III. ii. 77-78.) he will wreck havoc and promises to "let slip the dogs of war" (III. ii. 273.) to avenge Caesar. Antony sees how the conspirators have become blinded by their loyalties to the Republic, and that with Caesar's death, the Republic has now been tainted forever. Antony then uses his words to bring the Republic, which the conspirators killed for, against them. He tells the crowd during Caesar's eulogy that Brutus was "Caesar's angel" (III. ii. 182.) amongst a crowd of antagonists, and therefore his treachery was the most significant. The plebeians are deeply moved by Antony's seemingly harmless speech, and Rome is plunged into a state of war and chaos as a mob tries to destroy the conspirators. The conspirators soon realize that their call for justice was short lived, and one by one they commit suicide. The Rome that Brutus and Cassius fought for was destroyed by their very actions, as Antony and Octavius eventually rise up to seize absolute power and declare the Roman Republic obsolete.
Man's incessant need for control creates skewed understandings of 'justice and equality'. Brutus and Cassius never realized that their quest for a Caesar-less Rome would in fact destroy the heart and spirit of the Republic they cherished. With Caesar gone, the glorious Republic became unstable and fell, ironically at the ends of the men who attempted to save it. Perhaps the most tragic flaw of mankind is its ability to build up glorious civilizations, and then tear them down when the results of their efforts do not satisfy the needs of a few. Civilizations may rise and fall but man's desire to control does not change at all.
Analysis
This sample English essay was written for an Honors English course. It is a well-written piece and is logically organized. The paragraph about Brutus falling into Cassius' trap is nicely argued, as it extensively uses quotes to show how Brutus' good intentions were his undoing. Likewise, the paragraph about Antony successfully adds another dimension to the paper and explains how Caesar's assassination only results in tragedy for the conspirators.
The essay could be improved by simplifying some sentences. For example, the sentence "Brutus falls into Cassius' trap, thus entering a conspiracy that will bring an end to the Roman Republic through violence" can be simplified to "When Brutus falls for Cassius' trap, he becomes part of the conspiracy that will bring a violent end to the Roman Republic."
Likewise, the last sentence of this essay ends up rhyming, which comes across as corny. While some teachers may find this humorous, students should make sure their essay ends on a moment that makes their teacher say "Wow" instead of "Why does this sentence rhyme?"
1,124 words / 4 pages
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