Julius Caesar 4 Essay, Research Paper

There are many themes to the play “Julius Caesar” by William Shakespear. Shakespear developed a few themes throughout his play, the betrayal of friends, the power of a good speaker and the power of peer pressure. There are a few characteristics of a good theme. A good theme has: well developed characters, is well supported and after reading the play the reader takes something away. The strongest theme in the play “Julius Caesar” was, how power corrupts people.

Caesar begins to become corrupted at the beginning of the play when he returns from war. He is immediately greeted with a mob of people chanting his name. Throughout the play Shakespear portrayed Caesar as being a vain, superstitious dictator who sees himself at the center of the world. He represented a threat to those who wished to retain a republican government and political freedom. Caesar wanted deeply to become king. Mark Antony offered him the crown on three occasions and on each, he refused because he knew that the people did not want a tyrant. Caesar became so overwhelmed that he had a epletic seizure when he had to deny the crown for the third time. Caesar’s power caused him to become arrogant and overruling.

Mark Antony was the second character in the story that was corrupted by his need for power. After Caesar’s death he seamed to see a chance for himself to gain power and perhaps become king. Antony makes a speech to the village people about the death of his best friend Caesar. In his speech, he uses sarcasm in order to change the audience into a crazy mob. By the end of his speech, the mob was thirsty for the conspirators blood. Antony presses to destroy Caesars killers.

Cassius and Brutus were the most power thirsty characters. Cassius caused Brutus to become power thirsty, after he feared that Caesar was going to become a tyrant and that he, ” is now a god”. Cassius is a man with a keen insight, jealous of Caesar and resentful of the authority which the dictator has gained. He is willing to use any means, in order to reach the results that he wants. Cassius is a man that is more concerned with practical matters than ethics or morality. Cassius wants Brutus to join the conspiracy, because he is well loved by the people. Brutus isn’t easily taken, but he soon gives in. In a meeting at Brutise’s orchard the esambled conspiricy holds a meeting. They plan to murder ceasaer in the Idles of march (or on March 15). The day comes and the conspirators lure him to the senate chambers. One by, one the conspeciors took swings at the dicator with there soards. When Ceasar was dead, they covered their arms in blood and went into the center of town. The play ends with two very confused friends. Brutis and Casius both take their own life beacuse neither one can stand to face defeat. Cassius becomes mistaken that all is lost and Brutus unable to face defeat walks into his own sword.

In the play “Julius Caesar” the strongest and main theme is how power affected different characters in the play. Caesar was immediately affected when he realized that he was being praised as a god. Secondly, Mark Antony was affected by power. He persuaded the mob with sarcasm to rebel against the conspirators. The most important change in characters was the change in Brutius and Cassius. Cassius became jealous of Ceasar’s fame. He lead Brutus and the other conspirators to kill the “future tyrant.” Many characters have changed throughout the play because of their “need” for power. In the end, however, each one was punished or deeply brought down by some unknown force, proving that destiny is inevitable.