Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare and The Life of...

No matter how hard one tries to avoid being manipulated, it is impossible to avoid all sources such as documents, leaders and friends. Manipulation, the ability to alter the position or influence a person, occurs everywhere one goes. Throughout Julius Caesar by Shakespeare and The Life of Caesar by Plutarch, the theme of manipulation was revealed through countless instances showing both its sources and effects. Several of the characters in both accounts, such as Brutus, Caesar, and the people of Rome, were manipulated one time or another, by sources such as their close friends who merely desired their ideas and plans to continue forward. Cassius, an envious and ambitious man, did not approve of what Caesar was doing as ruler and believed†¦show more content†¦Decius came and distorted the interpretation to make it seem positive and that nothing bad would happen to him. One of the aspects of the dream that Decius altered to focus on positive outcomes, was his statue spouting blood in many pipes. He changed the idea so that the blood symbolized reviving blood, that all would use for benefit. Caesar trusted Decius’ explanation of the dream and exclaimed â€Å"How foolish do your fears seem now, Calpurnia! I am ashamed I did yield to them. Give me my robe, for I will go.† (Shakespeare 31) Decius made his interpretation appear much more desirable than Calpurnias and tricked Caesar. Even though it was only a miniscule change in the eyes of Caesar, little did he know it would send him to his death. After Caesars death, Brutus brought out the body and showed it to the people. He gave a speech and told the people â€Å"If there be any in this assembly, any dear friend of Caesars, to him I say, that Brutus love to Caesar was no less than his. If then that friend demand why Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer: not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.† (Shakespeare 45) Brutus told the people this to manipulate into thinking that he had done this to protect Rome, because Caesar was stealing all of the authority and leaving everyone else powerless. This was not theShow MoreRelatedA Historical Overview Of Julius Caesar Essay1452 Words   |  6 PagesA Historical Overview of Julius Caesar (Shakespeare style) The fate of a nation determined by one man. With classic alliances and betrayals, the tale of Julius Caesar is still regarded as one of the greatest betrayals in human history. The fate of Rome was heading toward a dictatorship. Only the Roman Republic could stop Julius Caesar from ruling Rome. Little did the Roman Republic know that this assassination would later cause Octavian Caesar to become the first Emperor of the Roman Empire in 27Read MoreLiterary Analysis of the Tragedy of Julius Caesar773 Words   |  4 PagesAnalysis of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar William Shakespeare wrote his play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, so that his readers could have an idea of the lives, wars, and conflicts during the roman times. Shakespeare may have written the play because of his interest in history. He studied the writings of the historian Plutarch, who was alive at the same time as Caesar and wrote about his life. He also needed a job and money, and he had a fear of Queen Elizabeth dying. Shakespeare loved her and he fearedRead MoreJulius Caesar s Death And The Fallout After It1721 Words   |  7 PagesWilliam Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar is one of his most monumental plays that cover Julius Caesar’s death and the fallout after it. He got the material for this play from a Greek writing called the Life of Julius Caesar. This was actually a famous biography written by Plutarch in the first century, I was later translated by Sir Thomas North in 1579. Published in 1599 this play is assumed to be the first to be ever preformed in the famous Globe Theater, it was a smash success that moved audiencesRead MoreThe Cleverness of Marcus Brutus735 Words   |  3 Pageswanted Julius Caesar to die, therefore when Cassius and the other conspirators tried to get him to get in on the plan he took advantage of it. It may seem that he was very uneasy about the plan that, but that is what he wanted people such as Casca, Cassius, Trebonius, etc. to think. He did very well at taking the blame off of himself. Marcus Brutus was a very political guy in reality. He was good at addressing a crowd in public. He was good at being on point. This of course is the real life BrutusRead More Female Power, Maternity and Genderbending in Shakespeares Antony and Cleopatra3164 Words   |  13 PagesFemale Power, Maternity and Genderbending in Shakespeares Antony and Cleopatra The 19th century essayist and literary critic William Hazlitt wrote of Cleopatra, She is voluptuous, ostentatious, conscious, boastful of her charms, haughty, tyrannical, [and] fickle, which are great and unpardonable faults (Hazlitt 2-3). Much of the criticism of Antony and Cleopatra has recycled this judgement, depicting Cleopatra as a villainess uses her eroticism and sexuality to motivate Antony toRead MoreComparing the Speeches of Mark Antony and Brutus in Julius Caesar2122 Words   |  9 PagesSpeeches of Mark Antony and Brutus in Julius Caesar The play Julius Caesar was first performed in 1599 at the Globe theatre in London. The Globe theatre was built earlier that year and Julius Caesar was one of the first plays performed there. This gives us reason to believe that the play was written towards the end of 1598 and beginning of 1599. William Shakespeare wrote the play Julius Caesar because Plutarchs Lives, William Shakespeares source of history, allowedRead MoreThe Renaissance and It’s Affect on William Shakespeare’s Works2369 Words   |  10 PagesIt’s very easy to see William Shakespeare as an amazing literary genius who had a perspective on life that, to simply put it, no one else has ever had. However Shakespeare was the product of the English Renaissance. The English Renaissance was a cultural and artistic movement spanning from the later 15th century until the early 17th century, it is associated with the Italian Renaissance which started in the 14th century. Like most of northern Europe, England did not get the full effect of the RenaissanceRead More Julius Caesar: The Peoples Dictator Essay example2917 Words   |  12 Pages Julius Caesar has always been an important, well-known figure in history. His name still lives on, two thousand years after his death. Even the terms Kaiser and Tsar are renditions of Caesar. To this day, the name C aesar conjures images of ancient Rome, conspiracies, intrigue, and murder. Thanks to William Shakespeare, most people know that he was betrayed and killed by his friends. But what made Caesar so fascinating that Shakespeare would choose to write about Caesar over fifteenRead MoreEssay about The Life of William Shakespeare1274 Words   |  6 Pages William Shakespeare was a very talented man known for his various works of literature. His works include poems, plays, and sonnets. His works are then broken down into tragedies, comedies, and histories. Shakespeare left this world centuries ago, but his writings continue to live throughout the world today. He has greatly impacted the world of literature and his existence will forever be remembered. In 1564, William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon (Hazell 32). It seems thatRead More Corruption and Ambition in Macbeth Essay examples2125 Words   |  9 Pagesis not an easy task. The works of William Shakespeare (1564-1616) have, more than once, proved worthy of the title classic. Not only does his work hold up, as he wished, a mirror to his own society, but manages to reflect what is going on much later, and indeed, may be relevant well into the next millennium, if civilization continues to peruse Shakespeares writing. A study of the character of Macbeth, essentially reveals the parallels that Shakespeare draws with the human condition through