Julius Caesar's Downfall Essay

William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar shows the rise to power of a famous general along with the downfall of one of the greatest Empires the world has ever known. Gaius Julius Caesar is believed to have come to power in late February, 44 BC. On the day of his murder, he came to the senate floor and was greeted by his friends. They were begging for Publius Cimber to not be banished, yet Caesar remained in his position comparing himself the northern star. He considers himself more than the average man, as if he is more powerful and honorable than his peers. Caesar’s ambition for total control of Rome was what catapulted him to the main stage, but was also what ultimately caused his downfall.
In the opening scene of the book, Caesar is seen parading
He formed an alliance with Octavius, Caesar’s nephew. Octavius took over as emperor when the armies of Brutus and Cassius were defeated. Shakespeare sets up a dilemma of if Brutus and the conspirators did what was right. Caesar is clearly ambitious for the crown, but would it have been better for him to have it than all the others that held complete power down the line? Did Brutus really liberate Rome, or simply bring it closer to its fall? The answer is easier to discuss in hindsight, saying that Rome was worse off from the murder of Caesar. However, Shakespeare shows that Brutus truly cared about the Republic. The other conspirator’s motives were murky, even Cassius had begun acts of bribery before the war with tyranny was over. Brutus clearly only did it for what he perceived to be the betterment of Rome. He could have killed Antony, but decided instead they would be liberators and not “butchers” (2.1.180). At the end of the play Antony delivers one of the most powerful lines of the play saying, “He only in general honest thought and common good…” (5.5.78). Even Antony, who ironically turned the general public against Brutus in his funeral oration for Caesar, understood the pure intentions of Brutus and praised him in his funeral