Top-Rated Free Essay
Preview

Friendship theme In Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar"

Satisfactory Essays
405 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Friendship theme In Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar"
Friendship theme

In Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" , the theme of friendship plays a significant role , it affects the plot in many ways, in which it seals Caesar's fate. Friendship also, helps Cassuis , Brutus , and the other conspirators to complete their conspiracy . In the other hand , it leads Caesar to trust and never suspect them. The conspirators use manipulation and flattery to gain Caesar's trust. In the play , Caesar has a lot of friends , one of them is cassus , he is not a close friend , Caesar even reveled to Antony that he does not trust Cassus " he is to lean and thin " but he never suspects cassus to kill him . cassus uses his cunning to act nice to ceasar and visits his house at the 15th if march . He also refers to him as “most mighty”. This made Caesar more comfortable with him and he trusted him more. A very close friend of Caesar is Mark Antony, he is a Youngman given to sports and games , and merrymaking in general . His love for Caesar is prominently set forth .When Caesar is killed by the conspirators , Antony is angry , but there is no affection in the motion he shows upon the death of Caesar. He deceives Brutus and the other conspirators with his keen wit and sweet talk, which gained their trust and friendship. He expresses his love for Caesar not only when could show it with safety , but also in the very presence of his enemies . he asks Brutus to speak at Caesar's funeral , Brutus commit one if his greatest mistakes when he allowed Antony to speak to the crowd. Cassius wisely fears "the ingrafted love he bears to Caesar". Brutus tries to convince Cassuis that letting Antony say few words to the crowds will do no harm for them “What Antony shall speak I will protest. He speaks by leave and by permission, and that we are contented Caesar shall have all true rights and lawful ceremonies. It shall advantage us more than do us wrong.” "Antony speaks to the people and uses his witty charm and words. He starts off with, “You gentle Romans, Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your eyes.” Antony cleverly manipulates the plebeians to loathe Brutus. This betrayal towards Brutus is all because of Caesar’s death and this leads to a war."

Another example of the frinship in the play , is the frinshep between Caesar and Brutus . the are close friends .

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Cassius's perspective is very much that Caesar is a mere man and no better than any other Roman. 'I was born as free as Caesar, so were you.' His recollection of the time he saved Caesar from drowning had a great influence on his view on Caesar, “Tis true, this god did shake.” He ironically utilizes the term ‘god’ as he was astonished that a man of such physical weakness can now have the reputation of greatness, “'Ye gods, it doth amaze me / A man of such a feeble temper should / So get the start of the majestic world.” Cassius’ soliloquy exposes his deceit and manipulation, “Well, Brutus, thou art noble; yet I see Thy honourable metal may be wrought from that it is disposed.” His play on words showing his belief that he will be able to manipulate Brutus; honourable “mettle,” as if it were heated metal being changed into something new and finally target Caesar with his own loved companion. There is an element of personal jealousy in Cassius. It is evident in his metaphorical language:, 'Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world / Like a Colossus and we petty men' His simile of ‘Colossus’ also produces imagery of the flawed Caesar. Cassius represents Caesar as a tyrant. Cassius takes it personally and will act on the matter. Therefore, through a variety of literary techniques, embedded in various character convictions and opposing views, Shakespeare is able to blur…

    • 1105 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Roman's godlike worship of Caesar threatens the prominence of the Senate. To retain his dominance Mark Antony chooses to become a close ally to him. Cassius, Brutus, and the other conspirators however, plot Caesar’s demise. In the end, Mark Antony finds high esteem and the conspirators receive banishment and death. The play is an example, or maybe even a warning, that our actions and reactions have real effects. Brutus, Cassius, Casca, Cinna, Trebonius, and Cimber respond swiftly and without thought to Caesar’s rise and pay a heavy price for it in the end. Mark Antony sees the worth in being Caesar’s friend, and their friendship benefits him when Caesar is dead. In the play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare the principal characters' initial reactions to Caesar’s rise affect their conclusive outcomes.…

    • 669 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Antony said he would not speak poorly about any of the conspirators, but he found away around it by using repetition (III,ii,84-96). He would question the characteristics of Caesar given from the conspirators to the people. Once he started to get the plebeians to think, he decides to show Julius’s stab wounds through his cloak. Antony tells them how he remembers the first time Caesar wore that cloak. Now, as he tells the story behind it, he has the people’s pity. With the people’s pity, they will beg to hear anything else about the great Caesar. Antony states that he has Caesar’s will with all the items Caesar gave to the great people, but he does not feel it is right to share the words written. The commoners beg until they hear it. Antony can now explain how the conspirators made even more of a mistake (III,ii,241-244;249-254).…

    • 538 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The play called Julius Caesar is about the great Roman leader and his rise to power and fall from power. In the play, a character named Antony was a deeply loyal follower of Julius Caesar and when Julius is betrayed by his companions, Antony cowardly took to their side, as to be allowed to talk at Caesar’s funeral. At the funeral, however, he gives a speech that turns the crowd against the conspirators. Antony’s strategies in the funeral speech proved effective and a good use of rhetorics.…

    • 902 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In his speech during Caesar's funeral, Mark Antony tries to persuade the Plebeians that what the conspirators did to Caesar was not acceptable and something must be done, and this creates a critical and disappointed tone. During the beginning of Antony’s speech, he established his main ideas, and showed that he was different from Brutus. In fact, his first line, “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears”(3.2.82) tells a lot. Antony uses the word “friends” first, and this differs from Brutus because he said “Romans” first. This shows what Antony thinks is most important, which is friendship.…

    • 1022 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Cassies Conspires

    • 667 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In the play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, written by William Shakespeare, there are a few characters with great soliloquies, who have an extremely dramatic effect on the plot of the story. One of those characters happens to be Cassius, Caesar’s enemy. During Act I, scene ii, Cassius starts plotting against Caesar, as he is now the new leader of Rome. Although Cassius is the one going against Caesar, he manipulates Brutus, Caesar’s…

    • 667 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    First off, Antony was a genius in how he presented his speech to the populous with how he sparked so many different emotions in them. In the beginning of his speech Antony sparks impatience in the Roman people by making them want to hear what Caesar has left them in his will. And when he finally tells them what he included in it, he made them feel melancholy towards their deceased leader who was described by Antony as a noble and respectable man who cared only for the people and the country that he was about to rule over. But very quickly after that, the audience of Antony’s became enraged towards the men who had called themselves his friends and killed Caesar. They wanted to murder them all and avenge their beloved leader. Antony told them not to be angry, but he clearly did this on purpose because he too wanted to avenge Caesar’s death. He very skillfully manipulated these people’s feelings and made them vengeful as he wanted them to be.…

    • 582 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Cassius recognizes Brutus’s doubts and capitalizes on them. Cassius persuades Brutus that Caesar is not a fit ruler, and that to Brutus is held in higher regard by many. Cassius’s influence solidifies Brutus feelings that although Caesar was a great man he was too ambitious for the good of Rome, and he agrees to assist the conspirators in their plot to kill Caesar. After Caesar is dead Brutus defends his actions to the crowd at Caesars funeral.…

    • 478 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Decius Brutus and Mark Antony, both Roman Senators, eulogize Julius Caesar, each using a different technique and approach. Brutus, in a somewhat arrogant, to the point, eulogy, attempts to sway the people. He justifies conspiring against Caesar by stating that Caesar's ambition would have hurt Rome. However, in Antony's eulogy, he focuses on Caesar's positive traits, and cunningly disproves Brutus' justification for killing Caesar. The fickle Romans waver between leaders, responding emotionally, rather than intellectually, to the orators.<br><br>Brutus seeks to explain why he conspired against Caesar. He begins his speech with "Romans, countrymen ...", appealing to their consciousness as citizens of Rome, who,…

    • 844 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Jealousy In Julius Caesar

    • 913 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The character Cassius in the tragedy of Julius Caesar by Shakespeare constantly reflects palpable jealousy. In Act I Scene II, Cassius claims “I was born free as Caesar; so were you:/We both have fed as well, and we both/Endure the winter’s cold as well as he…”(Shakespeare, lines 5-7); and feels king Caesar does not deserve superiority over him. In this scene, Cassius is pointing out to Brutus that he and Cassius deserve the power to lead Rome more than Caesar. In order to prove these points, Cassius shares three stories with Brutus in his speech: one of when he and Caesar had a swimming contest; another when he saw Caesar sickly and frail after a fever; and lastly one where Caesar again is portrayed as a weak and sickly man. In the monologue by Cassius directed at Brutus, Cassius uses paradox, self-heroic word choice and similes throughout three separate stories to give examples of Caesar’s weaknesses. Cassius’ main goal becomes to portray Caesar as any other man; and to rationalize killing the king to gain power for (what he…

    • 913 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Before his speech begins, the whole crowd is going wild with overwhelming support for Brutus. Knowing this, Antony is quickly able to capture the attention of the people by saying, “For Brutus’ sake, I am beholding to you” (64). By starting off with saying that Brutus endorses whatever Antony is able to say, they are suddenly more curious to hear what he say and what exactly their beloved Brutus approves of. By saying this, Antony is able to borrow Brutus’ honest reputation and use it as his own. Towards the end of his speech, Antony borrows Caesar’s renewed ethos, once again merging voices and giving Antony even more credibility. He asks the audience, “Wherein hath Caesar thus deserved your love?” (234). Antony successfully borrows Caesar’s great reputation and increases his credibility for the people to trust him.…

    • 684 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Building upon Brutus’s opening statement, Marc Antony begins his speech with “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;” By putting “Friends” first, Antony appeals to the people on a more personal level than Brutus, and sets a more informal tone for the rest of his speech, making himself part of the crowd instead of someone above it. Throughout his speech, he also predominantly uses “you” and “your”, only using personal programs when relating anecdotes about Caesar. This draws attention to the people…

    • 1015 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Cicero On Friendship

    • 915 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Marcus Tullius Cicero was the greatest and most prolific prose-writer of the Romans. Cicero’s writing On Friendship is one of his greatest. Almost everyone can relate to something in the text and find it very uplifting. Everyone has friends, which is why many can relate very easily to the text. Cicero identifies multiple characteristics of friendship throughout this writing. Cicero supports that people should choose their friends very wisely, and share everything with those friends. With saying this Cicero believed that loyalty and honesty are key components to having a good friendship. Cicero presents his essential views of friendship and proceeds to give practical advice on how to find and maintain good friends.…

    • 915 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Tragedy of julius Caesar is a twisted play the that is filled with conspirators and surprising actions from friends that turn into enemies, and enemies that turn into allies. Brutus states, “Not that i loved caesar less i loved Rome more” (Shakespeare 3.2.21-22) does things for the right reason not the wrong, he is doing things for Rome not for him and the conspirators have jealousy. The assassination of Caesar is tragic. There are many scenes that are delicately portrayed, and many conspirators are very mad at Caesar and jealous, “beware the ides of March”. Caesar feels that Calpurnia has misinterpreted her dream. But that will not be the case.…

    • 829 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Julius Caesar Composition

    • 600 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In the “Tragedy of Julius Caesar”, Cassius tries to convince Brutus to be King and to kill Caesar for the good of Rome. For example, when Cassius tells Brutus a story of a flood “For once, upon a raw and gusty day, The troubled Tiber chafing with her shores, Caesar said to me “Darest thou, Cassius, now Leap in with me into this angry flood, And swim to yonder point?”/Caesar cried Help me, Cassius, or I sink”(I, II, 100-104,111). This shows Caesar is weak and cannot even take care of himself. It helps Brutus because it will show Rome that Brutus would be a much stronger ruler. Another example, when Casca tells Cassius that Caesar rejected a crown three times and then “He fell down in the market place, and foamed at the mouth, and was speechless”(I, II, 252-253). This shows Caesar is not a strong ruler and shows that he has epilepsy. This helps Cassius because it will easily help him convince the citizens of Rome to over throw a ruler with epilepsy. In the end Cassius continues to try to convince Brutus to kill Caesar.…

    • 600 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays