Sacrificial Friend

William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar is a classic work, that realistically shows how passions and motives can drive people to drastic measures. For when in the case of Julius Cesar himself “when he once attains the upmost round, He then unto the ladder turns his back, Looks in the clouds, scorning the base degrees By which he did ascend. So Caesar may”(Pg.64 Line24-27). These simple lines show the sterotipical characterization of Caesar, as ambitious and power-hungry. Using any tactic to reach the highest rank he can go, only to turn away from the people who helped him achieve his goals. Caesar aquired ambition and power through good intentions for the roman republic, though this only leads to his assasination.

When one thinks of power, Money and a high social rank often are the first images on people’s minds. This is the same for Caesar. Caesar’s wish is for control of the Roman rebuplic, and with his reputation of a great military leader does not have anyone publicly opposing him. Though Caesar already has a large amount of power as a famous military leader, and one of the main incomes of Rome, his goal is to be crowned king. Though he starts with intentions only to imporve Rome, power often comes hand in hand with arrogance. For he simply states “I am as constant as the Northern star” (Pg. 108 Line 60) which shows how high he places himself in society, and what power he controls if he wishes to compare himself to a heavenly being. In this simple statment Caesar is making the bold claim of being unchangeble, trying to exert his power and prove himself a strong leader worthy of the crown. Though he is not always arrogant. In his will he writes “To every Roman citizen he gives, To every several man, seventy-five drachmas” (Pg. 144 Line 239-240).Only men with such power Could have this much Money as to give a portion to every man in Rome. With this one last gestare, it increases sympathy with the Romans, and exerts his power for the last time. Ceasars power was based around status. And though he did not achieve his final goal, many Roman’s claim he was a great Caesar.

His main motivation, which is what allows him to be so power-hungry is his amibiton. Caesar had never been resisted by a friend or loved one, so he never thought he was doing wrong as his ambition grew, “but as he was ambitious, I slew him.” (Pg 130 Line 24-25). With his ambition ever growing Caesar began to become arrogant. This led to him making many enemy’s in the senate, who quietly began to Plot against him. Caesar is so ambitous to achieve his goal and be crowned king, that he goes to the senate the day his wife has begged him not to. This disrespectuful action towards his wife is because Decius has told him that “The senate have concluded to give this day a crown to mighty Caesar.” (Pg. 94 Line 93-94). Simply because Decius has told him that the senate is going to crown him he ignores his wife and her worries, and the warning of the soothsayer to “Beware the ides of March” (Pg. 26 Line 18). Caesar will do anything to achieve his goal, and trusts Decius as a friend. He is oblivious to the Plot and does not think his friends will kill him. Though sympathy should not all be on Caesar’s side, for the two tribunes Marullus and Flavius had been saying “These growing feathers pluck’d from Caesars wing will make him fly an ordinary pitch” (Pg.24 line 73-73). Though these two were just trying to protect the Roman republic by disrobing Caesar’s statues, that had been decorated by the plebians, they were put to death since they were speaking out against Caesar, and were in the way of Caesar being crowned. With ambition by his side, and his yearning to become leader Caesar instead of becoming closer to the crown, pushes himself farther away by making many powerful enemys.

With a mix of Caesar’s power and ambition he ends up making many senators his enemys, and ends up assasinated. Including the fact that he was never stood up to in the younger years of leadership, his power and ambition started to grow so much that in his older years he has become arrogant. Caesar was not only killed but never achieved his goal of being crowned king of Rome. Caesar was a known figure throughout Rome and with his ever increasing power, he became a threat to the other senators, which led to his assasination. Out of patriotism for one but selfish reasons, to protect their own power for others. Either way Caesars goal was not a noble one, since in order to achieve it he would have to destroy all the hard work his ancestors, and the ancestors of the other Romans did, to make Italy a republic. If he had been crowned king it would have been disrepectful to Rome, and put many of the senators in danger.