End Justifying the Means in Julius Caesar

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Woody 1 Verity Woody English 1 Mr. DeLong 2-27-08 Essay 2: Final Draft “The end always justifies the means.” Some people live by this quote of survival. Sometimes “the end” is an honorable cause and in some cases it is just plain vengeance. In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by legendary playwright William Shakespeare, Shakespeare portrays the things man does just to make things end the way he wants and actually in the end it rarely ends the way he wants. The first example of how far a man will go for an “honorable cause” is in the case of Marcus Brutus. Brutus in the very beginning is all about honor and dignity as he says in numerous parts of the play. Caesar was very close to Julius Caesar but even closer to the people of Rome. "What means this shouting? I do fear the people do choose Caesar for their king...yet I love him well. (1. 2. ll. 85-89).” He is scared of Caesars power and how it will affect the people of Rome. Brutus loves Caesar but he doesn’t want him to "climber-upward...He then unto the ladder turns his back..."(2. 1. ll. 24,26).” Marcus Brutus knows that if Caesar has all of this power he will turn his back on his loyal Roman subjects. After persuasion and justification Brutus decides to do one of the greatest sins known to man and assassinate the man he has been close to for years. Brutus did all of this and never backed down just for his honor and the protection of the Roman citizens. In the end though all this did was wear down his conscience and made him desire death for his crime. Another example of If you go through life only focusing on the goal and don’t stop to think about the consequences of your actions expect some heavy
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