"All power corrupts" : Compare Shakespeare's presentation of power in Henry V and Julius Caesar in light of this view The idea that all power corrupts is presented in both Henry Henry V and Julius Caesar with a certain degree of variation - the focus of this essay. In the case of Julius Caesar , Shakespeare presents power as a central theme to the play. The title character of the play, Caesar, is depicted as a man who is engulfed by it. This is seen in Act 1 Scene 2 when Antony says of Caesar , 'When Caesar says, 'Do this' , it is performed'. This shows the control he has over his men and also gives a strong idea of who is in power at this early point in the play .
In my opinion, Caesar was a dictator because he reforms laws and gives rights to people only to gain popularity, because he caused havoc in the balanced world of the Republic, and, alas, because he caused a civil war between him and the Senate which endangered and/or killed many innocent citizens. How can any person, even the most sincere, gain a leading position in the Roman Republic? By having support from the citizens. Caesar knew this, so to gain popularity and power he supported and helped the citizens, hiding his hypocrite corrupt face behind a mask of generosity and kindness. He, after benefitting of the priviliges of sole consul, restored the ordinary consulship because the constitution required two consuls (even if he enough power to change even the constitution) and because the people would have approved.
The government, just like the wealthy and rich, was so power hungry that they disregarded the people’s kind acts and defaced them as if they were animals. The people come first in society. Unlike back then, today is a whole different story. The president of the United States would not try to rip off the American people or disregard them in any way because of the fact that it was completely unconstitutional. The Obama Administration tried its best to benefit the people and help them in ways that were never thought possible.
It seems like the only way out of certain situations for the emperor, like fighting in the Colosseum, is to fool others in order to gain their respect or love. Machiavellian leadership states that leaders tend to pretend to have virtues to deceive for power, and to complete unlawful business in private in order to succeed. Commodus naturally makes the decision to lie on the throne. Simultaneously, he deceives himself because thinks that his decisions would benefit him both long and short term. He throws himself into situations, believing that he would always win since he is the emperor, but ends up failing drastically in the end.
Petra Bruno The Rise and Decline of Fascism and Nazism. After the First World War there was a lot of instability in many countries, some of them had enormous difficulties. Democratically elected politicians seemed to spend more time arguing than solving the problems. Often the people were so impatient that they wanted a leader, who took all the decisions and made things happen. They would support him as he will give them stability.
The Role of Manipulation in Political Gain In the play, Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, Caesar is presented to be a hubristic ruler who is blinded by pride, which leads to his eventual death. Caesar’s hubristic qualities are exemplified when he simply ignores the omens from the Soothsayer and other loved ones who try to warn him of his ‘friends’ – the conspirators - and the ides of March. Caesar’s assassination is accomplished by a series of manipulations and self-conflictions that lead to the formation of conspirators consisting of Cassius and Brutus. When Caesar is killed, Antony convinces the conspirators that he believes in what they did and that eliminating Caesar was the best for the people and Rome. Antony is further granted permission to speak at Caesar’s funeral, where he then reveals his true intentions, displayed in the structure of his speech to the people, which results into, namely, chaos.
Unlike Caesar, Brutus is able to separate completely his public life from his private life; by giving priority to matters of state, he epitomizes Roman virtue. Torn between his loyalty to Caesar and his allegiance to the state, Brutus becomes the tragic hero of the play. Julius Caesar - A great Roman general and senator recently returned to Rome in triumph after a successful military campaign. While his good friend Brutus worries that Caesar may aspire to dictatorship over the Roman republic, Caesar seems to show no such inclination, declining the crown several times. Yet while Caesar may not be unduly power-hungry, he does possess his share of flaws.
Macbeth himself was always yearning for power. It is first shown when he is made thane of Cawdor, and is jealous of Malcolm for becoming heir of the throne. “As Macbeth hears the title given to Malcolm, he shows again the conflict within him between ambition and fear.” (Campbell 216) His greed and ambition for more gets the better of him, as he plots with Lady Macbeth to kill King Duncan and become the heir to the throne. This was a very selfish act in his position; by killing Duncan and becoming king, Macbeth disrupted the chain of being and doomed all of society as a whole. “The Great Chain of Being was supposed to keep the Earth in a stable condition and order.
So, he is a failure in life. Based on what transpires in the play, let us analyze in detail, the nature of Brutus’ character. The principal architect of the conspiracy is Cassius. He thinks of enlisting the support of Marcus Brutus to give leadership to the faction against Caesar. The reason for the choice is that Brutus has a high standing in the Roman society, and the people are more likely to listen to what he says.
After he abdicates his power, Lear still acts authoritarian and kingly, despite having no real power. King Lear lives in a deluded perception of reality, unexposed to a life with hardships and without absolute power. One example of his deluded reality is that he appreciates the superficial praise from his two ungrateful daughters more than the true but tempered affection of his good daughter. When Lear is denied by Goneril and forced to leave against his will, he is furiously resistant, coping with both the betrayal of his daughter as well as the realization that he lacks absolute authority. The most notable moment of Lear’s madness being reasonable is when Lear finds Gloucester and Edgar in Act 4, Scene 6.