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.
Iago believes that Othello has greatly misjudged choosing “Michael Cassio”, over him, as Cassio is a “Mere prattle without practice”. Throughout this extract Iago dominates through sheer volume of words it only begins as a typical conversational pattern, then Iago dominates the text with his lengthy speeches. Shakespeare uses metaphors to make a contribution to the dramatic impact of this verse. For example, Iago uses the metaphor of a ship “blee’d and clam’d”. A ship is “bleed and calm’d” when the wind is taken out of it’s sails, and this reflects how Iago feels at being passed over promotion by Othello.
Part of the appeal of Shakespeare's plays is the complexity of his characters; unlike fairytales that often show people as wholly good or wholly bad, Shakespeare's characters are far more realistic because the characters often embody traits that are both good and bad. Shakespeare shows that even people who are traditionally considered good are also bound to have flaws, and that even people who are generally seen as bad may have some redeeming qualities about them. This ambiguity is particularly prominent in Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, which presents its main characters Caesar, Brutus, and Mark Antony in such a mixed blend of virtuous and less-than-noble qualities that it makes it unclear which of the three is the true hero of the play. While most Western textbooks have cemented Julius Caesar's image as a heroic figure, Shakespeare adds in his presentation of Caesar qualities of excessive narcissism and physical weakness; thus, though the play is named after him, his image as the "hero" of the play has been compromised. Furthermore, the traditional image of Brutus as a cruel traitor to his close friend has also been reworked in Shakespeare's play.
Tending to Caesar’s glories, which Mark Antony By our permission is allowed to make. I do entreat you, not a man depart, Save I alone till Antony have spoke.” In other words this quote is Brutus speaking to the people of Rome telling them that Antony is about to come out and give a speech. But Brutus is telling the Roman people that Antony is going to just pay his respects to Caesars corpse and speak of Caesar’s glories but with their actual permission and rules. Mark Antony in Act 3 Scene 2 was telling the people of Rome that Caesar wasn’t perfect but was a very good man an honest. But Caesar really loved Rome that anything happened in Rome good or bad affected him.
Throughout Hamlet, Claudius is revealed to be a malevolent person at heart; however, it doesn’t reflect that of Claudius’ role as King of Denmark. In dealing with politics, Claudius reveals his leadership ability by proving his effectiveness as a king, while his personal actions, such as the murder of Old Hamlet and his marriage to Gertrude, and manipulative speech would suggest otherwise. As proven through his leadership ability and political characteristics, Claudius is, surprisingly, a good king who is fit to lead Denmark compared to that of Old Hamlet. From the first act of Hamlet, Claudius is already portrayed as one who can live up to his status as “King.” In response to Young Fortinbras’ aggressive letter on the reclamation of his father’s lost lands, Claudius states, “We have here writ to Norway, uncle of young Fortinbras […] to suppress his further gait herein” (1.2.27-32). Compared to Old Hamlet, who “did slay this Fortinbras,” Claudius chooses to settle political matters in a more peaceful manner instead of inciting violence that would inevitably cause the bloodshed of his people (1.1.85).
"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 .
The connections in the mentioned themes demonstrates how shared ideas impact differently on individuals in different contexts. Shakespeare’s work deals with the identity of Kingship and monarchical authority and in ‘Richard II’ we see the character Richard struggle with self identity as his throne is threatened to be taken from him. As Bolingbroke takes the crown Richard believes that he is a thief of more than just his kingship, but takes everything of him, as without his role, he has no persona and no existence. We see how much Richard values the relationship between his identity and title and names as he states , while disorientated after losing his kingship ,“Nor no man’s lord! I have no name, no title.
Some may ask, "Is Caesar a hero, or just an ignorant tyrant?" others ask "Were Brutus' intentions as pure as we thought?" I think in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare revealed the major character flaws of each individual in this play. As an example, Brutus loved Rome with a passion. But his love for Rome caused him to do something that not many other people would ever dream of doing.
Roderigo discloses his trust for Iago in the opening lines of the play. In addition, Iago tells several things about himself to Roderigo, including the fact that he trusts Roderigo with the knowledge that he serves Othello, only to further his intentions. However, I am sure that Shakespeare’s use of Iago as a confidante to Roderigo was not to show the same kind of friendship that Roderigo has for Iago, but to disclose his deceit - to use Roderigo. Iago summed this up himself, “I am not what I am”. (Act 1, Scene 1, line 65).
Othello believes Iago’s lies and always listens to his advice throughout the play. One of the techniques used by Shakespeare throughout the play is repetition, during act 1, Othello is speaking to the Duke of Venice about Iago and says “A man he is of honest and trust” (I,iii,281). Othello believes that Iago is an honest man and is still blind to the fact that he is plotting to overthrow him, soon after Othello says this while speaking to Iago, he calls him “Honest Iago” (I,iii,281), then again to Cassio when he says “Iago is most honest” (II,iii,7), and two more times with the lines “Honest Iago,