Julius Caesar Essay
Aaron Malkowski
English II Honors
10/18/2014
Block 3
Within humane society and the animal kingdom, there is a constant fight for superiority and control. Such struggle is similar to those expressed in both Shakespeare’s
Julius Caesar
, and
Thurber’s “The Tiger Who Would Be King”. The two pieces come off as inherently similar, as the two stories have the same plot but with different characters as well as other slight differences.
Alternatively though, each story seems unique to its own wherein they have separate, finer details, as well as some correlating characters with differing actions and characteristics. While on the surface there seems to simply be obvious similarities, following acute analysis, it is evident that the two stories are quite different from one another. Primarily both pieces contain plot aspects similar to each other that make the two stories alike. Truthfully, these plots are quite similar to each other. To begin, the two stories have events that revolve around unhappiness with the current state of the way things are run in the land. For example, both stories have a primary conflict of new order versus old order; New order being Brutus and the conspirators as well as the tiger and old order being Caesar as well as Leo the lion. “‘What are we fighting for?’... ‘The old order.’... ‘What are we dying for?’... ‘The new order.’” (Thurber). As is shown in the quote above, the animals in “The Tiger Who Would Be
King.” have decided to fight in a war of government in the jungle. “Brutus and Cassius are levying powers. We must straight make head,” (Shakespeare IV.i.456). Similar to the civil war depicted in Shakespeare’s play, the jungle animals of Thurber’s story engage in civil war. With such similar plots, there is yet a difference present. While Brutus dies by his own sword
(Shakespeare V.v.55.SD), the tiger does not die and is forced to live with his mistake of trying to take power. Within both pieces, while the
English II Honors
10/18/2014
Block 3
Within humane society and the animal kingdom, there is a constant fight for superiority and control. Such struggle is similar to those expressed in both Shakespeare’s
Julius Caesar
, and
Thurber’s “The Tiger Who Would Be King”. The two pieces come off as inherently similar, as the two stories have the same plot but with different characters as well as other slight differences.
Alternatively though, each story seems unique to its own wherein they have separate, finer details, as well as some correlating characters with differing actions and characteristics. While on the surface there seems to simply be obvious similarities, following acute analysis, it is evident that the two stories are quite different from one another. Primarily both pieces contain plot aspects similar to each other that make the two stories alike. Truthfully, these plots are quite similar to each other. To begin, the two stories have events that revolve around unhappiness with the current state of the way things are run in the land. For example, both stories have a primary conflict of new order versus old order; New order being Brutus and the conspirators as well as the tiger and old order being Caesar as well as Leo the lion. “‘What are we fighting for?’... ‘The old order.’... ‘What are we dying for?’... ‘The new order.’” (Thurber). As is shown in the quote above, the animals in “The Tiger Who Would Be
King.” have decided to fight in a war of government in the jungle. “Brutus and Cassius are levying powers. We must straight make head,” (Shakespeare IV.i.456). Similar to the civil war depicted in Shakespeare’s play, the jungle animals of Thurber’s story engage in civil war. With such similar plots, there is yet a difference present. While Brutus dies by his own sword
(Shakespeare V.v.55.SD), the tiger does not die and is forced to live with his mistake of trying to take power. Within both pieces, while the