Julius Caesar: The Effects Of Ambitious Leaders

The Effects of Ambitious Leaders In both Animal Farm by George Orwell and The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, having an ambitious leader leads to many consequences. The word ambition means to have or show a strong desire and determination to succeed. Leaders such as Julius Caesar, Marc Antony, and Napoleon have ambition that makes them seem prepared for anything. This makes the people and animals follow them blindly believing they are helping the cause but in reality, they’re only helping their leader. Being ambitious can be both helpful and harmful but the consequences can be fatal. Animal Farm, a novel by George Orwell, is used to explain the Russian Revolution. In this title, the ambitious leaders are pigs, Napoleon and
Caesar is a powerful and ambitious leader which the conspirators are very aware of. This makes him dangerous because he is loved by the people and they will follow him. When Brutus and Cassius are conversing, you can see this as Brutus says “what means this shouting? I do fear, the people choose Caesar for their king” (1.2. 168-169). This fear comes from believing that Caesar wants the power for his own benefit and not Rome’s. Many of the senators believed Caesar to be an overly ambitious man. If the Romans choose Caesar as their king, the senators will no longer have power. Caesar wanting to strive for greatness and be in control is why he is brutally stabbed. After the death of Caesar, Antony, Caesar’s most loyal friend, wants to avenge him. After gaining army power to take down the conspirators, his character begins to change becoming dark and deceitful. This is where the ambitiousness of the leaders causes corruption and problems. The ambition also brings competition to the table. The competition is what brings the battles and therefore brings death. After many deaths in both of these books, ambition is shown to be the driving force behind it