The Transformation Of Julius Caesar Essay

Although the play Julius Caesar may seem to be just a twist on the historical figure, Julius Caesar’s, life Shakespeare wrote the play with the intention to portray a different meaning. The entire play is merely a message about the human condition and the natural state of human beings. Despite its alluding biographical name, by reading or seeing the play, deeper evaluations can be made. Characters, especially Caesar, undergo changes due to greed and power. Caesar’s elevation of power as well as popularity causes him to majorly change his motives. He is transformed from a genuine man into a cruel, abrupt man. Shakespeare may have included this in his play to show how fame and fortune can tower over us human beings. We tend to be driven by power and allow it to control our lives. Shakespeare most likely did not favor this motive and seemed to believe in the simplicity of life.
Along with Caesar’s transformation of character, Cassius also experiences some changes in feeling.
As Caesar gains more power, Cassius becomes envious. He sees Caesar as equal or even lesser than him. This high strung attitude causes Cassius to envy Caesar and vicariously live through him. Eventually this jealousy builds up and Cassius plots to assassinate Caesar. Cassius’ envy was so substantial, it influenced Brutus to also turn on Caesar. He claimed to be a loving friend of Caesar, yet deceived him and stabbed him in the back. Although he may have done it to save the people from the monster Caesar was becoming, Brutus still turned on him. Much like these characters, we humans enable our emotions to get the best of us. In many cases, people turn on each other and go against what is right. Jealousy is also drawn from our yearning for power or something greater than us. Shakespeare wanted his audience to realize how harsh we humans can be by depicting this nature through his characters. He engraves these concepts into his audience’s minds through the contextual aspect of the
play.
Shakespeare’s reason for writing the play was more than just to be a form of entertainment, it was also to make his audiences aware of the brutish ways we human beings allow ourselves to be. While watching this play we learn how grim the human conditions can be. Through the play Julius Caesar, I have drawn that Shakespeare’s hopes for human beings consisted of nothing but an equal society, people living in unity and following what is natural. By not carrying out this kind of lifestyle, events similar to those that happened in the play could potentially take place. The actions his characters display are still present in today’s society and have undoubtedly been present throughout much of human existence. Ultimately, Shakespeare wanted his messages about human nature and condition to be universally delivered, therefore, he interpreted and emphasized them in many of his plays.