What Is Ambition In Julius Caesar

For some people, there is a call to rise. An ambition—a competition—is planted in them, and they dream of influence. These are the people who become rulers, who lead the way of nations, who bend circumstance under their will. Julius Caesar certainly is an example: his presumption towards bravery holds the nation beneath his grip. He fears no bad omens, and even signs of death do not scare him. He tells his wife just hours before his assassination: “Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once.” (2.2.34-35). Once Caesar has died, his penchant for domination cannot cease. Cassius has sown in Brutus the need for glory: “’Brutus’ and ‘Caesar’—what should be in that ‘Caesar’? Why should that name be sounded more than yours?” (1.2.149-152). Thus power lives anew. As Brutus takes hold of authority, both his desire and aptitude for control begin to grow. This race before supremacy demonstrates the innate greed of human reign.
Commoners are such people. Although unique on an individual level, common citizens are seen in group by those who govern. Brutus views his subjects, plebeians, as a general “mob.” After Caesar’s death, he addresses them with skill, soothing them toward his motive: “Romans, countrymen, and lovers, hear me for my cause.” (3.2.14-15). They quickly adopt Brutus’s opinion, and their response shows the second tragedy of human reign: that society craves a leader. A center upholds structure; structure is desired by all. Therefore, the common group of people will generally abase themselves to whatever ambition is in charge. This trend permeates in all nations, all history. The plebeians, tossed by their government, symbolize it