Julius Caesar
by William Shakespeare
Table of Contents
Julius Caesar
Repeatedly, characters throughout the play refer to Caesar as “ambitious,” and this is the reason the conspirators give for assassinating him. Although he never demands a crown, or attempts to place one on his own head, Caesar’s belief in his god-like status, his arrogance, and his vanity are evident in nearly every word he speaks. Expressing his well-founded mistrust of Cassius, Caesar is careful to arrogantly remind Antony, “I rather tell thee what is to be feared/ Than what I fear, for always I am Caesar,” (I.ii.12-13) indicating that he is actually incapable of feeling the human emotion of fear. Even in the moment before his assassination, Caesar expresses his belief in his own infallibility. Caesar is also vain and highly susceptible to flattery, as evidenced by his decision to attend the Capitol on the day of his assassination. In spite of Calpurnia’s desperate warnings, Caesar allows Decius to flatter him into going anyway with the false promise that the senators intend to crown him king. Yet, in spite of Caesar’s flaws, there is clearly an impressive strength and power that others observe in him which does put him above the common man. Note how the citizens of Rome worship and praise him, and how Antony is able to rouse the plebeians into an angry frenzy at the sight of Caesar’s slain body. Clearly, there is something in the man that inspires admiration. In the end, Caesar does achieve a version of immortality through the victory of his adopted son Octavius and the transfiguration of the proper name “Caesar” into the Latin word for “king.”
Sign up to continue reading Julius Caesar >