¶ … William Shakespeare's tragic play Julius Caesar, he portrays many human characteristics accurately. Just a few of these characteristics include greed, ambition, deception, power, honor and naivete. Though Shakespeare may not have completely stuck to the historical facts in order to create dramatic interest, his portrayal of human nature happens to be eerily correct. Even today, hundreds of years after Caesar's reign and numerous decades after Shakespeare's play, deception and naivety still infiltrate our nation, it's political system, its business structure and national security. When the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks happen, the entire nation feels numb, even dumbfounded with the thought of "how did this happen here?" We as Americans are comfortable with our world up until the first commercial plane flew into the North tower that morning shortly before 9 a.m. In a similar fashion, Caesar lives his life as any ruler would -- he has no reason to do otherwise. Though the U.S. people may not have been told, "beware the ides of September" by a soothsayer as Caesar is warned about "the ides of March," it is easily argued that we should have seen an attack coming. (I.,ii,19) Bin Laden, the Taliban, and other terrorist groups all have said quite publicly that they despise Americans, that we are immoral and they wish to attack us. In 1993, the WTC's were bombed in an attempt to destroy them; 1995 saw American Timothy McVeigh cause the Oklahoma City Bombing. (Schoenfeld,21) Why couldn't we be attacked again? It was with naive and blind trust that we took for granted that they could not. Caesar, too, feels...
Much like the U.S., Caesar is at the top of his reign and perhaps is too comfortable and trusting. Many times he is warned about the upcoming troubles, but he ignores the warnings, much as the American government ignored the signs. Lax security in airports has been an issue for countless years. (Schoenfeld, 21) Just how did these men get through the "security checkpoints" with weapons on their bodies? Too many people dropped the ball, looked the other way and ignored what their gut was telling them, exactly as Shakespeare portrayed ancient Romans.
Julius Caesar 'This was the noblest Roman of them all," (V.v. 2nd to last para.). Antony's eulogy of his former friend and compatriot shows that in spite of Brutus' tragic flaws and failings, the man was well-respected and loved. In fact, Brutus emerges as the protagonist and hero of Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, not the title character. Other characters only refer to Brutus with positive words and not a single statement
Julius Caesar has remained one of the most poignant stories about a power struggle in the English language. It is precisely because personality cults have consistently eroded institutions of public office that this play will always remain relevant. The play illustrates not only that a popular yet unorthodox leader may sweep away democratic and free institutions, but that killing such a leader might result in even more turmoil. This was
Shakespeare William Shakespeare, the famous playwright and the great poet was born in 1564 at Stratford-on-Avon in England. Though he never attended college he had a sound basic education. He went to London in his early twenties and during the next ten years he wrote some of the classical masterpieces like Julius Caesar, Macbeth, Othello and Hamlet. Shakespeare wrote a variety of plays from tragedy to comedy. 'The Merchant of Venice',
Milton and Shakespeare When comparing John Milton and William Shakespeare, it is interesting to note similarities and parallels between works such as "Julius Caesar" and "Paradise Lost." Indeed, the characters in both works show remarkably how the underlying politics in their relationships create a platform for the ultimate betrayal of the respective autocratic leaders. In his poem, "On Shakespeare," Milton shows his admiration for Shakespeare, as well as the common belief
Duke of Gloucester Shakespeare's Richard III, The Duke of Gloucester, may not bear much resemblance to the real king in character and appearance but in this play, he is certainly the most dominant and a fully developed figure that serves as both the protagonist and villain of the play. For critics, it is hard to decide whether Richard III can actually be called a tragedy because here the protagonist appears less
Essay Topic Examples 1. The Tragic Flaw in Shakespeare's Hamlet: Discuss the concept of 'tragic flaw' or 'hamartia' and how Hamlet's indecisiveness and obsession with introspection lead to his downfall. Analyze how this flaw is essential to the plot development and the unfolding of tragedy in the play. 2. Portrayal of Women in Othello: Examine the roles of Desdemona and Emilia in Othello and explore how
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