Julio Cesar

Professor Shaner
ENGL 20347
April 3, 2012
Unsought Ends
Human beings have gone through innumerable circumstances that have changed the destiny of life. They have make decisions that left an echo in space and time; it is one of the most powerful weapons a human instill—freedom of choice. However, any decision has its consequences; for this reason, it is imperative to undertake specificactions that will help that particular individual, who took the decision, to carry on his/her implication(s)/dreams. Furthermore, a decision that has overcome space and time itself is Brutus, Cassius, and Antony’s decision—the assassination of Julius Caesar. Moreover, they made decisions that led to changes in the history of their country and lives; they made a decision which imputed the aspirations ofBrutus, Cassius, and Antony—to save Rome from absolute power, but with different ends. Brutus, Cassius, and Antony implemented persuasiveness in order to accomplish their propositions; they used the power of rhetoric to enforce the consequences of their actions to work on their favor. For this reason, it is imperative to acknowledge if Brutus, Cassius, and Antony are implementing Aristotelianreason or Isocrates sophistry within their words, and the consequences of so in order to accomplish the proposition(s) they had for Rome.
Julius Caesar from William Shakespeare began with two tribunes, Flavius and Murellus, trying to get the citizens of Rome , who wandered the streets neglecting their work duties so they can watch Julius Caesar’s triumphal parade over the sons of the his archrivalRoman general Pompey, back to work. By this time, Caesar enters with his entourage whom include Brutus, Cassius and Antony, and then a soothsayer tells Caesar to “beware the Ides of March” (1.2.23), but Caesar ignores the advice and proceeds with his victory celebration commenting that “he is a dreamer” (1.2.24).
After this, Cassius and Brutus converse; Cassius tells Brutus that he is distant,for which Brutus agrees and replies that he has been “with himself at war” (1.2.46). Then Cassius tells Brutus “it is very much lamented, Brutus, / That you have no such mirrors as will turn / Your hidden worthiness into your eye, / That you might see your shadow” (1.2.55-8). Cassius wishes that Brutus could be able to see himself as other could, for then he would know how honorable and respectedhe is. Subsequently, Cassius comments that Caesar is treated like a god even though he is a mortal being, no better than them [Cassius and Brutus]; as a matter of fact, Cassius states that they were “born free as Caesar” (1.2.97) and could “endure the winter’s cold as well as he” (1.2.99). Furthermore, Cassius recalls memories that argued the physical strengths such as “troubler Tiber” 1.2.101) ofCaesar which made Cassius to marvel about how come Caesar’s competence and why he was so powerful and popular. In addition, Cassius uses the physical attributes of Caesar in order to convince Brutus that Caesar is weak: “And that same eye whose bend doth awe the world / Did lose his luster. I did hear him groan… / Alas, it cried ‘Give me some drink, Titinius,’ / As a sick girl” (1.2.119-128).However, Brutus remained intact in his decision—“[he made] little of […] Caesar’s physical weaknesses” (Paolucci). He “reach[ed] his decision independently and on grounds very different from those put forth by Cassius” (Paolucci). All of this happened while Caesar enjoyed his triumph over Pompey, and then when Caesar saw Cassius from a distance, he tells Antony that “Cassius has a lean and hungrylook; / He thinks too much. Such men are dangerous” (1.2.193-94) by which Caesar meant that he deeply distrusts Cassius. Since the beginning, the story was showing negative circumstances toward Julius Caesar and his power, for the people who pledged allegiance to Caesar were the most threatening for him; in addition, they feared that Julius Caesar wanted to have absolute power over Rome, and enslave...