William Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is a historically based play about the murder of Julius Caesar by a group of conspirators in attempt to prevent him from becoming a tyrant, and the civil war that followed in Ancient Rome. One of the main characters of this play is Caius Cassius, a powerful man who had once fought against Caesar, but is now among those whom Caesar pardoned when he took power. Cassius is a mysterious, shady figure with much military experience, and is Machiavellian in his philosophies. Throughout the course of the play's events, Cassius undergoes an almost complete personality alteration, from immoral manipulator to noble Roman.

At the start of the play, Cassius is perceived by the reader or viewer as a ruthless conniver. As the organizer of a conspiracy to kill Julius Caesar to keep him from destroying the Roman Republic by becoming emperor, he has the disreputable role of a con man, for he uses such tactics as intimidation and trickery to convince people to side with him. He knows the weaknesses of people, and he preys on them. For example, Cassius knows he needs Brutus as an ally because Brutus is as loved by the people as Caesar is, and with his

have brook'd/ The eternal devil to keep his state in Rome/ As easily as a king," claiming that, should the Republic fall to Caesar, it would be Brutus' fault for sitting idly and not opposing Caesar. Also, he appeals to Brutus honor, reminding him of his ancestor who fought valiantly to protect the representative government of Rome. An even worse illustration of Cassius' shrewd strategy is his forging of letters written supposedly by the commoners to Brutus, urging him to rise against Caesar. He knows that if the citizens appeal to Brutus, he will heed their pleas. Cassius is very sure of himself and has little doubt of his success. Positive that he can convince anyone to support his cause, he says, "For who so firm that cannot be seduced?" to show his feelings that he can manipulate most anybody.

Despite Cassius' seemingly evil nature, he possesses the positive quality of wisdom. He plans his actions well and is always prepared. Being an Epicurean, he does not believe in or follow superstitions or omens, uses logic when making his decisions, and always considers the worst possible scenarios. Because he himself is not what he seems to be, he is aware of the true temperament of people. He is careful of whom he trusts and is suspicious of many. For instance, he does not believe that Casca is truly senseless, but that "he puts on this tardy form" because it "gives men stomach to digest his words/ With better appetite," so people are inclined underestimate him and disregard him as a threat. Also, he does not trust that Antony will not speak ill of the conspirators in his speech at the funeral, so he offers Antony power in hopes of winning his support and warns Brutus to be cautious of him. In addition to his wisdom, he abounds with courage which he shows through his!

However, in Act IV, Cassius is still using immoral means to get what he wants. He is accepting bribes to raise money to aid his cause, for he knows the money is needed and he has no other way of acquiring it. Because of this, he becomes engaged in a quarrel with Brutus over the morality and decency of this fund-raising method. The argument grows in heat, and both Cassius and Brutus speak harsh, cruel words of and to each other. It is Cassius, though, who puts a stop to this disagreement when he states, "Come, Antony, and young Octavius, come,/ Revenge yourselves alone on Cassius,/ For Cassius is aweary of the world;/ Hated by one he loves; braved by his brother." It is here that Cassius professes his brotherly love fo

Some common words found in the essay are:
Cassius Brutus, Despite Cassius', Caesar Brutus', Cassius Cassius, Romans Coming, Caesar Caesar, Caesar Cassius', Cassius' Machiavellianism, Cassius Machiavellian, IV Cassius, cassius brutus, julius caesar, caesar destroying, justify means, reader viewer, cassius changes, play cassius, character cassius, murdering caesar, caius cassius,
Approximate Word count = 1699
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)