Julius Caesar
In Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" there are events and characters that are developed in such a way that the audience is left to question the ideals of nobility and honour in politics. It is put forward that "things are not always as they appear." One example of this is the character Mark Antony, who, at the beginning, is underestimated as a shallow,menial citizen by a contemporary, Brutus, but by the end, Brutus is proven wrong. Shakespeare presents a gradual, astute revelation of Mark Antony's character in "Julius Caesar." "Julius Caesar" begins with a triumph in Rome. Caesar has been offered the crown, is elevated to an almost godlike status in Roman society, and continues to rise. Cassius concocts a conspiracy to murder Caesar. Amongst others, "the honourable man" Brutus joins him, of no selfish reason, but in order to save the Roman Republic. Mark Antony turns public opinion against these conspirators after Caesar's death. The state is divided, and they end up fighting at Philippi. Consequentially, Mark Antony emerges the victor, no longer "spaniel fawning" after the suicides of both Brutus and Cassius. This seemingly subservient Antony is introduced to the audience for the first time by the side of Caesar's rather inflat
The final scene brings the events and characters in the drama to a well-rounded close. Mark Antony, although "wins" the battle, had the potential to antagonise the audience. I think this is because of the way he seems at the beginning. His development from obeisant, vain man to cunning triumvir could be interpreted as a form of "two-faced" deception. His interaction with the other characters in Act III differed so widely from the smouldering rage of his following soliloquy. He is darkly jubilant after sparking off a riot amongst the plebeians. In an effective attempt to resolve this potential enmity between Antony and the audience, Shakespeare shows a merciful aspect to Antony in the last scene. "This was the noblest Roman of them all: To conclude, "Julius Caesar" had, and still has, considerable quality as a piece of verse drama, and also, through subtle changes in the tone to passionate but manipulative orations, proved that "things are seldom as the appear", especially in the adroitly contrived development of Mark Antony. Furthermore, Shakespeare encourages the audience to contemplate their views of ambition, morality, and the fickle qualities of human nature. The evil that men do, lives after them... "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears:
Some common words found in the essay are:
Mark Antony, III Sc, Dogs War, Mark Antony's, Julius Caesar, Friends Romans, II Sc, Act III, Antony Cassius, Brutus Cassius, mark antony, act iii, iii sc, act iii sc, julius caesar, act ii, sc ii, act sc, act sc ii, brutus honourable, ii sc, limb caesar, act ii sc,
Approximate Word count = 1637
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
