Critical Criticism Of Julius Caesar - 942 Words

Written by Shakespeare in 1599, Julius Caesar has become one of most eye-opening pieces on power and the use and misuse of it. In this play, Julius Caesar is depicted as egotistical and easily swayed by other’s arguments that appeal to his pride or love of self-image, as seen in Act II, Scene II, when Calpurnia, Caesar’s wife, attempted to persuade Caesar to stay home after having dreams and seeing omens insinuating his impending death. Calphurnia’s argument temporarily convinced Caesar to grudgingly agree with her and stay at home, but soon after Caesar reluctantly complied, Decius, one of the conspirators in Caesar’s oncoming assassination, with pointed appeals, immediately convinced Caesar to overlook Calpurnia’s argument and to focus†¦show more content†¦Although Calpurnia did not fully take into account Caesar’s pride, she still created a potent argument and ended with an appeal to Caesar’s self-image. Asking Caesar to bl ame his absence on her, Calpurnia begged, â€Å"call it my fear that keeps you in the house and not your own†, drawing away attention from what others in the Capitol might think of Caesar’s leave, which happened to be one of the first problems Decius mentioned when dissecting the â€Å"flaws† in Calpurnia’s argument. Overall, Calpurnia’s argument did not fail in convincing Caesar to stay at home; in fact, it succeeded at first. Although Caesar only begrudgingly agreed, he still, at his wife’s urging, decided to not go to the Capitol, that is, until Decius, with hidden motives, persuaded him otherwise. Why was Calpurnia’s argument less compelling than Decius’? Several factors contributed to the ineffectiveness of Calpurnia’s argument following Decius’, such as the order that the two presented in and also gender. Calpurnia, not expecting a rebuttal from anyone else, did not solidify her argument, which Decius fully took advantage of after entering unannounced. Simply the fact that Decius presented his argument last and that his argument already appealed to what Caesar desired in the first place, which was to not stay at home, persuaded Caesar that Calpurnia’s arguments were faulty. Also, Calpurnia was not a man.Show MoreRelatedVictory or Demise, Same Faces in a New Light1520 Words   |  7 Pagescrushed by the hands of an oppressive government and trust is scarce. A totalitarian government is threatened and helped by individuals, however, one thing is common, the obligation to love of the authority, Big Brother. In William Shakespeares Julius Caesar, friendship and patriotism are crossed, as well as vengeance and power where Rome is betrayed and lacerated by the Conspiracy. The outcome of Caesars assassination is caused by his close friends and companions becoming twisted into traitors vanquishingRead MoreEssay on Antony and Cleopatra1655 Words   |  7 Pagesmanners corrupt (Giddens 13). 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