Julias Ceasar
Through his depiction of the masses, William Shakespeare exposes the vulnerabilities within the Roman government of 44 BC in his play, "Julius Caesar". Politically, the mob is vital as they elect the senators that make up the Roman Republic. This power is never undervalued by Shakespeare. However, the playwright begins to probe at their effectiveness as they change their opinion time and time again. This sets the stage for the orators, Brutus and Mark Anthony, to take advantage of the mob's moldable nature. After Caesar's death, the people are enraged and demand an explanation for the conspirator's actions. Brutus rises to the occasion and through his clever words and articulate nature, he quickly sways the crowd to his side. He convinces the crowd that he killed Caesar to save the republic. "Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more." (p. 548, line 21). Brutus cunningly works the mob
In the Roman Republic, the force with the most power was the most easily influenced as well. First Brutus sways the people with his moving speech, only to be outdone by Anthony who changes their opinion once again. Initially, they were furious at Caesar's death but after listening to Brutus' justification, they change their mindset completely and want him to take Caesar's place. At this point, the commoners have successfully been swayed to the side of Anthony and their sudden contempt for Brutus and the conspirators further shows just how quickly the mob can change their opinion on something they recently felt very strongly about. This goes to show just how drastically the commoners can change their viewpoint. Shakespeare never once undermines the role of the malleable mob in the Republic, but his opinion of their ineffectiveness surfaces through their arbitrarily impulsive actions. This is how Shakespeare begins to question the fundamentals of the republic. To sum up, it is clear that the orators take advantage of the indecisive nature of the crowd and although the commoners play an obviously essential role in the Roman government of 44 BC, Shakespeare's portrayal of them shows us just how ineffective he thought the institution was. However, they are not consistent about their opinions and can easily be influenced by powerful orations. This invokes the mob's curiosity as they beg Anthony to read aloud the will. Mark Anthony's speech uses mockery and exploits the conscience of the mob to make them feel guilty. The mob's feelings about any side are fueled with emotion and they seem ready to go to extreme measures to express them.
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