Cassius in Julius Cesaer
The Changing Character of Caius Cassius 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
Cassius' love and respect for Brutus, in the end, contribute to his downfall. Because he himself is not what he seems to be, he is aware of the true temperament of people. This brings into question Cassius' motives for organizing the conspiracy. 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. In the midst of the battle, Cassius finally realizes that their cause is futile, and he loses all hope. Also, ravens, crows, and kites, all scavenger birds, are circling about he and his army, as if they were already dead. Cassius goes on to state his sorrow over the thought that when Brutus hated Caesar most, "[he] lov!edst him better/ Than ever [he] lovedst Cassius. He knows that if the citizens appeal to Brutus, he will heed their pleas. 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. However, in Act IV, Cassius is still using immoral means to get what he wants. Cassius may be acting cruelly and viciously but he feels the "ends justify the means," meaning that he will do whatever is necessary to get the desired outcome, no matter how harsh it may seem. Is Cassius just a greedy, selfish villain out for blood only to favor his own standing, or does he genuinely want to keep Caesar from destroying the Republic? This inquiry may be answered by the fact that Cassius has Machiavellian beliefs. assistance will come the support of the Roman public. This is a small development in the character of Cassius that will spawn into something greater as the play progresses.
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