In the novel, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, and the play, Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, both have main characters who have hurbis. Okonkwo and Julius Caesar are the main characters in both stories. An honorable man, Okonkwo tries to do better than his father and win great titles in his tribe. He then commits a female crime and is exiled for seven years. When he returns, he realizes that the missionaries have changed his clan's beliefs. His clan no longer fights for what they believe in. Almost crowned dictator of Rome, Julius Caesar considered himself great superior to all others. He was going to be crowned dictator of Rome until a group of men killed him. Caesar is confident in his own ideas. Okonkwo is masculine and possesses physical strength. Both men view their weaknesses as strengths; the differences between how they are perceived and what they actually are leads to their downfall. Ignoring external influences, Julius Caesar believes only in himself. Calphurnia has a bad dream about Caesar's death; in the play it is said: “Three times Calphurnia, in her sleep, cried 'Help, they are murdering Caesar'” (Shakespeare 75). Calphurnia tried to warn Caesar that his dream was a sign that he should not go to the coronation, but since he only believes in himself, he ignores Calphurnia's warnings. Calphurnia even mentioned that men bathed in his blood, lions roamed the streets, bodies rose from the dead, and blood rained. A soothsayer also warned Caesar, saying, “Beware of the Ides of March” (Shakespeare 15). Caesar was not suspicious of the Ides of March. He continued his day as he normally would. Because of Caesar's pride, he thought he was untouchable and no one could harm him. Caesar says: “Yet Caesar must... middle of paper... fight. Okonkwo and Caesar don't realize what they see, because their strengths are actually their weaknesses. Because both men confuse what they really are and what they are perceived to be, this leads to their downfall. Both men show pride. Caesar only believes in himself and no one else. Okonkwo follows the rules of masculinity long after it suits his life. Both Caesar and Okonkwo see themselves differently from how others see them. The two men die because of a disagreement. Okonkwo and Caesar come from different social classes, different beliefs, and different strengths, but both possess the same qualities of hubris that led to their different deaths. Works Cited Achebe, Chinua. Things are falling apart. New York: Anchor, 1994. Print. Shakespeare, William, Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. The tragedy of Julius Caesar. New York: Washington Square, 1992. Print.