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  • Essay / Portrayal of Julius Caesar's arrogance and ambition in William Shakespeare's play

    Arrogant. Ambitious. Dictator. Dead. Shakespeare. These are all words you probably think of when you hear the name “Julius Caesar.” “Caesar was a perfect example of how ambition can corrupt someone, and Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar captures this perfectly. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay Throughout the play, Caesar repeatedly displays his arrogance and ambition, which ultimately leads to his downfall and to his death by stabbing. One of the first times Caesar clearly and clearly shows his arrogance is in Act 2, Scene 2, when Calpurnia tries to stop Caesar from going to the Senate meeting because she received an omen in the form of a dream that he would die. Caesar says: “Caesar will go out: the things that threatened me / Never looked except at my back; when they see/The face of Caesar, they will disappear. " In this, Caesar is surprisingly arrogant, essentially saying that all his enemies can do is talk behind his back. It shows him acting like he's untouchable, acting like he's a god. Another example of Caesar clearly displaying arrogance is found in Act 2, Scene 2, lines 43-50, when the servant returns from the omens with the news that they could not find a heart in the beast. Caesar said: “The gods do this in the shame of cowardice. /Caesar would have to be a heartless beast/If he had to stay home today out of fear. /No, Caesar won't. Danger knows very well/That Caesar is more dangerous than him. /We are two lions born in a single day, /And I am the eldest and the most terrible. /And Caesar will come out. " In this, Caesar is essentially saying that the gods fear him, that he is "older and more terrible" than Danger, and that he is more dangerous than Danger itself. This shows arrogance because it reveals that he thinks he is above everything, that nothing is as big and as important as him. The third time Caesar displays arrogance is in Act 3, Scene 1, when Caesar refuses to forgive Publius Cimber. Caesar said, “I might well be moved if I were like you:/If I could pray to move, prayers would move me:/But I am as steadfast as the north star.” " This clearly shows his arrogance by showing that he sees himself as immobile and a force of nature, and that nothing is as constant as him. The main line in which arrogance is most prominent is line 66 In line 66, Caesar compares himself to the North Star, and how it is always constant and there, and Caesar basically says that it will always be there and will not change, other than getting brighter. gives the audience a glimpse of Caesar's ambition, as it shows that Caesar believes he can and will only become more and more powerful. Caesar first shows his great ambition in Act 2, Scene 2. , lines 32-37, when Caesar says: “The cowardly die many times before they die;/The valiant taste death but once./Of all the wonders I have yet heard,/He me. seems very strange that men should fear/seeing that death, a necessary end,/will come when it comes” In this, Caesar is essentially saying that, even though he knows that death is inevitable, he still is. is going to go out and be the king/dictator he always wanted to be. Of course, his arrogance gets in the way of this vision and he completely forgets this concept. The second time Caesar shows his ambition is also in Act 2, scene. 2, lines 98-111, Decius tells Caesar that the Senate plans to crown him..