Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Why is the Major Theme of Julius Caesar Greed?

Shakespeare explores the theme of greed in the play Julius Caesar by depicting the motives of certain senators, military leaders, and politicians as they struggle to retain or gain power in Rome. It is also important to view the theme of greed as the selfish desire for power, which is closely associated with ambition, instead of the traditional perception regarding the desire to attain wealth or money.
Cassius and the majority of the conspirators, except Brutus, are portrayed as greedy individuals, whose purpose for assassinating Caesar is to retain their authority while simultaneously advancing their status in Rome's political arena. Cassius understands that Brutus's participation is necessary to gain the favor of the masses. He successfully manipulates Brutus into joining the conspirators by presenting moving arguments regarding Caesar's ambition and placing fake letters from presumably concerned citizens in Brutus's home. Following Caesar's assassination, Cassius's greed is revealed as he begins selling political offices and advancing his rank among senators. Once Brutus discovers that Cassius is bribing Roman politicians, he gets into a heated argument with Cassius that almost leads to a physical confrontation.
Julius Caesar is the most influential, popular politician in the play, whom the senators believe is ambitious and greedy enough to become emperor of Rome. Despite the fact that Julius Caesar never explicitly comments on his goal to become emperor and senators like Brutus struggle to find evidence that he is ambitious, Caesar is assassinated because the senators believe that he is greedy enough to disband the Senate, which would put an end to the Roman Republic. Octavius is also portrayed as a greedy, ambitious man, who wishes to rule Rome as an emperor. Following Caesar's death, Octavius joins forces with Mark Antony and Lepidus and takes over Rome by force. Octavius's goal of becoming Rome's emperor reveals his greed for authority and hunger for power. Overall, the theme of greed is explored through the motives of politicians and military leaders vying for power and authority in Rome's political arena.

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