Marcus Brutus Essays - Cultural Depictions Of Julius Caesar

Marcus Brutus William Shakespeare's play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, is mainly based on the assassination of Julius Caesar. The character who was in charge of the assassination was, ironically, Marcus Brutus, a servant and close friend to Julius Caesar. But what would cause a person to kill a close friend? After examining Brutus' relationship to Caesar, his involvement in the conspiracy, and his importance to the plot, the truth can be revealed. Marcus Brutus, a servant and close friend to Caesar, has a strong relationship with Caesar but a stronger relationship with Rome and its people. Brutus is very close to Caesar. In Roman times, the only way for someone to get close to a person of high rank is if he/she is close to him/her. In many points of the play, Brutus was talking and next to Caesar. Brutus also loves Caesar but fears his power. In the early acts of the play, Brutus says to Cassius, "What means this shouting? I do fear the people do choose Caesar for their king...yet I love him well."(act 1, scene 2, ll.85-89), as he is speaking to Cassius. Brutus loves Caesar, but would not allow him to "climber-upward...He then unto the ladder turns his back..."(act 2, scene 1, ll.24,26). As the quote says, Brutus would not allow Caesar to rise to power and then turn his back onto the people of Rome. After the assassination of Julius Caesar, Brutus talks to Antony about Caesar's death. "Our hearts you see not; they are pitiful; and pity to the general wrong of Rome..."(act 3, scene 1, ll.185-186). Brutus says that Antony cannot see their(members of the conspiracy) hearts, which are full of pity. Again, this shows how Brutus loved Caesar but cared for the life of Rome and its people more. This is the only reason Brutus would conspire against Caesar. For Brutus says to himself, "I know no personal cause to spurn at him...How that might change his nature..."(act 2, scene1, ll. 1,13) Caesar's relationship with Brutus is also strong. Just allowing Brutus to speak to Caesar shows his respect for Brutus. Caesar feels that Brutus is noble to him and does the right thing regardless of personal danger. On the Ides of March, as Caesar was assassinated, Caesar's last line is: "Et tu, Brute?--Then fall, Caesar."(act 3, scene 1, l.85). This shows that Caesar would not die without Brutus' stab. Caesar realizes that there must be a noble reason for this assassination if Brutus was in it. This again shows how much Caesar respects Brutus. Brutus and Caesar both respect each other, but in different ways. Marcus Brutus had a very important role in the conspiracy against Caesar. He was the "back-bone" of the plan. According to Cassius, Brutus' main purpose in the conspiracy is for an insurance policy. The people will think, since Brutus is noble to Caesar, that there is a good reason for Caesar's assassination. Brutus will also be the leader of the conspiracy for another "insurance policy" for the assassination. Cassius is the one who declares this, "Brutus shall lead the way, and we will grace his heels with the most boldest and best hearts of Rome. "(act 3, scene 1, ll.135-136). Again, if Brutus leads the way, the people will think that the death of Julius Caesar wasn't such a bad thing. Brutus also declares to himself that his role in the conspiracy is to save Rome. He says to the people that, "If then that friend demand why Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer: not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more."(Act 3,scene 2,ll.21-24). If Brutus was not in the plot of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, the conspiracy would probably not have worked. Since Brutus "...loved Rome more."(Act 3,scene2, ll.23-24), he decided to be a part of the conspiracy. If he hadn't loved Rome more than Caesar, he would not have joined in the assassination of Julius Caesar. Cassius and the rest of the conspirators would probably not have continued on without Brutus because they would have no "insurance" afterwards. The people would think that there was no reason for Caesar's death and most likely beheaded all the conspirators. Also, if Brutus

THE THEME OF TRAGEDY IN EDGAR ALLAN POES TALES OF TERROR essays

THE THEME OF TRAGEDY IN EDGAR ALLAN POE'S TALES OF TERROR essays Although most readers would not immediately recognize it, a number of the so-called "Tales of Terror" by American author Edgar Allan Poe, born in Boston in 1809 and the youngest son of Elizabeth and David Poe. Jr., contain central themes associated with tragedy and tragic drama. With a detailed reading of such tales as "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Pit and the Pendulum," "The Black Cat," "The Cask of Amontillado" and "The Fall of the House of Usher," the dark presence of tragedy can be strongly sensed, for it not only permeates the plotlines but also the various characters that bring the tale to life as though each was experiencing the sensations and emotions that make up a true tragic figure, replete with misery, denial, fabrications, and death. Ironically, Poe's own life was based on a tragic drama, for it was influenced by many events that were beyond his control, such as the early death of his wife Virginia in 1847 from tuberculosis. In essence, it could be said that Poe had his own "fatal flaw" that finally led to his own death in October of 1849 at the age of forty. The Greek philosopher Aristotle defines tragic drama as "a power capable of raising pity and fear, or terror. . . to purge the mind of these passions. . . to temper and reduce them. . . by reading or seeing those passions imitated" (Hamilton, 56), i.e. tragedy gnaws at one's emotions, thus bringing about a release, or purgation, when the tragic figure is triumphant or victorious over his oppressors or the object of his frustrations. However, since Aristotle's time, literary purists have what constitutes tragedy, yet Poe's own interpretation of this term is "the primordial emotions that rise from the deepest recesses of the human soul" which he described as "the reproduction of what the senses perceive in nature through a veil. . . the naked senses sometimes sees too little but then they always see too muc...

Aspects of Alzheimers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Aspects of Alzheimers - Essay Example According to the essay the other aspect is the issue of stress management; where one is required to balance their blood pressure due to the relationship between Alzheimer’s and high blood pressure. This is because; the stress hormone, cortisol conducts extensive damage in the memory cells of the brain. In this light, as one ages or develops illnesses, the body loses the natural ability to regulate cortisol levels in the blood. Therefore, it is crucial to learn how to balance stress to avoid memory loss and improve retention.This paper outlines that  regular exercise is vital to the prevention as in nursing, one is always busy tending to the needs of patients to the extent there is little time for oneself. This is terms of mental and physical exercise; where one should exercise twenty minutes daily to keep the brain active. All these, in the nursing profession, require an almost total overhaul on one’s lifestyle to keep up with a healthy body and avoid the risk of cont racting Alzheimer’s due to inactivity and poor diet this is all under the guise of a busy schedule and a demanding profession. The most interesting facts about Alzheimer’s in my opinion lie in the prevention of the said condition. This is because; prevention of the condition is based on a few tweaks to one’s lifestyle in order to keep the likelihood of the condition from occurring and living healthy.  Such tweaks in the lifestyle include maintaining a healthy diet as it influences one’s memory.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚