Manipulation in Shakespeares Julius Caesar Essay - 612 Words

Manipulation in Shakespeares Julius Caesar William Shakespeares tragic play portraying the life in ancient Rome is one that closely follows many elements that make a drama interesting. The murders and the conspiracies behind the killings add to the plot of jealousy and patriotism. Within Julius Caesar also lies a twisted tale of attempted, actual, and forced manipulation. The first sign of attempted manipulation in this play takes place in the first scene of the first act. The Romans are gathering during a holiday to celebrate Caesars victory over Pompey in a civil war, and they gather at a traditional race in celebration. While the crowds are at their peak capacity, two Pompey supporting government officials are out and†¦show more content†¦He already has personal opinions, but then he receives an anonymous letter urging him to act on Romes behalf. His decision to tell his wife of this conspiracy is actually one of manipulation on her part, the overall secret being from the letter of Cassius, the man who sent the anonymous letter. Another manipulation that actually happened by chance takes place in a scene shortly thereafter. Because of a storm that takes place the dawn before the Ides, Caesar and his wife, Calpurnia, lie awake in their bed. Caesar intends to go to the Capitol, but Calpurnia objects. She urges him to stay home because of many threatening omens, and she has him completely persuaded. Calpurnia easily manipulates her husbands decisions, and he agrees to stay home for her sake. Along with the actuality and the attempts of manipulation in this play reside many forced manipulations. In the same scene in which Calpurnia convinces her husband to not go to the Capitol, a group of conspirators meet at Caesars house to make sure he does not decide to stay at home, simply so that the planned assassination can, in fact, take place. Brutus, one of the conspirators, tells Caesar that his wife is superstitious, and that he should not be listening to her. In a later scene, after Caesars death, Brutus and Antony begin to speak to a group of citizens of Rome. After Brutus speech explaining that Caesar needed to be slain for the good of Rome, Antony cleverly manages toShow MoreRelatedCassius Manipulation of Brutus, the Noblest Roman of Them All, in Shakespeares Julius Caesar699 Words   |  3 Pagesfilled with abhorrence and jealousy. In the play, Julius Caesar, Brutus is a Roman who is easily manipulated, decisive, and proud. These contradicting traits of Brutus show us why the reader does not want to believe that Brutus is an antagonist in the story. 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