...bliss, however that doesn’t apply to Caesar. It is because of ignorance that Caesar is killed by the conspirators in William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. However it is not only ignorance that leads to Caesar’s death, fatal flaws also play a role in Caesar's demise. Caesar has his fair share of fatal flaws affecting both his private and public life. Caesar’s public pride, stubbornness to those close to him, and constant naiveness and nobility ultimately led him to his doom. In Caesar’s public life, his pride runs his life. For example, Calpurnia had convinced Caesar not to go the Senate after having a terrifying dream about Caesar’s death. In her dream, Calpurnia saw Caesar's body in a fountain of blood with Romans...
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...JULIUS CAESAR BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEAR Question 1 In what way does the crowd function as a character? In the play “Julius Caesar”, the crowd plays a crucial role in portraying the setting of their society. The crowds would usually portray characteristics of one character or individual. They acted like this in the way they went about doing things e.g.- they would always take the side of the person in power, they were easily persuaded because of their naïve state of mind. Question 2 One thing Julius Caesar and Brutus have in common is their divided selves. Compare the two characters with special reference to their public and private selves. Both Caesar and Brutus have two distinguished personalities, (divided selves). In reference to Brutus’ public personality, he is confident and hold himself in high esteem. He refuses to show even a spec of weakness. He takes great pride in his speeches. As opposed to his private self, who is very timid and gentle. This was portrayed in the play when he tries to conceal tis side of him from his wife. In reference to Caesar’s public personality, he is fearless, arrogant and noble in public. Caesar was unable to separate his public self from his private self unlike Brutus. Caesar would discuss his private affairs publicly. Question 3 Compare and contrast the scene between Portia and Brutus and the scene between Caesar and Calpurnia Brutus and Portia share a more respectful relationship with an understanding that they are...
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...Common Themes in Macbeth, Julius Caesar, and Hamlet Shakespeare utilizes the supernatural and fate to pave the destiny of some of his characters in his tragedies. Macbeth, Julius Caesar, and Hamlet appear to have a common novel theme of fate, betrayal to supremacy, and the struggle to restore providential power. Shakespeare uses rhetoric to effectively convey the idea of fate and the struggle against it. In all three of these Shakespearian tragedies characters encounter the emotion of disbelief and the struggle to seek refuge from fate and to ultimately live life as if it were their free will. In Macbeth and Hamlet, Shakespeare appears to use apparitions early in the play to effectively establish mysteriousness of the paths of these characters. By using apparitions Shakespeare clearly makes a distinction of the supernatural and reality. In these moments of these confrontations Shakespeare successfully establishes Hamlet and Macbeth’s mortality and their inevitability to succumbing to their fate. But were Hamlet and Macbeth actually doomed right away or were they in a situation where poor choices caused their downfall? H.B. Charlton thinks that Hamlet being that type of man he is, fails to kill Claudius right after King Hamlet has been murdered causing him to succumb to his fate (83). Also Julius Caesar and Duncan’s ghost appear in their plays. In each of these tragedies the main character has one emotion when he encounters fate, disbelief. Disbelief in the potential...
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...Brutus Joins the Conspiracy The biggest debate of Julius Caesar is most likely whether Brutus should have joined the conspiracy. Brutus was right to collaborate in the conspiracy for multiple reasons. No one could have known how Caesar would handle the responsibility of the power in which comes with being king. Brutus believed strongly in the people of Rome as well as the Roman republic system. Similarly, he considered himself an expert judge of character and a loyal man making him a worthy leader of the assassination of Caesar. Caesar may have turned against the people who helped him after he became king, such as Brutus. Brutus had known of kings before in which had abused their power. There was no way of knowing whether Caesar would do this or not. Shakespeare uses an analogy of someone climbing a ladder to describe Caesars climb to power(II,i,22-27). Correspondingly, up until now he has used...
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...Delich Italian 230 Research Paper Julius Caesar Julius Caesar; he came, he saw, and he conquered. Caesar is one of the most well-known Emperors of Rome and one of the most influential historical figures. Caesar was a politician and general of the late Roman republic, who greatly extended the Roman Empire before seizing power and making himself dictator of Rome, paving the way for the imperial system. The story of Caesar’s rise to power and fall from grace is one that has been told since the time of the Romans. His accomplishments and contributions to Roman society and the world will surely never be forgotten. Julius Caesar was a distinguished general, influential politician, and a fierce dictator. Julius Caesar was born in Rome around July 13, 100 BC. Although, he hailed from Roman aristocrats, his family was far from rich. When Caesar was 16 his father, Gaius Caesar, died. “His family was closely connected with the Marian faction in Roman politics” (Historical Figures, Julius Caesar par. 2). At around the time of his father's death, Caesar made a large effort to side with the country's nobility. “His marriage to Cornelia, the daughter of a noble, had drawn the ire of Rome's dictator, Sulla, who ordered the young Roman to divorce his wife or risk losing his property” (Caesar Julius, par 5). Caesar refused and found escape in the military, serving first in the province of Asia and then in Cilicia. Following the death of Sulla, Caesar returned to Rome to begin his career...
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...The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is a story of the short rise and fall of a ruler and the conspiracy linked to it. Julius Caesar is soon to be crown king of Rome after defeating military commander, Pompey. One of the close allies of Julius, Cassius fears of Rome being under rule of a man that in truth doesn’t like and wants to take him down. Cassius gathers others close to Julius to create this plan to bring Caesar down. Cassius tries hard to recruit one man who he believes would be perfect for the conspiracy: Marcus Brutus, a man who is known for the noble deeds of him and his ancestors. After much of a inner and outer strangle for Brutus to consider this, he goes along with the plan and then seems to over take most of Cassius’s position. The conspirators take Caesar to the capitol, where he is to be murdered, and Caesar utters the infamous words: “Et tu, Brute?”. The conspirators rejoice in the deed and are then later met with Antony as they finally agree to trust him. Antony, Caesar’s right hand man, is broken by the sight of Caesar’s dead body. When the conspirators leave to capitol, Brutus and Antony start to give their speeches and expose Caesar’s body. Brutus’s speech defends the conspirators and the murder and for a moment, he has won over the people. But, Antony’s dramatic speech overwhelms the civilians and now has them against the conspirators and this starts the civil war. It is a war for the power and fait of Rome where it is Antony and Octavius’s (Caesar’s nephew and...
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...Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare William Shakespeare Renowned English poet, playwright and actor William Shakespeare’s birth date is not known; however, he is said to have been baptized on the 26th of April 1564. He died on the 26th of April 1616 but not before he had written about 38 plays, 154 sonnets and other literary pieces. Shakespeare’s plays have been translated into several languages over the years and have been produced in many forms throughout the ages. The Play Julius Caesar is a play about friendship, betrayal and power. The play is a historical tragedy as it presents the biography of one of the greatest man to have ever lived in Rome. Caesar was made Dictator and Consol after he chased Pompey and his forces out of Rome in an attempt to obtain ultimate power. Caesar’s ultimate goal was to become Rome’s first king and he remained focus on this goal until his death in 44BC. His death was as a result of fate and his refusal to acknowledge the many signs and omens that foreshadowed his fall. Brutus a very good friend of Caesar also took part in his assassination. Brutus feared that Caesar would become a tyrant and harm the people of Rome. In an attempt to ‘save’ the people Brutus helped Cassius to take Caesar’s life. After Caesar’s death he is avenged by his loyal servant Antony who skillfully manipulates his way into the band of conspirators. Later, after winning the love of the people Antony pursues and conquers Brutus’ and Cassius’ forces...
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...There is much debate about the question of is Brutus a patriot or betrayer. In Julius Caesar there is evidence for both Brutus being a patriot or a betrayer. However there is more evidence that Brutus is a betrayer than a patriot. This is because Brutus killed Caesar who was his friend. Also, Brutus was one of the main conspirators behind Caesar’s death. However Brutus may appear after Caesar’s death that he is a patriot because of his speech, but he says this trying to cover up what he really did. Brutus is a betrayer because he killed his friend, lead a treasonous plot against Caesar, and had a false sense of honor. Brutus is a betrayer because he killed one of his true friends. This is perhaps the main reason Brutus is a betrayer. The...
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...general good of the city and the people. This is particularly relevant to the character of Brutus during the play. During the scenes of William Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, characters are able to rise to power through their particular strengths. These characters, Cassius, Brutus, and Antony all have different characteristics that helped them gain power within the city of Rome. However, these people also showed that they were human by having weaknesses that led to their down fall. Within a leader, it is important to look at their trustworthiness, honorability, reputation, and their use of empathy. These three characters all displayed differences within these traits which made them unique in their own ways. Within the scenes of Julius Caesar, Cassius, the leader of the conspiracy against Caesar, displays many strengths that guide him to the rise to power, and weaknesses which direct him to his eventual fall. Cassius believes that the people of Rome are responsible for the government of Rome. They have allowed a man to gain excessive power; therefore, they have the responsibility to stop him, and with a man of Caesar's well-known ambition, that can only mean assassination. Clearly, the most significant characteristic of Cassius is his ability to perceive the true motives of men; in other words, the ability to read or see through other people, which is called empathy. Caesar...
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...Chapter Fifteen The Roman Empire at its Zenith (to 235 CE) In retrospect we can see that a decline of the Roman empire began in the reign of Marcus Aurelius (161-180), when the Germanic barbarians along the Rhine and especially the Danube discovered that the Romans were not well equipped to fight wars on two fronts. When the emperor, that is, was preoccupied with a war against the Parthians in Mesopotamia, the Roman frontier along and beyond the Danube was poorly defended, and the barbarians could make raids deep into the Roman provinces. Despite the danger of wars on two fronts, the Roman empire was able to manage well enough from the 160s until 235, when the decline became precipitous, and brought with it radical economic, cultural and religious changes. This chapter, therefore, will look at the empire in its relatively golden period, from the first century until the death of Alexander Severus, the last of the Severi, in 235. The classes This was a stratified, hierarchical society in all ways. In civic status the top of the pyramid was the emperor, followed by Roman provincial governors, senators and other officials, then by the local gentry, and next by the rank and file of Roman citizens. Of all the free men in the empire, only about a third ranked as Roman citizens. Right behind the Romans were the Hellenes (in the Greek-speaking eastern provinces the Hellenes were enrolled as such in the municipal census), then came Judaeans, and finally the other barbarians. So in...
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...Provided by The Internet Classics Archive. See bottom for copyright. Available online at http://classics.mit.edu//Caesar/gallic.html The Gallic Wars By Julius Caesar Translated by W. A. McDevitte and W. S. Bohn ---------------------------------------------------------------------- BOOK 1 Chapter 1 All Gaul is divided into three parts, one of which the Belgae inhabit, the Aquitani another, those who in their own language are called Celts, in our Gauls, the third. All these differ from each other in language, customs and laws. The river Garonne separates the Gauls from the Aquitani; the Marne and the Seine separate them from the Belgae. Of all these, the Belgae are the bravest, because they are furthest from the civilization and refinement of [our] Province, and merchants least frequently resort to them, and import those things which tend to effeminate the mind; and they are the nearest to the Germans, who dwell beyond the Rhine, with whom they are continually waging war; for which reason the Helvetii also surpass the rest of the Gauls in valor, as they contend with the Germans in almost daily battles, when they either repel them from their own territories, or themselves wage war on their frontiers. One part of these, which it has been said that the Gauls occupy, takes its beginning at the river Rhone; it is bounded by the river Garonne, the ocean, and the territories of the Belgae; it borders, too, on the side of the Sequani and the Helvetii...
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...A STUDY OF FULVIA by Allison Jean Weir A thesis submitted to the Department of Classics In conformity with the requirements for The degree of Master of Arts Queen’s University Kingston, Ontario, Canada December 2007 copyright © Allison Jean Weir 2007 Abstract Who was Fulvia? Was she the politically aggressive and dominating wife of Mark Antony as Cicero and Plutarch describe her? Or was she a loyal mother and wife, as Asconius and Appian suggest? These contrasting accounts in the ancient sources warrant further investigation. This thesis seeks to explore the nature of Fulvia’s role in history to the extent that the evidence permits. Fulvia is most famous for her activities during Antony’s consulship (44 BC) and his brother Lucius Antonius’ struggle against C. Octavian in the Perusine War (41-40 BC). But there is a discrepancy among the authors as to what extent she was actually involved. Cicero, Octavian and Antony, who were all key players in events, provide their own particular versions of what occurred. Later authors, such as Appian and Dio, may have been influenced by these earlier, hostile accounts of Fulvia. This is the first study in English to make use of all the available evidence, both literary and material, pertaining to Fulvia. Modern scholarship has a tendency to concentrate almost exclusively on events towards the end of Fulvia’s life, in particular the Perusine War, about which the evidence is much more abundant in later sources such as Appian and...
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...Bloom’s Classic Critical Views W i l l ia m Sha k e Sp e a r e Bloom's Classic Critical Views alfred, lord Tennyson Benjamin Franklin The Brontës Charles Dickens edgar allan poe Geoffrey Chaucer George eliot George Gordon, lord Byron henry David Thoreau herman melville Jane austen John Donne and the metaphysical poets John milton Jonathan Swift mark Twain mary Shelley Nathaniel hawthorne Oscar Wilde percy Shelley ralph Waldo emerson robert Browning Samuel Taylor Coleridge Stephen Crane Walt Whitman William Blake William Shakespeare William Wordsworth Bloom’s Classic Critical Views W i l l ia m Sha k e Sp e a r e Edited and with an Introduction by Sterling professor of the humanities Yale University harold Bloom Bloom’s Classic Critical Views: William Shakespeare Copyright © 2010 Infobase Publishing Introduction © 2010 by Harold Bloom All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. For more information contact: Bloom’s Literary Criticism An imprint of Infobase Publishing 132 West 31st Street New York NY 10001 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data William Shakespeare / edited and with an introduction by Harold Bloom : Neil Heims, volume editor. p. cm. — (Bloom’s classic critical views) Includes bibliographical references...
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...1 CHAPTER I CHAPTER II CHAPTER III CHAPTER IV CHAPTER V CHAPTER VI CHAPTER VII CHAPTER VIII CHAPTER IX CHAPTER X CHAPTER XI CHAPTER XII CHAPTER XIII CHAPTER XIV CHAPTER XV CHAPTER XVI Chapter XVIII CHAPTER XVII CHAPTER XVIII CHAPTER XIX CHAPTER XX CHAPTER XXI CHAPTER XXII CHAPTER XXIII CHAPTER XXIV CHAPTER XXV CHAPTER XXVI CHAPTER XXVII CHAPTER XXVIII CHAPTER XXIX CHAPTER XXX CHAPTER XXXI The Art of Public Speaking BY 2 The Art of Public Speaking BY J. BERG ESENWEIN AUTHOR OF "HOW TO ATTRACT AND HOLD AN AUDIENCE," "WRITING THE SHORT-STORY," "WRITING THE PHOTOPLAY," ETC., ETC., AND DALE CARNAGEY PROFESSOR OF PUBLIC SPEAKING, BALTIMORE SCHOOL OF COMMERCE AND FINANCE; INSTRUCTOR IN PUBLIC SPEAKING, Y.M.C.A. SCHOOLS, NEW YORK, BROOKLYN, BALTIMORE, AND PHILADELPHIA, AND THE NEW YORK CITY CHAPTER, AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF BANKING THE WRITER'S LIBRARY EDITED BY J. BERG ESENWEIN THE HOME CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOL SPRINGFIELD, MASS. PUBLISHERS Copyright 1915 THE HOME CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOL ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TO F. ARTHUR METCALF FELLOW-WORKER AND FRIEND Table of Contents THINGS TO THINK OF FIRST--A FOREWORD * CHAPTER I--ACQUIRING CONFIDENCE BEFORE AN AUDIENCE * CHAPTER II--THE SIN OF MONOTONY DALE CARNAGEY * CHAPTER III--EFFICIENCY THROUGH EMPHASIS AND SUBORDINATION * CHAPTER IV--EFFICIENCY THROUGH CHANGE OF PITCH * CHAPTER V--EFFICIENCY THROUGH CHANGE OF PACE * CHAPTER VI--PAUSE AND POWER * CHAPTER VII--EFFICIENCY THROUGH INFLECTION * CHAPTER VIII--CONCENTRATION IN DELIVERY...
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...Essays Essays Part II. 2, 2.] Part II. 2, 2.] Essays The Project Gutenberg EBook of Essays, by Ralph Waldo Emerson This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net Title: Essays Author: Ralph Waldo Emerson Editor: Edna H. L. Turpin Release Date: September 4, 2005 [EBook #16643] Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ESSAYS *** 1 Essays Produced by Curtis A. Weyant , Sankar Viswanathan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net ESSAYS BY RALPH WALDO EMERSON Merrill's English Texts SELECTED AND EDITED, WITH INTRODUCTION AND NOTES, BY EDNA H.L. TURPIN, AUTHOR OF "STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY," "CLASSIC FABLES," "FAMOUS PAINTERS," ETC. NEW YORK CHARLES E. MERRILL CO. 1907 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION LIFE OF EMERSON CRITICAL OPINIONS CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF PRINCIPAL WORKS THE AMERICAN SCHOLAR COMPENSATION SELF RELIANCE FRIENDSHIP HEROISM MANNERS GIFTS NATURE SHAKESPEARE; OR, THE POET PRUDENCE CIRCLES NOTES PUBLISHERS' NOTE Merrill's English Texts 2 Essays 3 This series of books will include in complete editions those masterpieces of English Literature that are best adapted for the use of schools and colleges. The editors of the several volumes will...
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