...Does Shakespeare depict Julius Caesar as a tyrant who deserved to be deposed because of his unconstitutional usurpation of power? William Shakespeare’s well-renowned play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, has led to centuries of controversial debate on the validity of tyrannicide based on his depiction of Julius Caesar. Some scholars have argued that Shakespeare intended to portray Caesar as a tyrant, while others believe he is acting as a just King. On one hand, it is difficult to assume that Shakespeare plainly viewed Caesar as a tyrant, especially since Shakespeare deliberately left Caesar’s actions and intentions ambiguous, making him into a less obvious tyrannical figure compared to Plutarch’s representation of Caesar. In addition, Shakespeare does not solidify Caesar as a tyrant in the same way he does with Macbeth and Richard III in their respective plays. On the other hand, it is difficult to reason that Caesar is a just King because he came into power by usurpation. “In antiquity the term [“tyrant”] referred to a ruler who came to power by usurpation, without constitutional warrant.” Based on insight from several sources and my own interpretation of Julius Caesar, I have concluded that Shakespeare left Caesar’s objectives unknown in order to focus on the moral dilemma faced by Brutus, but Shakespeare still intended to depict Caesar as a tyrant who deserved to be deposed because of his unconstitutional usurpation of power. In order to prove this I will evaluate the political...
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...Tales of the Tyrant Rhetorical Analysis A core characteristic between dictators is their certainty that they are above everybody else. They refuse to listen to any input other than their own because of this pride. Saddam Hussein believed that he was a god among people, and subconsciously conveyed this through his interests. In Mark Bowden’s investigation, Tales of the Tyrant, he analyzes two of Saddam’s favorite movies, The Godfather and The Old Man and the Sea, and one of the books Saddam actually wrote, Zabibah and the King, to reveal Saddam’s arrogance and stubbornness. Bowden first relates Saddam to Michael Corleone in The Godfather who is “isolated and unloved, ensnared by his own power” (15). Bowden compares Saddam to Michael so Saddam is no longer just a dictator being read about, but now a fairly recognizable character that builds on Bowden’s arguments against Saddam. He writes about Michael’s “obsessive loyalty to his father” and the “loyalty to code over loyalty to family” so the reader can see that is what Saddam did to his country (15). However, Saddam saw himself as Don Vito, the main character. His arrogance leads him to believe he is always the main character; that he has helped his people and he is just beating the world at its own game. Bowden also states that “it would be easy for Saddam to see himself in...
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...The time separating the conception of these two works correlates with some key differences. Yet, though these documents were written years apart from one another, there are identifiable parallels, both obvious and concealed. The Declaration of Independence and the Declaration of Sentiments used similar strategies of repetition and appeal to logos in order to engender the desired reaction in their respective audiences. The purposes of these two documents vary widely. The Declaration of Independence was written to announce the colonies independence and removal from the British Empire. With it came the reasons for how King George III had become a tyrant, and finished with Thomas Jefferson finally explaining what the colonists were going to do about it. The Declaration of Sentiments also goes about the same organization, noting the reasons for why men have become tyrants over them, and finishing what they are going to do about. However, the Declaration of Sentiments doesn’t announce the call for a new country, but the call for reform. Instead, they are stating, “...that they have immediate admission to all the rights and privileges which belong to them as citizens of these United States.” Instead, the...
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...Authors Einhard and Notker the Stammerer express many criteria for qualities of what makes a good king in their combined work, “Two Lives of Charlemagne.” Einhard chooses to focus more on the aggressive, war-like side of King Charlemagne while Notker tends to focus on Charlemagne’s religious approach to ruling a kingdom. However, both writers consistently agree throughout their respective pieces that King Charles took pity on and gave to the poor, fostered good relationships with many people around him, and focused above all on the good of his kingdom. These are seen by medieval writers as qualities of a good king and Charlemagne’s popular reputation and high levels of respect certainly support this claim. Little is known about Einhard’s...
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...is still a ringing bell in today’s society .This soliloquay stretches throughout the play emphasising time namely Macbeth’s gradual dehumanisation due to his ambition and substantial exposure to evil where he is trapped in an endless spiral of guilt and eventually tragedy. This is a comparison between his past self where he was honourable compared to his present self where he is ruthless. Perhaps the greatest tragedy in Macbeth isn’t the death of himself but the path of dehumanisation he takes. The theme of how substantial exposure to evil affects you is illustrated in Macbeth’s Soliloquay. This eerie, altered perspective of life and mortality has definitely overcome Macbeth due to his exposure to sheer evil wether it is the deeds he performs or the witches. Shakespeare uses contrast to highlight the deterioration of Macbeth as in the beginning of the play he is portrayed by the nobles, soldiers and King Duncan as noble, brave, loyal and valiant ‘Those he commands move only in command, Nothing in love...’ and in comparison to the time of this soliloquay is a person who has piled copius blood upon his hands and is an illogical dejected tyrant. For Macbeth he has gained the Scottish crown but has lost everything on the way. Shakespeare suggests that a person’s responsibility and exposure to copius amounts of evil can lead to a changed perspective of life. There more blood that has befallen upon Macbeth’s hands the more depleted his understanding of life is.Shakespeare portrays...
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...of nature and love. This was mainly because of the industrial revolution, which had shifted life from the peaceful, serene countryside towards the chaotic cities, transforming man's natural order. Nature was not only appreciated for its visual beauty, but also revered for its ability to help the urban man find his true identity. While the poetry of the time is typified by lyrical ballads reflecting nature and beauty, revolutionary ideas are an underlying theme. Ozymandias is an ode published by Shelley in 1818 and is considered Shelley’s most famous short poem, as well as the most anthologized. The form of the poem happens to be a sonnet, however the rhyming system is very complicated and therefore creates an intricate and unique read compared to most other sonnets rhymed I the traditional fashion. His beautiful imagery puts an image of a...
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...was as strong as the men that ruled in her society which led to her downfall. Ultimately women in this period were treated as unimportant and weaker than the men that lived in that time. Men had ruled the towns and cities that occupied the land and the women had performed the duties that men had assigned to them. In 442 BC women believed that they were the inferior sex when compared to the men that lived during that time because men had power and influence over the people and cities. Ismene says “You ought to realize we are only women, not meant in nature to fight against men, and that we are ruled, by those who are stronger” (lines 70-73). These words said my Ismene prove that women looked at themselves as a weaker sex than the men. Ismene believes that as women, both her and her sister Antigone should not and cannot disobey Creon’s orders by burying their own brother. In this time period women feared the men that ruled over them although Antigone had the strength mentally to rebel. The ruling class of the men thought of themselves in much higher standing and importance than that of women. Creon, the king of the city (as well as Antigone’s uncle) states “we must not let people say that a woman beat us” (line 734). Here Creon uses a very condescending tone when talking about his niece Antigone. Creon believes that if people see that he is defeated by a woman, then he will be looked down upon because in this society men were rulers and women were supposed to be more submissive...
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...Rome’s, they did spread their culture and ideas throughout the Mediterranean. Athens during the Classical, or Hellenic, period (500-340 B.C.E) can easily be compared to Rome at its height in terms of art, and architecture, and far surpassed it in philosophy. While Rome was still struggling for independence from its Etruscan masters, Athens was the center of the Hellenic world. While Alexander the Great was learning from his Athenian tutor, Rome was putting down Latin rebellions. Even under Roman rule, Athens was favored for its ancient accomplishments. Rome may be the Eternal City, but it is simply a backwater pretender to Athens. Democracy is probably Athens most well known characteristic, but it was not always that way. Like every other Greek city during the Mycenaean period (1500-1200 B.C.E.), Athens was once ruled by a king. Little is known of Athens during this period, though the archeological record combined with popular myth from later periods may give us an insight. The names of several legendary kings of Athens have come down to us: in particular Erectheus, the first king, who was believed to have established the worship of the goddess Athena on the Acropolis, and Theseus, killer of the Minotaur, who (according to the Greek historian Plutarch) unified Attica (Connolly 10). Legend tells of many kings in Athens during the Mycenaean period, but no evidence has been found to validate any of these mythical, heroic monarchs. Evidence of a wall around the Acropolis...
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...“The Reign of King Andrew” President Andrew Jackson might have lived a common man’s youth, but he eventually transformed his life of poverty into that of a king. As Jackson grew older he became a powerful ambitious man and was ready to assert his influence throughout his presidency. Jackson left a memorable legacy with his days in office that included forceful removal of Native Americans, setting off the Spoils System into the American Government, and turning the presidential veto into an executive weapon; making use of it more than any other president before him. One of the most controversial events that occurred during Jackson’s presidency was the “Trail of Tears”. Jackson, a strong oppose of Native American rights, issued the “Indian Removal Act” which ordered for Indian relocation from their homeland to west of the Mississippi River; this relocation was meant to be voluntary, but it was not. In 1832, the Supreme Court mandated that the Cherokee had rights on their own land and did not need to abide by Georgia’s claims for their land. Jackson ignored the ruling and forced the Cherokee along with many other tribes to go relocate west of the Mississippi. Jackson’s decision to do this was considered extremely unconstitutional by many people outside of the Democratic- Republicans. President Jackson was heavily against the Bank of the United States. It had the most power out of any bank in America...
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...The Life of Lycurgus Augustine Eneogwe 9/24/2009 The Greek society as a whole was made up of very different people. There were many groups people could belong to starting from the highest which was the kings and nobles and then going all the way to the lowest groups; slaves or helots. These people were all very important, because they were the society. Every person had their own specific job that had to be done or it could throw off something else. To best represent the Greek society as a whole Lycurgus can be used as an example to show the different aspects. According to Plutarch the author, of Greek Lives, there are many stories on the history of Lycurgus that give different accounts of his family. He was known as the lawgiver, because of his many laws. Lycurgus became king of Sparta after his older brother died and there was no immediate heir to the throne. His brother’s wife was pregnant and he declared that if it was a boy, that child would be the next king of Sparta. That child was a boy and Lycurgus named him Charilaus, but soon after the boy was born, suspicion began to rise that Lycurgus wanted the throne for himself. These were just lies brought on by his late brother’s wife family. Lycurgus decided to leave Sparta until the boy was grown. It was actually a good thing that he left, because now he could go to other city-states and countries to learn how...
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...How To: Use Comparing Strategies DQ3: HELPING STUDENTS PRACTICE AND DEEPEN THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF NEW KNOWLEDGE Element 17 Examining Similarities and Differences Comparing is the process of identifying similarities and differences between ideas or things. A variety of strategies can be used when designing comparison activities. We will discuss sentence stems, Venn diagrams, double bubble diagrams and comparison matrices. Sentence Stem Comparisons This strategy can be used to have the students compare and contrast people, characters, places, events, concepts or processes. The comparisons can be general or specific. Marzano’s Becoming a Reflective Teacher, gives the following examples: General – House cats are similar to lions because ____________________. House cats are different than lions because _______________________. Specific – Sherlock Holmes and Gandalf are both characters who enjoy solving mysteries, but they are different because ____________________________. After a gym teacher has provided a series of critical-input experiences on baseball and fast pitch softball, he might assign a sentence stem assignment comparing and contrasting the two sports. A completed example can be found in Marzano’s A Handbook for the Art and Science of Teaching and looks something like this. Baseball and fast pitch softball are similar because they both… • Have 4 bases in a diamond shape • Have 9 defensive players. • Have the same ball/strike counts: 4 balls = walk & 3 strikes = out ...
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...No Roles, No Estate Fate, nature, and identity: in MacBeth, Shakespeare brews these three factors together in a boiling cauldron to demonstrate the dark side of the nature of mankind. MacBeth, initially a loyal general in Duncan’s army, becomes a mad, arrogant tyrant as a result of listening to prophesies of his future – or more specifically, his soon-to-become titles. His prior knowledge of his new titles elicits the inconspicuous avarice within MacBeth, which in return envelops Scotland into disorder and disease. Had he never obtained the ambition to promote his own role as king, Scotland could have remained the way it was under Duncan’s gentle rule; the absence of malicious intent – which had caused the deaths of Duncan, Banquo, and MacDuff’s family – would have most certainly created a different, possibly peaceful, alternative in the direction of destiny. Perhaps Shakespeare may be attempting to demonstrate the importance of roles within a society, as is evident throughout the characters, embedded words, and motifs within the script. Titles and roles create identities for people and establish societal norms, and, in effect, ultimately balance the order of nature. A role defines the identity, and thus the actions and purpose, of an individual. Names and labels are essential in that they are used everyday to recognize other people and oneself. The roles indicate who said, did, and conversed with whom, fundamental to Shakespeare’s literature that involves the interaction...
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...soldiers at the beginning of the play; For brave Macbeth-well he deserves that name Disdaining fortune, with his brandish’d steel Which smoked with bloody excecution, Like valour’s minion carved out his passage Till he faced the slave;/which ne’er shook hands from the nave to chaps, And fix’d his head upon our battlements. (I.ii.18-25) Macbeth’s character changes not long after his heroic actions had been brought to the attention of others. This happens because of one thing, the desire to be powerful. There are three witches that can tell the future, they gave Macbeth three prophecies saying; he will become Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, and King hereafter. Macbeth was skeptical about what the witches had told him, but after Macbeth became Thane of Cawdor he realizes that the prophecies are true, and he will become King. From that point on...
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...Thomas Jefferson was who authored extraordinary words and it was there words that changed a nation. Jefferson’s ability to write made him prominent author of write the Declaration of Independence, (among other significant works). Jefferson’s writings reflected on the rights of mankind and what rights a government must offer its people. His use of words to fight for Human rights makes him one of the greatest American Hero’s. Thomas Jefferson’s writings on basic human rights caused a radical shift in American Colonist thoughts and these stunning ideas would influence the Americans to break away from Great Britain. “As a boy, Thomas Jefferson’s was shy and often tongue-tied…Preferred the company of books to that of most people.” (Wilmore, 1) These were words to describe the young Jefferson; his childhood would prove to be a key in shaping the man, who through his words would change a nation. Jefferson was born on April 13th 1743, in Shadwell Virginia. During his childhood he would spend 15 hours each day reading and writing, this would prove to make his writing skills at a high level (1). As he grew into an adult he would study law in his home of Virginia at the William and Mary College at Williamsburg (Bottorff, 15). During this time he would become a member of the Whig party and would advocate for the rights and liberties of mankind (Peterson, 1). It was in his childhood and as turned into an adult which he learned how to write and how to express his political views through words...
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...Greece was the strongest country during its Classical Period. Even though they struggled against other strong country and had a civil war, they were peace at the end of the Classical Period. War is undoubtedly callous, but Greeks were not scared of death, they were warriors. One of the first and most important war during 600BCE-200BCE is the Greco-Persian War. During 539BCE, the Persian tyrant Cyrus the Great who ruled Persia and most of the West Asia dilated their territory and captured Lydia and the coast of Anatolia. Cyrus increased the taxes among Ionians( Greek residents from Anatolia) and appointed Persian land lords to charge from Ionians. His son Cambyses supported Cyrus and captured even mot residential settlements from Greece and...
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