Shakespeare Essay

Submitted By Dhevyn
Words: 682
Pages: 3
Open Document
Dhevyn Webb
English 10 Honors
March, 27, 2015

John Sweeney once said,” I wanted to think I was invincible, at least that’s what I wanted you to think, and I wanted to think it too.” In the play the “Tragedy of Julius Caesar,” by William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar had many motives. His motives were to obtain absolute power over the Roman Empire, revel in the worship he would receive from others, and ensure that he would be remembered as a figure who was forever invincible in the minds of all men. However, his faith in his invincibility as well as his belief in the men he had called friends led to his ultimate demise. There are many reasons why Caesar takes on an invincible mindset early on in the play. This tragedy gave many examples in Caesar’s background that proved why he believed himself to be invincible. When Crassus died due to illness and Caesar’s only legitimate daughter, Julia, died of childbirth Caesar’s only competition for total control over Rome was Pompey. Caesar left Rome to pursue Pompey eventually trouncing him. Caesar’s victory over Pompey could be looked at as his first act of “invincibility” because Caesar had defeated the one man standing in the way of his objectives. After this triumph he returned to a divided Rome where he ruled as a “dictator” instead of restoring the triumvirate. Thinking of nothing except for the acquisition of total control over the Roman Empire, Caesar takes it upon himself to keep making decisions without being challenged or questioned. To Caesar, being of Roman descent meant that he was naturally superstious about almost everything. Caesar displayed this early in Act I Scene II when he orders Antonius to touch his infertile wife Calpurnia while he is running the race so that, “the curse of sterility” may be lifted. But even as a very superstious man, when a soothsayer gives Caesar the warning “Beware the Ides of March,” Caesar does not take the warning seriously. He laughed and brushed the warning off as if it were a joke. He then continued to feast and enjoy the festivities of the Feast of Lupercal. Caesar’s actions supported his belief in his invincibility. It also showed that Caesar was not particularly concerned with being overthrown or eradicated. Caesar’s undoubtable faith in his invincibility and his belief in his closest friends’ loyalties led to his inevitable demise. Caesar believed that the immortal “status” he had taken on mentally would protect his physical body. For example, Caesar ignored the warnings given to him by his wife Calpurnia’s nightmares as well as the
Show More

Related Documents: Shakespeare Essay

Shakespeare essay

Shakespeare is renowned for his dramatic works, he is the most accessible playwright; adults and children both educated and uneducated can appreciate his contribution to the cannon. However, his sonnets can also be considered as an important contribution to poetry. Use his sequence of sonnets to compare and contrast the style and tone of both his plays and poetic works to describe his cultural significance to a modern audience. Muse, Patron, Lover - Shakespeare had all three but were they all…

Words 2795 - Pages 12

English Shakespeare Essay

Owen Carey Per.1 English 9 int. Ms. Jackson Shakespeare Essay There is much controversy over the actual author of the plays supposedly created by Shakespeare. The unproven truth is that Shakespeare did not in fact write the plays accredited to him. There is not enough evidence that ties Shakespeare to his work. There are also no real reason as to why Shakespeare would have been intellectually capable of creating this plays due to his background, along with eat quality. Most importantly there is…

Words 1689 - Pages 7

The Shakespeare Essay

In the play Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, Shakespeare constructed a range of theatrical characters that has allowed actors to engage audiences over centuries. In this comic play, the characters that provided audiences with extreme comic entertainment are no other but the Mechanicals, amongst the Mechanicals, all the actors have a different way of bringing to life and consequently, engaging the audience, through voice, movement and their own motivation of their character as performers…

Words 1157 - Pages 5

Shakespeare: Judith. Unfinished Shakespeare Essay

Search of Shakespeare Who is William Shakespeare? Well, he is definitely not just some guy that wrote all those famous plays. William Shakespeare had so much more to his life than just writing. His life was filled with secrets, tragedy, and love and just about everything else that ended up in his plays. He lived in the Elizabethan times, and had a very mysterious personal life, this all took effect on his writing and professional life. We do not know the actual date that William Shakespeare was born…

Words 609 - Pages 3

shakespeare essay

misconception about the authorship of Shakespeare’s plays. Many argue that others wrote them, and even some believed he did not exist at all. One of the main examples that most use as a reference is Act three, scene five in the tragedy of Macbeth by Shakespeare where the witches are introduced to Hecate. Many say that an Author known as Thomas Middleton wrote this portion but throughout the play there are many examples that prove other wise. It follows Shakespeare’s formats of using “prose”, ten syllables…

Words 954 - Pages 4

Othello by Shakespeare Essay

Othello ­­ 4 Paragraph Essay Prompt 3: Handkerchief Helen Fisher once said, “ Once you fall for someone, their smell can be a powerful thing. Women will wear their boyfriend's' T-shirts, and throughout tales in history men have held on to their lover's handkerchief.” Items are given symbolism even something as insignificant as what wipes one’s nose. Things can become tokens of love, remembrance, tests, fidelity and much more. In Othello , written by Shakespeare, Iago is angry with Othello…

Words 967 - Pages 4

Shakespeare Essat Essay

Renee Tawil EN-306 Dr. Starke Shakespeare Essay 2 The Power of Isolation Coriolanus, Hamlet, and Othello are all plays that follow protagonists who carry the weight of their own tragic death. Shakespeare’s plays however, differ in plots and personalities of the protagonists. Readers are brought into the lives of three very different characters: the prideful one, the mentally unstable one and the jealous one. One commonality between the plays is the theme of isolation. The consequences of physical…

Words 1936 - Pages 8

Shakespeare: William Shakespeare and Elizabethan England Essay

England. Which molded Shakespeare into changing how plays were produced. He had a "devotion to character development, stage direction, and mood-setting props, he combined lifelike realism with style to produce 38 plays coveted by actors and audiences alike." Paraphrase: In this section of the article, it talks about William Shakespeare's life. Where and what date he was born. It also talks about who his father was and what he did for a living. Tells the reader about how Shakespeare did not go to college…

Words 304 - Pages 2

Shakespeare: 16 th Century and Shakespeare Essay

patronage. Shakespeare will be closely watched by Queen Elizabeth’s servant Lord Chamberlain for a few days to really get to know what type of person Shakespeare really is. Lord Chamberlain will then report back to Queen Elizabeth positive or negative news on how good or bad of a person Shakespeare is. Based on prior evidence obtained, Shakespeare does not deserve the patronage from Queen Elizabeth. The first reason why Shakespeare should not get the patronage from the Queen is because Shakespeare was…

Words 307 - Pages 2

Essay about Shakespeare: William Shakespeare and Falstaff

characters emerge as potential leaders of England. Although the ruling ability of King Henry is touched upon in the play, the principal focus is on the abilities of Prince Hal, Falstaff, and Hotspur. As these characters are examined, a picture of what Shakespeare considers to be a good ruler emerges. The first of these three characters that the reader encounters is Prince Hal. In this initial moment Hal appears an irresponsible joker, carousing with Falstaff and making snide remarks about his companion’s…

Words 1623 - Pages 7