POLITICS (P)RE- DEFINED
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright whose work was appreciated far and wide. He encompassed mainly three genres of script, namely: Comedy, Tragedy and History. Shakespeare’s cliff- hangers included the famous “Romeo and Juliet”, “Merchant Of Venice”, “The Comedy Of Errors”, “ Macbeth” and others, all comprehensively acknowledged. His astounding work also included the popular “Julius Caesar.”
“Julius Caesar” was one of the earliest of Shakespeare’s three Roman history plays.
The play attributes the true essence of ardent faces of politics. It inaugurates by dramatizing the “suspected” intentions of Julius Caesar, an able General and conqueror of Rome, to be crowned as the emperor of the country. This is believed by Cassius and his collaborators.
Cassius, a Roman senator instigates a plot to murder Caesar and acquires the confidence of Marcus Brutus, Caesar’s close friend and country’s praetor. He mobilizes Brutus, Metellus Cimber, Casca and some others against Julius Caesar by influencing them into believing that Caesar has become “ambitious” and would ruin Rome by his dictatorship once in power.
The very first scene introduces signs that Caesar must “beware the Ides Of March”. Also, Calpurnia, Julius’s wife dreams a nightmare in which as described by Caesar,
“she saw my statua,
Which, like a fountain with an hundred spouts,
Did run pure blood: and many lusty Romans
Came smiling, and did bathe their hands in it:
And these does she apply for warnings, and portents,
And evils imminent; and on her knee
Hath begg’d that I will stay at home to-day.” Decius Brutus tactfully makes Caesar believe that the dream was “amiss interpreted” and signified not the death but the glory of Julius Caesar. As a result, Caesar banishes the warnings of his wife and instead agrees to commence with his plans. This results in the brutal murder of Julius Caesar by Cassius and other conspirators. Cesar dies uttering “Et tu, Brute” (you too Brutus), when Brutus stabs, feeling cheated by the one he trusted the most. The assassination of Julius Caesar is followed by the entry of Mark Antony, Roman politician and general who is disgusted by the act of the murder of Caesar.
Brutus and Cassius call the citizens of Rome to announce the murder of Caesar and to justify it. Brutus delivers a forceful speech and manages to pursue the Romans into believing that Caesar was being “ambitious” and would never have let Rome be a republic had they not annihilated him. Brutus’s speech is followed by that of Mark Antony’s who is a magnificent orator.
Antony begins by saying that “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him” and descends tactfully to his counter argument against Brutus. He shoves off the perception of Caesar being “ambitious” and gives unavoidably strong arguments on why Julius deserved to live and had had great wrong. He emboldens his speech by shooting “Brutus is an honourable man” multiple times. In the end, Antony admirably convinces the citizens and organizes them into revolting against the murders of Caesar and waging a civil war. The play ends with Cassius and Brutus parting ways, followed by their suicides.
The play comes to its near conclusion with Antony commenting that Brutus alone murdered Caesar for the good of Rome, while the rest did so out of envy. He said “This was the noblest Roman of them all:
All the conspirators save only he
Did that they did in envy of great Caesar;
He only, in a general honest thought
And common good to all, made one of them.”
Julius Caesar was a play, later converted to a book, which was widely applauded for its touch of authenticity and real world drama. All the time politics is about power and conspiracy, conveniently forgetting the true morale of being a leader. There is cut throat competition in politics and the contenders often ignore the welfare of the citizens. Each character of the play “Julius Caesar” portrayed a significant personality.
Julius Caesar was an audacious man with great dreams about Rome. He brought slaves to fill the treasury of his country and in his will declared the ownership of every Roman over his property. He was conceited by his own victories and thought himself as the greatest of all. Caesar was brutally murdered.
Mark Antony, a Roman politician and general, was an orator par excellence. He was a loyal friend of Caesar and wanted to avenge the murder of the same. Antony mobilized the citizens of Rome admirably and his powerful speech convinced everyone beyond any doubt.
Marcus Brutus was the country’s praetor and a man of honour. He involved himself in the murder of Caesar because he actually thought that Rome was bound to see doom under the future possible dictatorship of Julius.
Cassius was a man full of envious thoughts and clever approaches with ambitions of his own. He was the mastermind behind the assassination.
The whole political drama, classified under the genre of “tragedies” by Shakespeare unfolds in a truly commendable manner, carefully embossing the black minds behind civics. Also it comes across as a strong comment on the society and nature that prevails even today. In midst of this game, the one who is churned is the general public, the mob, who looks up to its leaders and believes every word uttered by them.
Although times have changed and people have “liberalized”, the concept of politics remains the same. It will never change…because it has attained its definition.
Oscar Ameringer has rightly said “Politics is the gentle art of getting votes from the poor and campaign funds from the rich, by promising to protect each from the other.”
“Julius Caesar” by William Shakespeare has henceforth reserved its place in the list of my most favourite book.
- Shreya Jain (15 years)
Please Note: This is a review sent in as an entry to the Chillibreeze Writing Bee Contest for kids. The review has not been edited. The views in this review are the reviewer’s own and not endorsed by Chillibreeze.
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