Human relationships, whether in the public or private arena are about power and control. Power is essentially a struggle for control. This essay will attempt to prove these ideas in relation to the play, Julius Caesar and the documentaries, The Men who Ki

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        Essay #4                        Julius Caesar

Human relationships, whether in the public or private arena are about power and control. Power is essentially a struggle for control. This essay will attempt to prove these ideas in relation to the play, Julius Caesar and the documentaries, The Men who Killed Kennedy and Hitler.

In Julius Caesar, it is seen that power and control are valued intangibles to many of the protagonists. The play deals with powerplay on a variety of levels. We view individuals and groups struggling for predominance, control, power and ascendancy and as this historical drama unfolds we observe the betrayal of friends, conspirators, peers and ideals. Common though, in many of the human relationships within the play is that they are about power and control.

The play clearly shows that the purpose of gaining power is to gain control. This is portrayed principally through the character of Caesar, though one can detect the love of power and hence the want of control in Antony, Octavius and Lepidus. The play begins when Caesar has defeated Pompey and we understand that this is merely a political move toward a greater degree of power and control. We further observe how he tried to maintain this absolute power by silencing Marullus and Flavius, who are seen as obstacles to his success.

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The relationship between Cassius and Caesar is also one dominated by power and control. Cassius’ reason for trying to kill Caesar is that he does not want Caesar to hold such high levels of power and control. Whilst his motives may be more personal, the other conspirators fear that Caesar’s control over the citizens may go to such an extent that he makes them his slaves.

After the death of Caesar the struggle for control does not stop and in Act IV, scene one there is a clear illustration of the way in which power corrupts those who ...

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