In William Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar", honour is displayed as a main theme throughout the play.
In William Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar", honour is displayed as a main theme throughout the play. Honour is having great respect for others, regardless of their status in society and performing great deeds not for personal gain but for the good of others. Marcus Brutus is an example of an honourable man but Caius Cassius is not.
In the opening scene of the play there are two senators and the plebeians. The plebeians are having a celebration because Caesar has triumphed over Pompey. The senators are not happy with this. You can tell they are angry because Murellus says " You blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things!" This implies that the plebeians don't care about what has happened to their previous ruler. You can tell they don't care about their previous ruler because they are celebrating Caesar. The cobbler says "... We make holiday to see Caesar and to rejoice in his triumph." I think Shakespeare is saying that honour is not considered in low down society and they don't care about honour but in high society like the senators honour is considered very highly. You can tell this because in Roman times the truly civilised citizen had to be more than educated or successful, in the Roman mind it was necessary to belong. The Roman needed a community, a family, or at least a group of friends around him. In Shakespeare's time men would value honour and reputation. To get a good reputation you would have to be educated and have family and friends who respect you. It is clear though why the senators are not happy with Caesar ruling Rome. It is because they think he will become ruler of all men and make all of the men follow him and do everything he says and make them fear him. You can tell this because Flavious says " Who else would soar above the view of men And keep us all in servile fearfulness." Shakespeare is thinking that personal honour and public honour is important. In the case of the senators private honour is that they followed Pompey and they are loyal to Pompey and their public honour is that they think Caesar will be bad for Rome.
Cassius first says, "honour is the subject of my story" which is a lie because honour is not the subject of his story he is trying to get Brutus on his side to kill Caesar. Cassius then tells Brutus that they are just as good as Caesar. " I was born free as Caesar, So were you; we hath both fed as well, and we can both endure the winters cold as well as he." Then Cassius goes on to say that Caesar is weaker than he is because they both leaped into the Tiber River and Cassius has to save Caesar. "Help me Cassius, or I sink!" Cassius also says " He had a fever in Spain" and " Tis true this god did shake, His coward lips did from their colour fly..." Cassius is saying that Caesar is weaker than him. Cassius formed the conspiracy with motives based solely on envy, and he believed that Caesar was not going to be a good enough ruler. He says: "...it doth amaze me A man of such feeble temper should So get the start of the majestic world And bear the palm alone." Brutus then says " What you have said I will consider." So Cassius does get Brutus thinking about joining the conspirators. Cassius knows this and he says, " I am glad that my weak words Have struck but thus much show of fire from Brutus." At this stage Cassius isn't honourable because he is trying to convince Brutus to go against Caesar. He is using persuasive Sentences such as "... he doth bestride the narrow world like a colossus, and we petty men walk under his huge legs and peep about to find ourselves dishonourable graves." He is using honour against Brutus because Brutus wants to be honourable. At this point Brutus seems to know that Cassius has desires of some sort and he doesn't want to get involved. You can tell this because Brutus say, " Let me not hinder, Cassius, your desires; I'll leave you."
Before Brutus joins the conspiracy he says, " Brutus is at war with himself." Brutus is "at war" because he knows that if Caesar becomes king Rome could fall but Caesar is his friend so he doesn't want to hurt him. When Brutus joined the conspiracy against Caesar, he did it solely for the good of Rome. Unlike all the other men, Brutus justified his motive for murder: Brutus feared that Caesar would alter his attitude when he was crowned emperor:
"He would be crowned." "How that might change his nature..." Brutus is afraid of how ...
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Before Brutus joins the conspiracy he says, " Brutus is at war with himself." Brutus is "at war" because he knows that if Caesar becomes king Rome could fall but Caesar is his friend so he doesn't want to hurt him. When Brutus joined the conspiracy against Caesar, he did it solely for the good of Rome. Unlike all the other men, Brutus justified his motive for murder: Brutus feared that Caesar would alter his attitude when he was crowned emperor:
"He would be crowned." "How that might change his nature..." Brutus is afraid of how Caesar will change and how he could ruin Rome. He puts aside his personal feeling and decides to join the conspiracy against Caesar. To an Christian audience they would see Brutus as being dishonourable because Christians believe in Brotherly or Christian love which means they help there friends and are loyal to them. Romans would have seen Brutus of being dishonourable, because he went against a fellow roman and friend because he thought it would be good for Rome. Caesar thought Brutus was his friend and he was surprised when Brutus stabbed him. You can tell this because Caesar says, " et tu, Brute." Most people would of seen Brutus as being in control of the murder of Julius Caesar because he doesn't allow Antony to be killed as well as Caesar. He says, "Our corse will seem too bloody." Shakespeare presents that Brutus is in control because he starts to overrule everything Cassius says. Like whether they should kill Antony or not.
Antony is grieved by Caesar's death. You can tell this because he says, " O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth, That I am meek and gentle with these butchers! Though art the ruins of the noblest man that ever lived in the tide of times." "Woe to the hands that shed this costly blood." Antony would seem honourable to his friend but he doesn't stay grieved for long. Once Brutus has seemed to won the crowd over to his side Antony then talks to them. He says, " Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears! I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him."
Antony then goes on to try and win the crowd onto his side by using sarcasm. " But Brutus says he was ambitious and Brutus is an honourable man." Antony also says what Caesar has done to Rome and how could it seem ambitious. "When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept: Ambition should be made of sterner stuff." Antony is going to start a civil war against the conspirators with the help of Octavious Caesar and Lepidus. So Antony could be thinking about replacing Caesar in a triumverate. The offering of the crown by Antony to Julius Caesar could be genuine because he knows that the public wants Caesar to rule and because he is Caesar's close friend he could benefit from it. He is not offering Octavious the crown because Antony can know become a ruler with Octavious and Lepidus. I think Shakespeare wanted us to see that Brutus is starting to come into power and he starts to become in control of the conspiracy and Cassius as going along with Brutus because he doesn't want to loose a friend. I think Shakespeare wants us to see Antony as being loyal to his friend but he does things for a personal gain like offering the crown to Caesar. Brutus describes Caesar's death as "ambition's debt is paid." Brutus thought Caesar was ambitious and now they have killed ambition.
Lucillius bears a message from Cassius. The letter says that Cassius is getting displeased with Brutus. Cassius thinks Brutus has wronged him. "Most noble brother you have done me wrong." And Brutus says, " ...how should I wrong a brother?" Brutus and Cassius have an argument about the letter that Cassius wrote about Lucius Pella. Brutus didn't support Lucius Pella and Cassius did. " ...You have condemned and noted Lucius Pella for taking bribes here of the sardians, Wherein my letters, praying on his side, because I knew the man, was slighted off."
The friendship between Cassius and Brutus changes when they get more power. Brutus does the opposite to whatever Cassius says. "What do you think of marching to Philippi presently?" Cassius says, " I do not think it good" They then end up marching to Philippi because Brutus said they should go. " ...From which advantage we shall cut him off if at Philippi we do face him there." Brutus says " let me tell you, Cassius, you yourself are much condemned to have an itching palm..." and Cassius says, "I, an itching palm?" So Brutus thinks Cassius is used to playing tricks and bribes to get what he wants. Brutus even says, " The name of Cassius honours this corruption..." So Cassius is known to do Bribes and play tricks. Shakespeare is trying t say that even the most honourable men can fold under power. Like Cassius and Brutus because they are arguing and in Brutus case overruling Cassius. Brutus doesn't stick to his principles of killing Caesar. Cassius seems to be more concerned with friendship and personal loyalty because he says, " I cannot drink too much of Brutus' love." Brutus puts his private loyalty behind him when he decides to kill Caesar because Brutus believed that the public wanted Caesar to die. Brutus seems to be more concerned with public loyalty. Brutus says, " ... why Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer; not that I loved Caesar less but that I loved Rome more."
Brutus doesn't seem to care about friendship anymore because when he receives news that Portia is dead Brutus and Cassius talk about how she died and then Brutus says, "speak no more of her. Give me a bowl of wine." Brutus just shrugs her off like nothing has happened. Whereas Cassius is really upset about it "Ha? Portia?" and Cassius says, " How scaped I killing when I crossed you so? O insupportable and touching loss! Upon what sickness?" Cassius asks lots of questions he wants to know how she has died but Brutus just wants to stop talking about her. Shakespeare wrote it this way so you can see that Cassius is more concerned with friends and Brutus seems to be more concerned with power and winning the war. This would be more appealing to an audience because people in Elizabethan times valued their friends and family. So to an audience Cassius would seem more like the character they could relate to. Brutus on the other hand doesn't seem to care because he is driven by power. So even the most honourable people can become disloyal to what's close to them if they are involved with power even up to the present day. Shakespeare is saying that private honour is better than public honour because it is better to have loyal friends and family than to appear honourable to the public. In Julius Caesar public honour comes from Cassius because he values friends highly. Whereas public honour comes from Brutus because he would rather do what the public wanted. That's why he killed Caesar because that's what he thought the public wanted. Mark Antony seems to become more powerful when he joins up with Octavious and Lepidus. Antony even questions why they need Lepidus "The threefold world divided, he should stand one of three to share it?" Antony seems to be more like Brutus because he questions why they need Lepidus and further on in the play he gives out commands to Octavious but Octavious doesn't follow them. Antony questions him by saying, "why do you cross me in this exigent?" and Octavious says, " I do not cross you, But I will do so." This is a sign that as they become more powerful the more they are going to cross each other and fall out. Just like Brutus and Cassius. At this point Cassius seems to be the nicest man out of Brutus and Antony. He seems to be the most honourable as well because even though he disagrees with some of the decisions Brutus has made he is sticking by him. Whereas Brutus keeps overruling Cassius and Antony is trying to get more power over Lepidus and he even questions why they need Lepidus with him and Octavious. So Antony is being dishonourable to his fellow leader against the conspiracy.
Brutus says in act1 scene one that " I love honour more than I fear death." So Brutus is saying he would die for honour and that is what he did because it was considered honourable to kill yourself if you thought you were going to be killed or captured and taken to Rome to be humiliated. On the battlefield Cassius sends Titinius to go see if there are his troops or enemy troops. Cassius servant then says that the enemy has killed Titinius. So Cassius says, "O, coward that I am to live so long to see my best friend ta'en before my face." Cassius then gets Pindarus to kill him using Cassius' sword. Cassius dies in honour of his friend. But when Cassius is about to die he says, "Caesar, thou art revenged even with the sword that killed thee." Caesar has taken one of the main conspirators. Death before honour today doesn't exist today but I think an audience in Shakespeare's time would admire it because it seems loyal to their fellow Romans.
Brutus seems scared about seeing Caesar again. "Speak to me what are thou?" The ghost says, "Thy evil spirit, Brutus." Not knowing what was happening and after the ghost goes he accuses the people around him of sleep talking because he cant believe it was Caesar. Caesar is saying he is his downfall and that they shall meet again at Philippi which is a type of prophesy thing because Caesar knows Brutus will die one way or another. "...Thou shalt see me at Philippi."
Cassius essentially died for friendship and had friends who truly liked him enough to die for him. "Come, Cassius' sword, and find Titinius' heart." Cassius dies for his private honour. Brutus dies alone so he is dying for public honour. The significance of this is that if you are honourable to your friends then they will be honourable to you. So in Cassius case they killed themselves for him. But because Brutus went against his friends he dies alone. Shakespeare is saying that friendship should govern men's hearts and private honour.
Antony and Caesar now rule Rome but I think that they will fall apart because Octavious says, "I do not cross you, but I will do so." So I think they will fall apart because they will disagree with something. I think Antony will be dishonourable to Octavious.
I think honour is the main subject of this play. Honour drives the motives of the main characters. Private honour drives Cassius and Public honour drives Brutus but Private honour seems to be better than Public honour because Cassius dies with friend and Brutus dies with no friends.
