The Play Julius Caesar, Essay Example

In the play Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare discusses a famous event that occurred in Roman history. Julius Caesar was one of the most well-known Roman leaders of his time. However, as the play indicates, he has many enemies that do not believe he will continue to be a good leader. Therefore, people that he thinks are his friends plot against him to end his reign in order to better Roman society. Even though Shakespeare’s play discusses a well-known moment in history, he creates this story through the lens of the Roman people. As such, we are informed of the other side of this pivotal moment in history.

Shakespeare’s work is a success in part due to his intentional de-emphasis on the role of Julius Caesar himself. Even though the story has his name, the play isn’t really about him. Instead, it is about the conspirators who attempt to remove him from the throne. In fact, Julius Caesar only appears as a character about five times in the play. Through this work, we are able to gain an understanding of the irony of this rebellion. Brutus is Caesar’s friend and even though he does not think that Caesar would do anything to hurt Rome, he joins the rebellion to prevent Caesar from doing anything to hurt Rome. In joining the movement, Brutus demonstrates the irrationality of politics.

Overall, the message that Shakespeare presents in Julius Caesar is important because these political themes are reflective of modern politics. We are afraid of what our elected officials are capable of for occasionally inexplicable reasons, and therefore speak badly of them or attempt to remove them from office because of these fears. As such, it is important to promote rationality and reasoning when making important political decisions to avoid unnecessary conflict and to promote the integrity of our country.