Julius Caesar Essay, Research Paper
The story
of Julius Caesar’s assassination has been told both historically and
fictionally. Historical sources focus on the facts of the assassination, while
fictionary works focus more on the characters and the drama of the story.
Because of the different purposes of the sources, there are many differences
between the historical and fictional stories. William Shakespeare’s Julius
Caesar adds certain details and dramatic elements to make the story more
interesting and to make the play more enjoyable. Historical sources such as
Roger Bruns’s Caesar and Manuel Komroff’s Julius Caesar present an more
accurate account of the events that occurred on and around the Ides of March.
There are however, because all of the sources are telling the same story, even
more similarities. Reading all of the sources can give a reader an
understanding of not only what really happened and why, but also what the
people involved were probably like. The time
before Caesar’s death has many differences in how events happened rather than
if events happened. Both historical accounts record that Caesar had recently
returned from a long military campaign that sent him to the far reaches of the
Roman Empire. Shakespeare’s account tells of a recent victory over Pompey but does
not say that Caesar returned from a massive campaign. In Komroff’s account, The
conspirators had planned for much longer than the other authors recorded.
Komroff wrote that the conspirators convinced the Senate to offer Caesar the
crown. The conspirators then placed a crown on a statue of Caesar that was
quickly torn down by Caesar’s friends. "Then, a few days later, as he was
riding through the streets of Rome, a crowd of people who had been led on by
the Aristocrats hailed him as King" (Komroff 161-162). The final offer of
the crown occurred before a large crowd of Romans, when a crown was placed on
Caesar’s head he took it off and said "The Romans have no kings but their
gods" (Komroff 162). Caesar refused the title every time because he knew
that the second he did, the people would turn against him. Caesar also knew
that the conspirators were behind these offers and was not about to play right
into their hands. In both Shakespeare’s and Bruns’s works, Mark Antony was the
one who offered the crown to Caesar. He did not do it to harm Caesar but out of
respect for Caesar. The Number of conspirators is the same in both historical
works. Both say that at least sixty men were involved in the conspiracy, most
of them senate members. Shakespeare’s work says that only about eight men were
part of the conspiracy, probably to cut down on the number of actors for the
play. While there are many differences in the time before Caesar’s death, there
are just as many similarities. All three
sources agree that Caesar fought and killed Pompey. Some of the senators were
alarmed at this because Pompey was a Roman and they questioned Caesar’s honor.
Upon Caesar’s return from battle, many celebrations were held. In Bruns’s
account, a series of "triumphs" or extravagant celebrations were held
in Caesar’s honor, one for each of his triumphs. In Shakespeare’s account, a
large celebration was held in Rome in Caesar’s honor. The motive for killing
Caesar is similar in all three accounts. The conspirators were afraid that
Caesar was "ambitious," that he wanted to become king. The
conspirators feared a monarchy because they did not want a heir to gain the
throne, they wanted to maintain a republic where leaders were voted into
office. Many of the conspirators did not trust Caesar, "Yet, Caesar still
provoked in many deep resentment and distrust" (Bruns 102). Because Caesar
was a leader of the people, the conspirators, who were of the aristocratic
class, "hoped to regain control of the government" (Komroff 163). All
of the sources also agree on when Caesar was killed. He was killed on March 15,
the Ides of March. In the
time that Caesar was killed many details are different in the two types of
accounts. In the historical account of Komroff, The conspirators crowded around
Caesar when he was seated at the head of the Senate. The conspirators engaged
in conversation with Caesar, "They talked freely together. Some had favors
to ask. Others had stories to tell" (Komroff 166). Then the conspirators
began to carry out the fatal stage of their plan. A scroll
was then placed in Caesar’s hand and as he unrolled it and began to read its
contents, his toga was suddenly grabbed and torn from his shoulders. He was
stabbed in the throat by a dagger. He rose to
his feet with a cry and caught the arm of the one who struck him. Then he was
stabbed again by another. He looked around and saw that he was surrounded by a
ring of daggers. There was no chance of escape. He lifted the folds of his toga
over his head. The daggers struck him from every side (Komroff 166-167). In
Shakespeare’s account a man named Metellus was petitioning Caesar to repeal the
banishment of his brother. Caesar refused, saying, "…I am constant as
the northern star…" (Shakespeare, 715). The conspirators used this as an
excuse to get closer to Caesar. The conspirators came close to Caesar to plead
for Metellus’ case, first Brutus and Cassius then the rest of the conspirators
joined them as Caesar’s side, all but Casca who was waiting behind Caesar.
"Speak, hands, for me!" (Shakespeare 716). This was Casca’s cry as he
dealt the first blow to Caesar. The others then set upon Caesar and all but
Brutus stabbed Caesar. Caesar tried to fight the conspirators but when he saw
Brutus about to stab him he surrendered. "Et tu, Brute? Then fall
Caesar!" (Shakespeare 716). The historical account says that the
conspirators were already right next to Caesar but the fictionary account says
that the conspirators needed an excuse, Metellus, to creep up to Caesar.
History records that Caesar was stabbed 23 times, fiction says that Caesar was
stabbed "thirty and three" times or 33 times. The differences during
Caesar’s death show the different purposes of the author but the similarities
show the reader the facts of the story. In all of
the accounts Caesar receives warnings about his death. The same soothsayer who
warned him the first time warned him again with the phrase, "Beware of the
Ides of March" (Komroff 166). Caesar ignores this warning and heads on to
the senate. Artemidorus hands Caesar a scroll with the names of the men in the
conspiracy and the details of the plot. Caesar places the scroll in a pile of
petitions that he was to review at the senate thinking that it was another
petition when it was really a scroll that could have saved his life. "If
thou read this, O Caesar, thou mayest live; if not, the Fates with traitors do
contrive" (Shakespeare 711). History and Fiction also agree that Caesar
fell dead at the base of a statue of Pompey, the one whom Caesar had conquered
and killed. The time after Caesar’s death was a dramatic time in Roman history.
Because of the already tense situation, few things needed to be changed for
Shakespeare’s play. In
Shakespeare’s account Brutus spoke to the Roman people and for a time they were
sided with him but in Komroff’s record the people did not side with the
conspirators at all, in fact they were against the conspirators. On the night
of Caesar’s death, the conspirators met to talk and scheme. Their plan that had
seemed so perfect the night before had fallen apart and they had lost the
support of the people that they needed so desperately so as not to seem like
senseless murderers. In Shakespeare’s story, the conspirators spoke to the
people only hours after Caesar’s death and after Antony turned the people
against the conspirators they were forced to leave right away and did not even
have time to meet that night because they were all either fleeing or dead.
There are many more similarities in the time after Caesar’s than differences. Immediately
after Caesar’s death was a time of panic and fear. The senate, after seeing the
murder of Caesar, was panicked and they ran from the senate house in fear that
they were next. The conspirators surrounded Caesar’s body and raised their
hands in victory proclaiming that "Liberty is now restored" (Komroff
167). In both accounts the conspirators address the Roman people to try to gain
their support and approval. When Mark Antony speaks to the people he rallies
them against the conspirators. He shows the people Caesar’s body and
Shakespeare wrote that Antony even pointed out the place that each of the
conspirators stabbed Caesar to give the people a picture of the murder. Antony
read Caesar’s will to the people to make the people feel personally involved in
the situation. The people were so riled by Antony that they began to march
through the streets of Rome calling for the death of the conspirators.
Shakespeare wrote that the mob even killed a man who had the same name as one
of the conspirators. This goes to show how angry the people were and how hungry
they were for revenge. In all of the accounts the conspirators were hunted down
and killed, thus avenging the murder of Julius Caesar. When
Shakespeare presented the story of Julius Caesar’s death he made it entertaining
because, as a playwright, it was his job to present a story in an entertaining
fashion. He added elements that may or may not have had any part in what
actually happened. Historical authors like Komroff and Bruns have to make their
works historically accurate to give readers the real story. They do not have to
make history sound exciting by adding elements or by developing characters.
Because these authors had different purposes so they wrote the story from
different perspectives. This causes differences in the story’s development and
the effect it leaves on a reader or viewer.
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