Julius Caesar Analysis

Elizabeth Bailey

Mrs. Kephart

Honors English 10

29 January 2018

Julius Caesar: Act 1 Written Analysis

        Caesar is the main character in the play. He is described as brutish and dishonorable. Through his actions and the way he speaks about himself, it can be inferred that he is self centered and arrogant. His motivations are becoming king and he isn't scared to use others to get what he wants. Caesar’s purpose in the play is to be the main focal point and become king while other citizens plot to kill him. In Act 1: Scene 1, Flavius says, “If we take away Caesar’s support, he'll have to come back down to earth; otherwise, he'll fly too high and keep the rest of us in a state of fear and obedience” (lines 72-75). The main point Flavius is trying to make in this quote is that with too much power Caesar will make the citizens live in constant fear. In the first part of the quote, Flavius discuses taking away Caesar’s support. His idea behind this is that without support from the majority of the citizens, he will be an unsuccessful king because the people will not agree with his views and listen to his rules. They will rebel against him and he may get overthrown. The second part of the quote discusses what could happen if Caesar gains too much control. He will have the support of the citizens, so he will be able to enforce any rule he wants. The citizens will live in constant fear of Caesar, knowing they have to do as he says or they will be punished. Caesar did not like the idea of there being a threat to him being king, so anytime he felt there was a threat he would execute that person. This quote shows that if Caesar gained too much power he would have the ability to execute anyone who went against him, so nobody would ever revolt against his rule due to his tyrant leadership ways.