The manipulations of Brutus by Cassius

First of all, I must mention that my present work was imposed to me and all
I had was an option between a Tragedy and a Comedy.
Shakespeare is a character of films " Shakespeare in love" , "Elizabeth II",
and the author of "Hamlet". These are the nearest imagens that come to my mind
in the Brazilian Cultural context of today. As a play writer his
characters are so
vivid.
In the pesent paper, I am going to write about one of his plays: Julius
Caesar.
It is a Tragedy which starts in an order, that is apparently good, and
develops towards catastrophy. It retains structural affinities with the
history plays and lacks the concentrantion upon a single tragic hero
demanded of classical tragedy.
In addition, according to HELIODORA " Podemos dizer que a tragédia apresenta
um processo de conscientização de um indivíduo, tanto em relação em si mesmo
quanto em relação ao universo em que existe, atigindo por um intermédio de
uma vivência dolorosa que o compele à reavaliação e o conduz à
morte."(1997,p.90)
Tragedy refers to " The tragic sense of life", in which human beings are
doomed with their own failures through the nature of fate and destiny The
hero is active and it is the consequency of his actions that causes his
tragic end. The misery of political ambition and individual greed are masked
as love to the common welfare and as desdain for the masses.
Julius Caesar is an important historical play and to my mind it is
Shakespeare's analysis to the political behaviour and actions of men in
opposing to factions as it to regards government and shows the crucial actions.
Ceasar's murder, the uselessness of the individual gesture which aims at
stopping a political process already in action by the anulation of its
leader, Julius Caesar in this case. It is the first Shakesperean play to be
read and studied in schools in Britain and in the United States. And
besides, in secondary schools, for many years, Julius Caesar was a favorite
play for study and acting. It has been called one of the most difficult of
Shakespeare's plays to assess and interpret. Julius caesar may be na old
play rewritten only by Shakespeare. It is a readable text of one of
Shakespeare's most popular plays.
Considering the problems that a tragic play rises, as I am going to develop
in my work, it seemed to me much more interesting than a comic play because
of the social and political problems pervades our cultural history.
I chose in Julius Caesar ACT I Scene II because it is one of the most
important Scenes in the play where Cassius, a key character in the plot
is described and is
Shown in his scheming and as a manipulator. In this scene, Cassius, one of
the conspirators against Julius Ceasar is slowly manipulating Brutus, the
adoptive son of Ceasar, because he Wants to gain Brutus to conspiracy and
show him he is a mortal man. The play is about the internal conflict in
Brutus over whether or not he should kill a friend for the good of the Roman
people.
In the beginning of the scene there is an important speech of Cassius: " And
since you know you cannot see yourself so well as by reflection, I, your
glass will modesty discover to yourself..." ( 1.2.1107)
In that way, Cassius is in charge to sound Brutus to the conspiration against
Caesar. He is working on Brutus with weak words and saying that he is a good
friend and he will show him how to look into himself and find his qualities,
he is manipulating Brutus through language, in action.
According to Wright, Cassius is the "lean and hungry", he is a thinker and he
knows how to show Brutus the virtuous wisdom. In the scene Caesar describes
Cassius as a fat dangerous noble Roman man who reads much, a great observer,
he loves no plays, he hears no music, seldom he smiles but he makes fun
about himself. Caesar starts to observe something different in Cassius that
he is not a trusted man. He slowly shows to Brutus he is a political enemy
of Caesar. But Caesar was a proud and corageous man.
Brutus shows Cassius he loves Ceasar and speaks " Set honor in one eye and
death in the other And I will look on both indifferently." (1.2.1107)
In that way Brutus means that he sees death in one side and honor in another
side indiferently , he notices that Cassius wants to investigate his life
and want to tell him something. His love for Cassius is sincere. Brutus is a
man of admirable qualities.
According to Wright " Brutus is the noble patriot, filled with memories of
a great Patriot-ancestor whom he must emulate. If to us he seems stuffy and
self-consciously virtuous, the audience who first listened to his lines
probably approved of his sententious utterances, so like axioms they had
often heard. He represents the contemplative type and, ironically, his
decisions, reached with so much show of justice and wisdom, usually turn out
to be the wrong ones." (1958,p.11)
In this sense, I can clearly assume that Brutus was easily taken by Cassius'
words. The way he used language made him a true manipulator as he got what
he indeed planned, to turn Brutus against Caesar. However, Brutus did not
know that Cassius flattering over him has only a key to join the conspiracy,
a dramatic necessity to depress the character of Caesar.
It's a classical example of manipulation. The young Cassius and Brutus
aspire to a position of proeminence in the political stage and Caesar holds
this position, so he is na obstacle. There was the danger of the choise by
the people of Caesar as their king.
His adoptive son: Brutus loves Caesar but fears his power, thus with Cassius
manipulations Brutus values made him join a conspiracy against Caesar.
Brutus and the rest of the conspirators would probably not have continued on
without Brutus, because they would have no insurance afterwards.
Furthermore, if Brutus was not in the plot of the tragedy, the conspiracy
would probably not have worked.
Following this, in the centuries since Shakespeare many changes have
occurred in the meaning of words. Nowadays, in the power game, the words
have a great importance too and many times people are overthrown by a great
personal ambition of one leader.
In addition, the word "manipulation" rises as well as at the time of
Shakespeare when people were manipulated by individual person. The actual
"midia", for instance, is getting take people think what they think. Indeed,
the whole advertisement has a great influence on people nowadays with the
only purpose to endure interest.
Therefore, nothing or no ones has more influence on people than friendship,
relationship because they can change minds. In the case of Cassius, he
worked on Brutus and got his involvement in the conspiracy and betrayed
Caesar. Brutus acts decisively once he decides on the moral course of action.
In sume, freedom is what the conspirators wanted. A very tempered person
plans a conspiracy because of fear that Caesar becames too powerful.
Nowadays, most important is to make people get more aware of the careful
thought that is necessary to choose a good leader and what qualities make up
a good leader.