Jesse Goodrich 4/27/97 Essays - Cultural Depictions Of Julius Caesar

Jesse Goodrich 4/27/97 Mrs.Clements Essay Julius Caesar William Shakespeare had a great understanding of human experiences. In the tragedy Julius Caesar, written by Shakespeare, the characters face problems still present today. Some examples of these problems are; manipulation, friends turning on friends, and not listening to others' warnings. In the play most of the problems were connected with Marcus Brutus, a close friend of Caesar's. First, is manipulation. Brutus manipulates Antony and all of Rome that Caesar's death was rightful and justified, by saying that he was becoming too powerful. Next is having a friend turn on you. Caesar had his best friend turn on him, when Brutus lead a conspiracy that successfully murdered Caesar. Last is not listening to the warnings of others. When the soothsayer told Caesar to "Beware the Ides of March", he didn't listen. Later, when it was the Ides of March, Caesar boasted to the soothsayer that "The Ides of March have come", and he was fine. The soothsayer then said "They have come, but not gone". Caesar also ignored this warning, and shortly after, he was killed. These Problems can be associated with my life too. I have dealt with manipulation in the form of a job I used to have. At this job I would have to do my work, and someone else's work at the same time, so he could goof off. I dealt with this, by one day when I was supposed to work, I never showed up, and gave no warning. That day happened to be very busy. This may not have been the right thing to do, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. One time a friend who I practically grew up with turned on me. A group of us were outside fooling around, when he took something ridiculous too personal so he jumped on me and started a fight he knew he had no chance of winning, so I fought back and easily won. We never talked to each other again. Lastly, is a time I ignored the warnings of others. I was two years old and starting to play on playgrounds, so my mother told me to be careful and not fool around. Of course I ignored this and Climbed up the last steps of a slide with my feet crossed. I fell and broke my leg. In conclusion we can see that William was a little ahead of his time. He wrote about problems people had 500 years ago, in a play that took place about 1500 years ago. This should also teach that even the most trusted friends can deceive you in many ways. Some other problems like these are, guilt, revenge, desire for power, indecision, and misjudging people.