Power in Julius Caesar

Power in Julius Caesar

By: Colton Weiss, Abbey Galusha, Katy Lillard, Ernesto Valadez

How did Octavius and Antony Maintain Power?

How did Brutus and Cassius maintain power?

• Octavius and Antony gained power by tricking the people with the will and sarcasm. They maintained the power by winning the war.
• This is showed when Antony says "Antony would ruffle up your spirits and put a tongue in every wound of Caesars that should move the stones of Rome to rise and mutiny."
• This explains how Antony used his power or speech to trick the masses and start the war which is also how he gained power.

Power in other literary works

How did Caesar maintain power?

• Brutus and Cassius maintained power for a very short time by killing Caesar and by appealing to the masses, saying it was for their own good.
• This is showed in the play when Brutus stated "If then that friend demand why Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer: --Not that I loved Caesar less but that I loved Rome more."
• This statement from Caesa'rs funeral speech proves that they're telling lies to the masses to get more followers in order to receive more power.

• Oedipus is a literary work that exemplifies power.
• This is shown when the beginning of the play showed Oedipus as innocent and naive. As the play progresses, Oedipus gains power and became more corrupt just as Brutus did.
• Murder on the Orient Express is another literary work that expresses power.
• This is shown when Ratchet is portrayed as the most powerful person in the novel. In the end, all of the murderers turn out to be much more powerful, while Ratchet was the weakest link.
• This connects to Caesar because Caesar is portrayed as the most powerful person but Brutus and Cassius who were working for him were also working against him.

• Caesar maintains the power for a short time by keeping the masses on edge.
• This is exemplified in the play when Casca said "Then he offered it the third time; he put it the third time by; and still as he refused it, the rabblement hooted and clapped their chapped hands and threw up their sweaty night-caps and uttered such a stinking breath because he refused the crown."
• This shows that he kept the masses on edge by refusing the crown even though he intended to eventually accept it and become dictator.

Are all Powerful leaders Corrupt?

Who has the power?

• Most powerful leaders start off with good intentions.
• As they gain more power, they become progressively more corrupt.
• This is shown most in the play by Brutus.
• He started off by killing Caesar for the good of the people.
• As he gained more followers and power, he became more controlling and lost his moral code.

Power in the Play

• At the beginning of the play, Caesar had the power because he was becoming the dictator of Rome.
• Brutus and Cassius obtained the power after they murdered Caesar.
• Octavius and Antony received the power when they won the war against Brutus and Cassius.
• Brutus and Cassius lost all power when they died.

• In the play, anyone who gets power begins to go corrupt.
• The play shows that power can change any person for the worst.
• The more followers a leader has, the more corrupt a person becomes.