Adjectives to Describe the Characters in Julius CaesarIn spite of Shakespeare's close adherence to Plutarch for his material, his genius is seen in the character portrayal. Human nature was paramount with Shakespeare, and the facts of history have been subordinated in his plays wherever they interfered with his conception of character.Julius CaesarThis tendency to place character conception before historic truth is best illustrated in Julius Caesar by the portrayal of Caesar himself. Shakespeare insists, despite history, that he is a tyrant, weak in body and mind, easily flattered, vain, superstitious. 1. Physically weak. 2. Susceptible to flattery. II, 2, 1. 91. 3. Superstitious. 4. Vain. 5. Arrogant. Yet, although Caesar's weakness is thus emphasized, he rules throughout the play, especially after his death. The chief conspirators must at length fall before Caesar's spirit. Cassius's last words are "Caesar, thou art revenged," and Brutus ends his life with . . . "Caesar, now be still; BrutusThe second half of the play, roughly speaking, is the tragedy of Brutus. He is the idealist, the dreamer, so universally respected that the conspirators seek him to give prestige to their cause. Love of country, of liberty, of honor, are his guiding principles. 1. Patriotic and liberty loving. 2. Honorable. 3. Idealistic. 4. Self controlled and stoical. As the play progresses, we retain all our respect for Brutus's high moral character and disinterestedness, but cannot fail to see that, though forced to act, he is not qualified for action. His public life is only a series of mistakes. 5. Unpractical. Himself the soul of honor, scorning to do anything unworthy of a Roman, acting only for his country's welfare, he is incapable of imputing less honorable motives to those with whom he is associated. Mark Antony, his political enemy, fitly pronounces him "the noblest Roman of them all." PortiaPortia, Brutus's wife, is also his counterpart. As he, actuated by the principles of honor and love of country, forces himself to perform deeds against his nature, so Portia, exercising the self-restraint and noble dignity suited to a woman "so fathered and so husbanded," holds rigidly in check all the deep feeling, tenderness, and anxiety that are aroused in her by her husband's and her country's plight. (Act II, Sc. i, and II, 4.) When finally her suppressed grief and suspense can no longer be endured, her mind gives way and in a fit of madness she takes her own life.CassiusCassius is the foil to Brutus. He has all the practical gifts, the insight into character, the tact in dealing with men which Brutus lacks, but he has not Brutus's disinterested love of country and high ideals. 1. Tactful. 2. Scheming and unscrupulous. 3. Practical and shrewd. But Brutus's moral power is so great that it overpowers Cassius's practical judgment, to the failure of their cause. At the outset, Shakespeare accents Cassius's unlovely traits, his ambition opposing itself to Caesar's, his unscrupulous methods of drawing Brutus into the conspiracy. As the action progresses, however, we gain insight into Cassius's nobler side: his generosity in the reconciliation; (Act IV, Sc. 3) his sincere sympathy for his friend's grief; (Act IV, Sc. 3) his deep affection for Brutus, "I cannot drink too much of Brutus's love"; and finally, his fortitude in meeting a self-inflicted death. AntonyAntony, like Cassius, is a foil to Brutus. Like Cassius, he is an astute, practical man of the world, but unlike Cassius, he is fond of pleasure and adventure. Like Cassius again, he is bound by ties of affection and admiration to a finer nature. His love for Caesar is sincere, but he is shrewd and selfish enough to use it for his own ends. 1. Pleasure-loving. 2. Devoted to Caesar. 3. Shrewd and astute. Presented first merely as the gaiety-loving adventurer, Antony reveals after Caesar's death an extraordinary insight into character, from Brutus' noble, unsuspicious nature to the easily-swayed emotions of the mob. In the opening scene of Act IV, more than nineteen months after Caesar's assassination, we see Antony in session with the other two triumvirs, and there is shown still another phase of his character: cold-hearted cruelty and selfish double-dealing. Lepidus, the third triumvir, is "a slight, unmeritable man, meet to be sent on errands," but having done his part in easing Antony "of divers slanderous loads," he is to be sent off "like to the empty ass, to shake his ears." In making out the proscriptions, he does not hesitate to add the names of any he suspects may work him some injury, though his sister's son is among them. But however practical and unscrupulous his own nature, he was able to recognize and admire nobility of character in another, as is shown in his frank appreciation of Brutus: "This was the noblest Roman of them all." How to cite this article:_______________ Related Articles
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