Julius Caesar-Citizen Of Rome Essay, Research Paper
Julius Caesar-Citizen of Rome
My name is Felicius Dedecus, and I live in Rome. I am a common
citizen, and work in the local bakery. I am married to a charming lady
named Antonia. We have been married for only a couple of months, and we
do not have any children. We are not yet prepared to have a child,
because we cannot financially support one. Once the bakery starts going
well, we will have a child. I work during the days, and Antonia, being a
lady, does not work so she could take care of the child. I begin to
laugh, when I imagine a woman working somewhere other than in the
kitchen. It would be quite an odd sight. I hear people shouting. It
seems to be coming from the Capitol. I am heading towards there, to find
out the reason for all of this commotion.
The greatest man that I have ever known is dead. His name was Caesar,
and he was a beloved benefactor and a hero. He defeated Pompey’s sons,
and would do anything to benefit Rome. Rome will never profit from this
man again, for he was stabbed by a sword. Honorable Brutus, his best
friend, helped in the killing of Caesar. All actions of this noble man,
in the past, have been admirable. I am at the Forum, and the funeral for
beloved Caesar is about to take place. Brutus will explain his reasons
for murdering Caesar, which will surely be logical. Then, Mark Antony
will be delivering a speech, and conducting the funeral rites. The
funeral speech, or Laudatio Funebris, is a common Roman custom. This
funeral promises to be chaotic, and I am not sure what is to come for
Rome.
Brutus is about to speak. My co-worker at the local bakery, Ragorius,
says aloud what many of us Roman citizens are thinking. He says, “We
will be satisfied; let us be satisfied.” I am anxious to hear Brutus’
speech, for I am very curious to hear the justification of the murder.
Had anyone else killed Caesar, in no circumstance, would I have
listened to their speech. However, Brutus is reputable, and his
dignified presence gets him replies upon his request. He asks us, “Be
patient till the last . . . hear me for mine cause and be silent.” When
Brutus said this, I immediately obeyed him. He says, “…believe me for
my honor, that you may believe: censure me in your wisdom, and awake
your senses, that you may the better judge.” So far Brutus’ pleasant
manner impresses me. I am more than willing to hear his speech, only
wise words have come out of his honorable mouth in the past, I presume
the same to occur now.
“Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.” He tells us
that his love for Caesar was as great as any friend’s, but that he loved
Rome and the freedom of her citizens more. I see the truth in what
Brutus is saying. He truly does care about us, and he will do anything
to fight for our rights. I am not quite certain on how Caesar stole our
freedom, but I am sure that some of his actions prove this. Brutus said
that he loved Caesar, but because of his ambition removing him was
necessary, for he was about to make all of the Roman citizens slaves. I
am astonished to hear that Caesar was going to treat us as bondmen. I
had always thought of his as compassionate and admirable. He asks us
whom he has offends, “Who is so vile that will not love his country?”.
All of us reply that we agree with what he had said. I agree with what
Caesar has just said, and I would never dare to contradict him. I would
never disagree with him, for he wiser than I. He ends his speech by
saying, “…as I slew my best lover for the good of Rome, I have the
same dagger for myself, when it shall please my country to death.”
Brutus shows us how respectable he is. He cares for nothing but the best
of Rome, and is willing to kill himself, if he ever has the same
ambition that Caesar did.
All of us Roman citizens responded positively to Brutus’ speech. His
role in the conspiracy is to save Rome. He proves that he truly is
dignified. One of my fellow citizens suggests that Brutus be the
replacement of Caesar. One citizen yells, “Let him be Caesar.”, another
on cries, “Caesar’s better parts shall be crown’d in Brutus.” I agree
that we should crown him. He tells us to leave him alone, and to stay to
hear Mark Antony who speaks with his permission.
Noble Antony is starting his speech. I am willing to listen to him, as
that is what Brutus told us to do. He says that he came to bury Caesar,
and not to praise him. Antony says, “He was my friend, faithful and just
to me: But Brutus says he was ambitious; And Brutus is an honorable
man.” I am glad that he sees the truth about Caesar’s flaws as Brutus
did. He tells that Caesar brought more money to the Roman empire, and
asks us if this demonstrates ambition. He tells us, “When that the poor
hath cried, Caesar hath wept: Ambition should be made of sterner stuff:
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious; And Brutus was an honorable man.” He
also asks us if Caesar were ambitious by refusing the crown three times.
He said that must be the case, since Brutus thought so, and he was an
honorable man. After Antony tells us all of these wonderful things
that Caesar had done, I am having second thoughts about him having done
wrong to Rome. I do not understand how Brutus can say that Caesar was
ambitious. The conspirators killed him because he cared about his
people? Antony has said eight times that Brutus was honorable, but I am
not so sure if I still think that way.
I remember a couple of months back, when the bakery was going to close
down. I was going to be out of a job, so I began to cry. I was weeping
along the street, and Caesar joined me in my sorrow. We had a pleasant
conversation, and he invited me to his house for dinner. His wife
Calpurnia cooked a scrumptious meal of baked potatoes, fishes garnished
with olives, spicy beans, fresh bread, and Caesar salad. The dinner was
one of the best that I have ever tasted. The next day, Caesar gave the
owner of the bakery some money, so that the he would not be forced to
close the shop. I loved Caesar, for he had truly cared about the people
of Rome.
Antony is overcome with grief for his friend Caesar. He begins to weep,
and I share tears with Antony, as Caesar had with me. I find woe to be
an infectious emotion, and I can almost feel Antony’s sorrow. I am
seeing much reason in what Antony is trying to tell us. I do not think
that there is a nobler man in Rome than he. He says that he would rather
wrong himself and us, than honorable men such as Cassius and Brutus. He
says that since they think so, Caesar must be an ambitious man. I do not
think that Antony believes this. I think that he is only saying this to
allow us to see otherwise. He does not want to think of himself as wiser
than the conspirators, because he is a humble man. I am very confused
right now, and I do not know what to think. Antony tells us that Brutus
was ambitious, but he is giving us examples that entirely contradict
that.
Antony tells us that had we read Caesar’s will, we would “. . . kiss
dead Caesar’s wounds.” I am now extremely curious to find out the
catchword of the will. He says that moving us ” . . . to mutiny and rage”
would not be fair to the conspirators. He says, “I rather choose to
wrong the dead, to wrong myself and you, than I will wrong such
honorouble men. .” I think that he is telling us that we should be on
Caesar’s side, and that we have been wronged, and that mutiny and rage
may be in order. He says, “You are not wood, you are not stones, but
men; And being men, hearing the will of Caesar, It will inflame you, it
will make you mad.” I am now very tempted to hear the catchword of the
will. What has Caesar written in his will that will anger us so
profoundly?
I believed in what Brutus had to say during his speech, and I was
pro-Brutus because of his honorable title. However, I am now pro-Caesar
and pro-Antony. I truly believe in what Antony has to say, because
unlike Brutus, he has reasons and explications for why things were done.
He does not simply state an opinion as Brutus did. He supports his
opinion with facts, so that they are no longer opinions but facts.
Brutus said that he killed Caesar for the good of Rome, but he never
told us the harm that Caesar caused. I compare it with Antony’s speech,
and wonder how could I have seen the death of Caesar as a proper action.
Antony says that he will read the will, if we make a ring around
Caesar’s corpse. He shows us Caesar’s bloodstained toga, with a tear. He
shows us the rip, and says, “See what a rent the envious Casca made:
Through this the well-beloved Brutus stabb’d.” When Antony showed us
visual evidence of the bloody treason, and when he said the words
“beloved” and “Brutus” together I sought revenge. I am furious, and
detest Brutus. I hit myself on the head, for respecting him, and
thinking of him as an honorable man. How foolish I had been! Tears come
to my eyes, as I see the dead corpse of the most exquisite man that had
ever existed.
It was after all of this, that the crowd of Roman citizens is truly
enraged. We chant: “…Burn! Fire! Kill! Slay! Let not a traitor live!”.
I am not going to let any of the conspirators get away. They killed the
best thing that had ever happened to Rome, and for that they deserve to
suffer! Antony says that were he an able speaker, he would move “The
stones of Rome to rise and mutiny.” I am not a highly educated man, but
nor I am totally ignorant. I see what Antony is tying to tell us. I
supported Brutus during his speech, but I am truly astounded with
Antony’s speech. Never have I seen a man with more moral, integrity and
honor than he. I will hear him, follow him, and die with him. He makes
me see the righteousness of the death, or the lack of it. The men who
murdered him, in no way deserve the offering of the crown. The only
thing that they merit is death. The crowd and I decide to burn the
conspirator’s houses. Antony has fueled us with anger and we seek
revenge! We set off to find the conspirators.
Antony calls us back to read us the will. He tells us that Ceasar has
left each of us seventy-five drachmas, and that he has given public use
for all of his famous gardens across the Tiber in his will. If Brutus
were here, beside me, right now I would burn his body. I would not
simply stab him, as he had to Caesar, for he would suffer for only a few
seconds. I want to burn him, so that his death is slow and intensely
painful. He told us that Caesar was to treat us as inferiors, as slaves.
He lied to us, telling us that Caesar wished to harm us. Our loving
Caesar had always cared for us, and thought of us as family. I think
that before learning about the will, I was going to act violently based
on a powerful shared emotion. I was wrathful, but much of it was because
everyone else was as well. However, now that I am aware of how truly
noble of a man Caesar was, I am beyond angry. We decide to burn Caesar’s
body in the holy place, “And with the brands fire the traitor’s houses.”
Our crowd has now become a mob, and we are off to burn the houses of the
conspirators. I will not rest until the malicious men who killed him
suffer. I wish for Ate to come by Caesar’s side, to come from hell, and
cry “Havoc!”. I vow not to be content until I put the lives of these
terrible men to an end.
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