In the play Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, the tale is built on a foundation of betrayal and deceit. There are several instances throughout the play in which significant characters are either directly involved or are the victims of enormous betrayals. The most atrocious acts of treachery and dishonesty are committed against Julius Caesar by none other than the play’s protagonist, Cassius, and his loyal and honorable companion, Marcus Brutus, who is also one of Julius Caesar’s most famous killers. The senators took advantage of Brutus’ love for Rome, which he explicitly emphasized by saying, “Not that I love Caesar less, but I love Rome more.” The plan’s main aim was to prevent Caesar from becoming ruler of Rome. The naiveté of Brutus, coupled with the internal turmoil he was experiencing, led him down a path of betraying his country.
Assassinations like Caesar’s were committed out of paranoia that his massive consolidation of power would cause problems for the Roman republic. There was no other option for the Senate’s sixty-plus members except to remove Caesar from power totally due to his ever-increasing ambition, lack of actual checks on his power, and lack of resource constraints. Brutus’s betrayal of Caesar’s confidence and love irrevocably affected Caesar’s thinking (Shafiq 83). A classic example of a famous quote about a betrayal tragedy can be seen in his final comments when he wonders about Brute. After his closest ally betrayed him, Caesar would fall as a Roman leader and as a man. In another play chapter, Mark Antony observed that “Ingratitude, stronger than a traitor’s arms, totally conquered him” (Subashi 72). One of Caesar’s most devastating wounds was the betrayal of his most trusted friend, Brutus, which left Caesar with a broken soul.
A considerable part of Caesar’s assassination is attributed to Cassius since he was motivated to kill Caesar because he was envious and resentful of Caesar’s ambition and authority. By persuading Brutus that Caesar needed to die, Cassius exhibits disloyalty (Subashi 69). Although he is aware of his weaknesses, he manipulates Brutus and fabricates bogus letters from Rome’s inhabitants concerned about Caesar’s power struggles to sway him. In order to achieve legitimacy in the eyes of the populace, Cassius devised a careful scheme for Caesar’s assassination, which included bringing Brutus to his side of the table. Sensationalized alterations in Caesar’s mental state are displayed throughout the play. At the start, Caesar is overconfident and naive about what is happening around him. Calpurnia has warned him against going to the Capitol on that fateful night, but he ignores her advice. After discovering that senators, including his long-time and most trusted friend, Brutus, had betrayed him, he quickly repents and deems himself suitable to die.
A close associate of Caesar, Mark Antony, is a betrayer of Brutus. He betrayed Brutus after the death of Caesar to retaliate for the murder of Caesar. While grieving for Caesar, he made it apparent that he would openly accept and endorse the senators’ actions as long as they maintained their pledges. While initially appearing to betray Caesar, he expertly takes advantage of the crowd’s short-term memory by inciting hatred toward Brutus and other conspirators (Shafiq 87). Unrest emerged, leading to the senators being labeled enemies of the state and facing arrest. Cassius was assassinated in the ensuing conflict due to Caesar’s rapacious murder spree. With the psychological toll that his involvement in the assassination of senators had on Brutus, he commits suicide due to shame over the death of his best friend. In his final words, Brutus expressed his regret for his treachery.
Caesar rose to power due to his ambitions and thirst for leadership. However, some of his closest allies trick him into believing that they could protect the Roman Republic from the reign of a king. In a cruel twist of fate, the republican Rome that the senators had envisioned was finally destroyed. Julius Caesar’s central story arc is centered around the pursuit of power, pride, and ambition against a backdrop of betrayal and payback.
Works Cited
Shafiq, Jinan Abdulla. “Theme of Betrayal: A Study in Selected Plays by William Shakespeare.” Alustath Journal for Human and Social Sciences 59.2 (2020): 77-90.
Subashi, Esmeralda. “Characterization in William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.” European Journal of Language and Literature, vol. 6, no. 2, 2020, p. 66-77.