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February 28th, 2018

Option A- Character

AM

Mark Antony was the master of persuasive techniques. He was not only cunning, but he also had an astute mind. He had only one motive, which was to want the Romans to listen to him. He desired to gain more power, through revenge on the conspirators for Caesar’s death. His actions add in, when he addressed the people of Rome, talking about what a sin the conspirators had done. Mark Antony reminds the people of their former love for Caesar, he tempts them by mentioning Caesars will. After claiming that his intention is not to praise Caesar, he says, “he was my friend, faithful and justice to me” is an emotion, which the audience can identify. Caesar had a lot of faith in him. Antony and Brutus despised each other. Antony mentions “Brutus is an honorable man” takes a tone of potent sarcasm as in the book the evidence is given. Brutus was envious of Antony, as he had gained the power towards the end by having the citizens on his side. I feel that Antony has shown loyalty and how it should be kept, as he never betrayed Caesar.  According to me, Antony had made Rome a better place. He had shared with the citizens how cruel trustworthy people could be (conspirators). However, Antony was being cynical and somewhat of a narcissist as he wanted to soar high and earlier mentioned, he wanted the Romans to listen to him. He also wanted to have some power for himself at the same time.

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@ Shreya Sachdeva, I agree with your interpretation, as the quote does influence the mind of Brutus and further leads him to be a part of the conspirators. Along with that, I think that your connection of the quote to Stoicism was very critical. This is because as well as explaining the quote to us you have managed to find a way through which we in the modern day can also find meaning in relation to it. Thinking in terms of stoicism people throughout all generations have said that "actions speak louder than words" which is why I think that even to this day, this applies to every individual that knows they are in control of their own conduct.

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2nd March 2018 PART TWO.

Brutus was a  humble man but at heart, he was a real patriot, every inch of him. He was continually at war with himself which had really impacted his decisions throughout the play. In addition to his fickle mind, he was indeed a naive thinker. His reasons for the assassination were absurd moreover, he was unable to justify the murder of a man, a friend who had not misused his powers. Specifying that the conspirators should "be called purgers, not murderers."  and seen as “sacrifices, not butchers,” hoping that the nation would see the same light as them. Truthfully saying, Brutus was unaware of his sacrifices. He sacrificed not only Caesar but his dignity and heart.

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1rst March 2018, Option A, S.H.Y

Marcus Brutus is a prominent and a complex character in the tragedy of Julius Caesar. He is well reputable and is shown as a person who favors a republic fit for Rome. This shows reverence for Brutus, exemplifying his honor in several ways. Although he was an honorable man, he was one of the main conspirators in the assassination of Julius Caesar. He had clung to the idea of the free and great Republic his ancestors had built, “My ancestors did from the streets of Rome The Tarquin drive, when he was call'd a king…”   hence he had felt the responsibility for the future of Rome, “ "Am I entreated to Speak and Strike? O Rome I make thee promise, If the redress will follow, then receivest thy full petition at the hand of Brutus.” Whilst he is smart, he was yet to overcome his fickle mind. He was easily persuaded by Cassius to join the Conspirators as he found resonance in his voice. He believed that Caesar’s blood was no different than their own, he was not to be treated like a god. Another example of his fickle mind would be his inability to recognize the forged letters sent by Cassius. He was overwhelmed by the letters as they gave importance and attention to him, repeating “speak, strike and redress.” After Caesar’s death, he underestimates Antony as an enemy despite knowing his relationship with Caesar, trusting Antony and meeting his requests almost immediately giving him an opportunity at Caesar’s funeral to overthrow Brutus.

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@Namu

Although you have very strong points, I think Kim Jae gue and Brutus are quite different. You mentioned the public reacting in the same way, however, I disagree as it is not the same. When Kim Jae gue murdered Park Jung Hee, the former president of Korea, the government controlled the media. Therefore, people’s voices at the time could not be heard. On the other hand, after Caesar's death, the public decided to kill all the conspirators including Brutus. Keeping in mind the change in behavior after the assassination. Brutus’s famous last words were, “Farewell, good Strato. Caesar, now be still. I killed not thee with half so good a will.” which shows a sense of regret for Caesar’s death.He wishes that Caesar rests in peace and expresses that he did not kill Caesar as half as willing as he killed himself. On the contrary, Kim Jae gue last words were,  “나 내목숨 바쳐 독재의 아성 무너뜨렸네”, “나 내 목숨 하나 바쳐 자유민주주의 회복하였네” to sum it up, he says that he sacrificed his life to end the dictatorship and reconstruct a  total democratic government. With no regret and no remorse.

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@HuzaifaF
I agree with the way you have interpreted the quote. This is because you have clearly justified the conspiracy carried out on Caesar. The meaning and the relevance of the quote is portrayed brilliantly in the blog. This blog gives a very important message as to the mentality of the common person in today’s world and during the play on how to judge someone. The evil minds of Cassius and Brutus have degraded Caesar’s position among the Roman people after the conspiracy by slandering him in front of the Roman people. Anthony is one of those people in the play who realizes this problem and tries to act on it during his speech at Caesar’s funeral. However, this problem is immensely common in today’s world as the public listens to rumors about a certain individual and believes them very easily. One negative talk about anyone can ruin their reputation in the society. This shows that this sort of thinking has been carried out from the days of Shakespeare until now. This blog has conveyed a strong message on informing the public about the current situation of judging people instantly on their wrongs over their rights. This state of thinking needs to be changed immediately and this blog has helped convey this message.

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@DhruvK, Although your blog expresses your opinions very well, I must say I disagree. To start off, yes Cassius plays a big role as a cunning antagonist but I would oppose with him being, “quite a negative character compared to the other characters..”

His wit and brains were very insightful to the conspirators see eye to eye with his judgment. Cassius had only provoked the thoughts that meandered in the hearts of the conspirators. I would say Brutus was even worse because despite having the trust and love of Caesar, whom he respected as a leader and a friend, his betrayal and backstabbing was undeniably the worst of them all. Why make Cassius any less that Brutus, Cinna or Caska, after all, it takes two flints to start a fire.

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@Nandini- I had read your blog post on superstitions in the play. I thought that you made a great observation on this; however, I do have a slightly different opinion on this topic. You said in your post, “The culture presented in Julius Caesar is very similar to the culture today. The book has particular characters that believe in superstitions.” Though we do in fact believe in certain superstitions today, I disagree that Julius Caesar is responsible for the reason of why they influence us today. There are plenty of superstitions that were dated before William Shakespeare wrote Julius Caesar. For example, from 590 A.D, people would say “God bless you” to people once they had sneezed. This was because they believed that sneezing triggered the soul to escape the body, and by blessing them, the soul would remain. Like many other superstitions, they can date back much longer than Shakespeare’s time. That being said, superstitions could have influenced most of Julius Caesars’ storyline, and not vise versa.

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@DhruvK I strongly agree with Dhruv’s view of Cassius. He has effectively and clearly shown Cassius’s true motives. He talks about how Cassius is two faced and a very manipulative which is true. However, even though the analysis was thorough, it was biased, he did not mention Caesar’s downsides. I disagree with how he said Cassius could plan a conspiracy without drawing attention since on the Ides of March there was a servant with a letter warning Caesar about the conspirators. Overall I think that it is a nicely written post, he does a very thorough analysis of Cassius, even though it has some problems in it.

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@nandinig (Blog 1 - Culture) I found it interesting how you decided to draw connections with superstition, which is not considered to be one of the main themes of Julius Caesar.  I personally never gave so much thought about superstition, and I realized that I was living along with it as well. In eastern culture (or at least Korea), the number '4' is considered unlucky, and many buildings substitute the 4th floor with the English letter 'F', just like Americans do with the number '13'. Such superstition ideas may seem like a primal human tendency that we modern people do not consider any more, but in reality it seems that trust, fear, and support for superstitious ideas are just a human nature. It's even a bit ironic that even with all of this technological advance, people still lean to superstitious beliefs, and make restrictions and limitations to themselves according to ideas that can easily be considered as unrealistic by modern day standards. I found this post a very fresh approach to 'Julius Caesar' and look forward for future posts.

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@thoved
Great job Thove! I really liked how you pointed out how Anthony was a dynamic character. I totally agree with you as at first he was a very flat character, and not much was known about his characteristics besides the fact that he was loyal to Caesar. Additionally, Anthony did seem like he was not clever at the beginning because he did not play any major role where it could be portrayed. Only after the assassination of Caesar his true personality was revealed and the audience was able to get a glimpse of what Mark Anthony is really like. I also liked how you gave evidence that not only the audience thought that Anthony was not smart, but also Brutus as he says, "And for Mark Anthony, think of him: for he can do no more than Caesar's arm when Caesar's head is cut off." However, I do not agree with you when you said that Anthony supported Caesar becoming the Emperor. This may seem obvious to many readers, however no evidence was given that Anthony actually wanted Caesar to become Emperor. Whenever I think of Anthony, I think of him as a very cunning man with great rhetorical skills, as he was able to slyly manipulate Brutus in letting him speak at Caesar's funeral. I also think you missed out a few other key points about Anthony, such as loyalty as he was extremely loyal to Caesar.

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1’st March 2018

Option B , Quotation Analysis, part 2

As humans, we are not able to see what lies in our mind and heart by looking at a mirror. You are not what you see yourself as but you are how others see you. He lets us know that the real dangers is in fact the internal ones and that we are not to see yourself in the reflection, but to dig much deeper. Where the eyes were mirrors of souls. Brutus could relate, as he was unsure whether to be loyal to someone who acted as a fatherly figure, or listen to the conspirators that praised Brutus by slandering Caesar.  Likewise in reality, we often allow the perception of others to interfere with our own. Why are we entitled to the judgments of others? Why do we taint our own reflection upon another's eye? Why is Everyone you meet a mirror?

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@Arhana (Comment) Arhana's blog revolved around Mark Antony and his love and dedication towards Julius Caesar. She precisely stated that Antony was 'strong-willed' and followed his 'vows of vengeance', which portray him as a truly dedicated and righteous individual. I completely agree with her character analysis of Antony, as even I look up to him as a strong-minded person, who plans his moves from before and knows how to tactically bring people on to his side. This is proven in the speeches he delivered after Caesar's assassination and the sarcasm involved in those just added to the strong point made by him. Antony is quick-witted and cunning and as stated in her blog, his excellent rhetorical skills are just a bonus point to his character.

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@Ariaa: The blog entails to the character of Mark Antony, decoding his motives and actions during the course of the play. I find, no matter how comprehensive the report is, it still can’t dismiss the underlying bias rooted within the words. It portrays Antony as faithful to Caesar, and although it may be true- it fails to acknowledge the downside of his character. As far as any character analysis is concerned- I wouldn’t consider it ‘through’ until both the perks and flaws are brought to light.

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@arhana
I strongly agree with what Arhana is portraying about Mark Antony as words like 'loyal" and "assertive" describe him. She has justified her explanation by using examples. Towards the end of her blog, i agree with her as Cassius was afraid of the actions Antony would take and also she has mentioned how persuasive he was. The quotations have made her blog interesting and she has understood and analyzed the character very well. Overall, her blog is prodigious.

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@Aryavardhan I agree with your comments on luck, but I also have another interpretation of this quote. I think this phrase is also referring to the constant blame people put on their bad fate, and not recognise that the blame should be put on themselves. People always blame everything bad that happens in their lives on their fate, but they just use fate as an excuse, because they don't want to blame it on their own faults and defects. This quote basically means that the universe itself doesn't create any of our issues, but we create them for ourselves. We create these problems and damage, not the universe, and we should stop blaming it on fate.

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@sanrae
The connection between the play of Julius Caesar and mean girls was very unexpected and it took me by shock when I saw the similarities between the characters through your blog. This would not be an ideal thought when thinking about the connections of Julius Caesar to the modern world. This is because the motives of the two portrayals are completely different. One is an ancient play conducted by one of the greatest playwrights and the other is a chick flick made in the modern era. Hence, this blog creatively compares the two portrayals together. Saniya has explained the connections between the characters effectively and this has helped me widen my understanding towards the modern connections similar to Julius Caesar.

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@Dhruv Kumar,
I am quite confused about your opening sentence which mentions Cassius's loyal personality in front of Rome and Caesar. I don't recall any mention or representation of Cassius looking supportive towards Caesar. From the beginning, Cassius never pretended to be on Caesar's side, and even Caesar recognized that during the feast of Lupercal. However, I agree with the rest of your analysis, Cassius was a very pessimistic, jealous, and manipulative person. Cassius was definitely the main antagonist in this play, and was the main cause of the assassination of Caesar. On the other hand, he was also incredibly clever and cunning. He managed to manipulate Brutus, gather other conspirators, and fulfill his desire towards killing Caesar. Cassius is definitely a terrible person, but his intelligence cannot be denied.

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@huzaifaf I completely agree with what you have to say and how you explain as to the wrong that was done to Caesar, the way you analysed this sentence and described the intent of Caesar puts him in the light  and made him the  protagonist. The reason why Caesar was killed was redundant and contradicted the Roman beliefs this was expressed really well in your analysis. The blog was clear and well written, it also supported your statement in which you say that Brutus betrayed Caesar . To conclude it was crisply written and the idea you try to instate in the reader's mind is can easily be picked. You have executed your goal beautifully.  Keep up the good work.

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@paulm6, I strongly agree with Paul's statement regarding one's fate/ Caesar's fate. He says that Caesar ignored a lot of signs that showed him that death was close by, and this was very well compared to Abraham Lincoln. Ignoring those signs, they both ended up being murdered because of their confidence or unawareness. Although these two historical characters have unalike backgrounds and whereabouts, Paul was able to draw effective and convincing connections between them. Overall, He has done a great job in comparing Julius Caesar to Abraham Lincoln as a modern day connection.

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@Thove Duolo, I never thought of Mark Antony in that way while reading the play. But after reading your character analysis, I agree, Antony did hide his true intelligence and wit during the beginning of the play; and shockingly uncovered it to both the audience, the conspirators, and the public towards the end. This analysis encouraged me to wonder what other information he knew but hid during the play. I wonder if Antony had an inkling about the assassination plans for Caesar - and if he did - why he didn't attempt to stop it. Also, why he hide his cleverness from everyone in the first place? Your analysis has definitely raised some investigative questions for me, and opened up my mind to other possibilities.

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26th February 2018 Option C Modern Connections NLK

Blog (Politics)

Ambition for power has been a flaw in any human-led society. Common fear for one rising to a stature too high is a universal factor for violence in the past and present. We see this ideology in Shakespeare’s play ‘Julius Caesar’ where Brutus, Caesar’s closest follower becomes a conspirator fearing Caesar’s rising power and possible dictatorship, resulting in Caesar's death.

An almost identical incident happened on 26th October 1979 in Seoul, South Korea. Kim Jae-gyu, a close official to president Park Chung-hee, shot president Park during a private dinner. Kim claimed that President Park’s dictatorship was not helping the country and thought his death was the only way for Korea to become a true democratic republic. Kim was later executed being charged guilty for ‘murder with potential to start a civil war’ which shows how the people at the time had conservative mindsets, and were against rebellious acts, just like the public after Caesar’s death                                                                                                                                                                           It's very interesting how human ambition for power is a catalyst for violence. This does not change over time, as it is prominent in Shakespeare's play, in 1979, and even in our world today. It is harder to notice in everyday life, because the acts of violence have become less blatant, and more secretive to avoid the public eye. This may have the outer appeal of being 'better' or 'progressive'. However, what matters most is the fact that the endless human thirst for power is still a major catalyst for violence within any modern society.

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1st March 2018, @Aryvardhan Sahu, JK
I totally agree with your opinion, regarding your deep interpretation on the quote stated by Cassius, "The Fault dear Brutus is not in our stars." I concur that this quote is encouraging Brutus to broaden his limited perception on the stoicism values that locked him into a stereotype, thinking everything is decided and cannot be changed. Cassius condemned the superstitious fact that each individual's zodiac sign determines the destiny of one's fate. Then, he influenced Brutus to practice the epicureanism values in order to overthrow Caesar from Rome. After reading your analysis, I clearly understood Cassius's intentions and his clever thoughts to convince Brutus to join the conspiracy.

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1st March 2018 Option A.  Character T D                                                                                                                    Mark Antony is a very close companion of Caesar. He also greatly supports Caesar becoming the Emperor. He is portrayed as a minor character and shows up only in some scenes, he is usually shown being with Caesar agreeing to everything Caesar says, he is portrayed in this manner until the assassination of Caesar, however, after the assassination, he plays a key role in defeating the conspirators. During the funeral of Caesar he gave a speech that stirred up the crowd to go against the conspirators, this shows us his skill of persuasion. In the beginning of the story he appears to be a person who always agrees with anything Caesar says ignoring reason, so this gives us the image that he is not smart. Many characters suspect him to go against the conspirators except for Brutus who tells them "And for Mark Antony, think not of him: for he can do no more than Caesar's arm when Caesar's head is off" which shows Brutus’s opinion of him. Cassius suggest killing him however Brutus does not agree since he thinks of him as a person who only wants an easy life, this is the cause for the conspirator’s downfall. He was a character with many hidden traits which was uncovered only when he defended Caesar after his assassination, he was a character underestimated by many.

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Well done! I have read some fantastic entries here. Keep up the good work :-)

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1st March 2018

Option C - Modern Connections

ES

Many of the characters in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar can be compared to those in The Hunger Games Trilogy. Caesar, being a dictator, can be seen as being President Snow from the Hunger Games. Even in the books and movies of the Hunger Games, President Snow is the one whom the citizens are trying to overthrow, just like Caesar. Brutus can be compared to the character of Heavensbee. This is because at the beginning of the Hunger Games he was on President Snow's side but as the plot changed, he moved onto the side of the rebels. The same can be seen for Brutus as he agrees to killing Caesar even after being so close to him. Cassius can be seen to resemble Katniss Everdeen, the leader of the rebellion against President Snow. Cassius convinced all the conspirators just as Katniss Everdeen did. Gale Hawthorn from the movies is like Titinius. He was also a part of the rebels and he was very close to Katniss as Titinius was to Cassius. A character that can be compared to Mark Antony is President Coin. After Caesar (and President Snow) was overthrown, Antony took control and seized power at once.

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1’st March 2018

Option B , Quotation Analysis, part 1

RN

Cassius is known to be a cunning man with intentions to kill the mighty Caesar. This was successful as he was able to gain a handful of important supporters, we can take Brutus as an example. Brutus is known to be one of the leading characters in the play. Although smart and powerful, his mind is forever known to be capricious.

In Act 1, Scene 2 , there is a quote in particular that stands out as it shows a more reflective side of Brutus. This quote is in reply to Cassius’s concern to Brutus’s distant atmosphere as he asks, “ Tell me, good Brutus, can you see your face?” Brutus replies with,

1 -“No, Cassius; for the eye sees not itself,

2 - But by reflection, by some other things.”

Brutus alters Cassius question by answering that the eye cannot see itself, this does more than replace one metonymy with another. Line one, refers to how Brutus does not know himself. He pinpoints the theme of trying to find oneself as he distinguishes himself in the eyes of others.Second line is interpreted as Brutus’s blindness to his own feelings as he allows himself to be mirrored in the eyes of others which could eventually destroy him. Brutus was a stoic character, always holding his feelings in. It was his inner conflict inside of him that determined what would happen in the future. Allowing himself to be swayed by others throughout the play,to kill or not to kill.

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1st March 2018, Option C, S.K

History does repeat itself, as seen through the many themes and actions that are repeated from the famous play, “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar.” We can see this through Hollywood chick flick movies. In the movie ‘Mean Girls,’ Regina George can relate to Julius Caesar because of the amount of popularity and control she had over her school. Karen Smith could also relate to Mark Anthony as she was always very loyal to Regina. Brutus would be the main character of the movie, Cady Heron, because she was extremely naïve. Popularity in every chick flick movie can relate to power in Julius Caesar. Similarly, when Cady was convinced that Regina had too much popularity, she betrayed Regina by giving her nutrition bars and saying that it cuts down body fat, but in reality it actually made people gain more weight. This was like how Brutus betrayed Caesar because Caesar was getting too powerful. Gretchen Wieners could connect to Cassius, as she was jealous of Regina and thought that Regina did not deserve so much popularity because she was just as cute and smart as Regina. Likewise, Cassius also thought that there was nothing great about Caesar as even he was born as free as Caesar and he could also endure the cold winters as well as him.

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1st March 2018

C- Modern Connections: instincts and mindsets

GK

In Julius Caesar, we find a recurring theme of ‘love for a greater cause’. In Brutus’ mind the empire is what takes this place. This isn't a clichéd concept, for far beneath the flesh and skin of the play- lies an earnest illustration of human nature.

Even today, we find people fight for ‘republic’ nationalism. For some, this ‘great love’ maybe family, friends or even god. Regardless, this unquantifiable dedication can lead to betrayal. We see Brutus betray Caesar in the name of Rome, and even today, people make sacrifices; cutting off ‘family’ for their career, putting aside there ‘career’ for family. Although murder may not be the outcome, we still see the same reasonings that Brutus used- some sacrifices must be made for the betterment of what we believe in.

Though the Shakespearean age is long gone, human instinct remains in its most primitive form; deeply ingrained into our way of life. Shakespeare's work demonstrates conflicts, where intentions of the human mind can be seamlessly interpreted. Tangible elements may change, but the way we are hardwired- our actions, reactions and emotions; the last thing people consider ‘static’ is ironically the one that we find consistent to time and space.

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2nd March 2018, comment on @Mrithunraajv’s post, SS

Mrithun’s blog was an analysis of Brutus’s character.The blog portrayed Brutus as a weakling, one who was swayed by what he heard, rather than one who made informed judgements based on facts. I do not agree with this portrayal. In my opinion, Brutus was a strong personality who was well aware of the consequences of his actions. Although I agree that he was manipulated to some extent by the conspirators, he hesitated in joining hands with them until Act 2. Even when Cassius tried to manipulate Brutus by pointing out Caesar’s numerous flaws, Brutus detected the true nature of Cassius’s dishonourable intentions. The prime reason for Brutus’s hesitancy was his uncertainty as to how the outcome of his decision would affect the good of his beloved country. It was only after he received the anonymous letter focusing on the miserable plight of his countrymen, that he was ready to join the conspirators. This demonstrated, most empathetically, that Brutus was an honorable and patriotic man. Whatever action he chose to take was always for the betterment of his country, and never for personal gain. Eventually, Brutus took the ultimate decision of killing his beloved friend, for what he believed, was for the good of his country.

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1st March 2018, Comment for Manav Patel's blog, PM                                                                   I agree with this entry whole heartedly. The interpretation apprehended by Manav Patel from the line "Let each man render me his bloody hand" is duly believable and is progressively explained throughout. His opinion that Mark Antony truly loved Caesar and held devout loyalty towards him is well stated and noticed. The explanation by Manav cannot be disputed due to the evidence proving it. The proclamation by Mark Antony is of course powerful and aids in Shakespeare's quest to cause distress to the viewer (or reader), which further accredits Manav Patel's interpretation. He could have enriched one of his statements by explaining his point, "Deceiving was the only way in which he could gain their trust" as this is obscure. Overall, he has done an extraordinary job in deducing the line spoken by Mark Antony and in explaining the interpretation.

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1st March 2018, Option B, AS
“The Fault dear Brutus is not in our stars. But in ourselves.”This quote was said by Cassius to Brutus.when he is trying to prove to Brutus, that he is just as good as Caesar and that Brutus can be just as good a leader as Caesar is or that he can be a better leader. the literal meaning of this quote is that there is a mistake in astrology of our stars as they determine their destiny, but the mistake is in them. The deeper meaning of the quotation is that it's not that their luck which is bad, but the flaws are in them.This is said so that Brutus gets jealous of Caesar and also wants to overthrow him not only to gain power but for the betterment of Rome itself. The imagery can be seen in this quote when he talks about the stars, which gives the readers an idea that the people are deeply affected by their superstitious believes when they picture stars, which were and still are used to determine someone's luck. It also creates a picture of how vaguely he was exaggerating everything for greater effect.

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1st March 2018, Option A, AR

In William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Mark Antony is portrayed to be an assertive and loyal friend, who upon Caesar’s death decides to take revenge against the conspirators. In Act 1, Scene 2, Antony’s obedience and loyalty is displayed, when Caesar asks him to touch Calpurnia in the festival of Lupercal, Antony, replies by saying, “I shall remember. When Caesar says, ‘do this,’  it is performed.” Not only, that but when Caius Cassius and Marcus Brutus are plotting the murder of Caesar,  Cassius advices to murder Antony as well, by stating , “Yet, I fear him. For in the engrafted love he bears to Caesar.” This shows Cassius is afraid of the action Mark Antony might take upon the news of Caesar’s death, due to the deep-rooted love Antony had for Caesar. Furthermore, he was very was very persuasive (by using rhetorical skills and effective language). In Act 3 Scene 1, it is shown how easily Antony was able to convince Brutus into letting him speak in Caesar’s funeral. Not only that through his excellent public speaking skills he was able to persuade the crowd, by questioning, Brutus’ actions and claims. Antony was also very strong-willed, as he followed his vows of vengeance on the “hand that shed this costly blood!”.

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1st March 2018, Option C, PM                                                                                                                             Blog 2 (Politics) :                                                                                                                            It’s ever-present, breathing down your back with an overpowering stench. It can’t be escaped and is never expected. Its long scythe following your destiny. Many hide themselves as best they can, and some wish for its sweet release. No matter who you are, no matter how significant, death does not care, demise lurks behind all.

Within “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar,” Caesar encounters countless signs of death such as the soothsayer’s sayings and Calpurnia’s delusion. His ignorance yet heroic ambitions steered him to death where he was stabbed 23 times. On April 14th, 1865, Abraham Lincoln was invited to Ford’s Theatre casting “Our American Cousin.” That night, he informed his bodyguard that he wouldn’t require him and disregarded any emblem of menace. He said, ‘goodbye instead of ‘goodnight,’ it’s almost melancholy… Challenging himself and being reckless, like Caesar himself. A slumbering guard at the entrance left the president unguarded while John Wilkes drew the trigger behind his cranium.

In conclusion, there’s an abundance of similarities between the historical figures although the time and setting is set inversely. Karl Marx once said, “History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.” Life is given to all the living and set on a bridge, but what stops it from collapsing?

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1st March 2018, Option C, PM                                                                                                                             Blog 1 (Politics) :                                                                                                                       Through life, detestation will be confronted by most individuals for countless reasons. Hatred is such an abomination, it cascades in diverse forms but commonly as an inner sensation of uprising in contradiction to another. Motives typically encircle deeds, appearances and judgements.

In “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar,” a resemblance is present between Julius Caesar’s hate and that of Abraham Lincoln. Primarily, in 44BC, Caesar approached dictatorship, he had overthrown Pompey, killed his sons and his apparent supremacy was endlessly mounting. The senators despised him for his acts and visions, therefore, conspirators led by Cassius were united under one belief that Caesar must be stopped. On the contrary, Abraham Lincoln was disliked by many Americans for his exploits and beliefs like colonization, in addition, Southerners believed he was too dictatorial which is a prevalent theme in the play. Lincoln’s speech at the White House endorsed the rights of blacks, while arguing that “all men are created equal.” Later, he was politically struck as an abolitionist, while John Wilkes Booth wrathfully stated, “that means nigger citizenship… That is the last speech he will ever give.” John Booth was a racist and prominent stage actor who initiated a desperate plan composed of conspirators to save the confederacy, exactly like Cassius feared the fall of democracy.

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1st March 2018, Option B, MP
“Let each man render me his bloody hand.” from the ‘Tragedy of Julius Caesar’ by William Shakespeare was spoken by Mark Antony in Act 3, Scene 1. This was spoken, after the conspirators had assassinated Caesar to death. The meaning derived from this quote is that Anthony wants to shake hands with all the bloody murderers. Furthermore, Anthony plans to befriend all the conspirators who assassinated Caesar. He is very blunt and specifies that he acknowledge that he is against them as they murdered Caesar. Deceiving was the only way in which he could gain their trust. The imagery used in this can be seen when he refers to their ‘bloody hands.’ This refers to them killing Caesar and gives the audience an idea of how mercilessly they killed him. This strongly portrays Antony’s loyalty towards Caesar and his willingness to fight for his right. The ‘bloody hands’ have a very strong impact on the audience since they can comprehend the pain that Antony is going through. Hence, the readers might even become heavy-hearted and the impact that Shakespeare wanted to create is fulfilled.

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1st March 2018, Option B, SS                                                                                                                                                                                                                              ‘Men, at some time, are masters of their fates.The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings’. These words by the crafty Caius Cassius was an attempt to influence noble Brutus to go against Caesar and join the conspirators. Cassius endeavours to show Brutus that Caesar becoming a monarch was not in the favour of Rome. He asks why Caesar should stride the empire like a Colossus when he is as mortal as they are.

The quote is closely connected to the philosophy of Stoicism which claims that happiness and judgement is based on the behaviour of a person rather than words spoken. This philosophy holds that we are only in control of the things that we do and not of the superficial events that occur around us. In my opinion, the interpretation of this quote is that our destiny is not determined by the stars, but is based upon us. It is based upon choices we make, paths we choose to follow and people we choose to believe.

The power that resides in us is more powerful than the power of fate itself. Our fate lies in our hands and not in the stars.

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1st March 2018, Option A Character JK

Cassius was featured as a talented Roman military general who decided to kill Caesar in order to stop the tyrannical age of Rome. So, Cassius was mainly jealous of the popularity of Caesar. He regarded Caesar as a tyrant who will abolish Rome’s precious democratic values and slaughter the Romans into deadly slaves.

Accordingly, Cassius resented being subservient to Caesar to fight for his freedom against the reign of terror. Cassius formed a group of conspirators to murder Caesar. Since Brutus was a respected nobleman of Rome, Cassius wanted to convince Brutus to join the conspiracy, and use him as a catalyst to unite the leading nobles in his collusion. Cassius relied on his keen insights into human nature to deceive Brutus by the means of passionate arguments, coupled with false notes that prompted Brutus to leave off his contemplation and to join hands with Cassius to assassinate Caesar. When Anthony's overrising movement started to boil up, Cassius developed as a calm friend of Brutus who remained faithful to their friendship until his death. Therefore, I considered Cassius as a crafty person who is willing to satisfy his desires to overthrow Caesar’s power throughout his deceitful actions on Brutus.

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28th February 2018
Option B: Quotation
Huzaifa Fakhri

“The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interrèd with their bones.” is one of the crucial lines Mark Antony has spoken during his speech at Caesar’s funeral. These lines have been found in Act 3 scene 2 where he starts his speech after he brings Caesar’s body; he stands up in the pulpit to astonish the crowd by stating, only the bad deeds someone does during his life is remembered after his death, but the good is forgotten. He relates it by dedicating the line towards Caesar as he has done a lot for the lower class and common people, but as soon as he is assassinated and the conspirators speak a little against him, the fickle-minded public start to think of Caesar as a faulty leader. However, the same ideology can also be seen in our lives these days. For example, there was this one lady, who has done a lot of good deeds by helping the poor and her neighbors as much as she could; whenever anyone needed help, she was one of the first ones everyone went up to. Also, she was very loyal to God, but because of so many chaotic problems she had encountered one after the other; she lost all her tolerance, and took a very wrong step. She committed suicide, and because of this one wrong decision, many of the people she knew stopped caring about her, and began to slander about her. They stopped thinking about all of the good she did for everyone, and blamed her for the one wrong step she took. It is very sad to see how many of those backbiters did not even know the actual reason behind her action. To conclude, the theory of "one bad deed can cover up all your goods" has always been true, and will continue to be until the society changes their mentality towards judging people.

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February 28th, 2018
Option A - Character Analysis
DK

The deceitful Cassius is quite a negative character compared to the other characters in the play.  He portrays himself to be a loyal servant to Rome and to Julius Caesar in front of the people of Rome. However, his true motives are against the rule of Caesar and believe that Caesar is a tyrant. However, Caesar was the deserved ruler of Rome. Cassius has a two-faced personality who praises and lives by Caesar’s terms but behind his back, he is planning the conspiracy against him. In the play, the character of Cassius is respected as a high authority in the regime of Ancient Rome. This enables him the power to plan his conspiracy without drawing any suspicions of his actions. Cassius is also very judgemental towards other people for no reason. This is seen in the play as he judges Caesar and believes that he is going be a tyrant even before the beginning of Caesar's rule. Cassius is renowned for being able to manipulate people very easily. He is the greatest manipulator in the play as this is his weapon of attack. His main victim is Brutus as he manipulates him to join the conspiracy even though Brutus was a good friend to Caesar. This shows the sly instincts of Cassius and how he is the hidden evil in the play, Julius Caesar

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February 26 2018

Option C- Modern Connections

RL

In the Shakespearean play ‘Julius Caesar’, there is a group of people known to be the conspirators, who plan Caesar’s assassination. They felt as if he was gaining more power, and becoming a dictator, which wasn’t what the republic of Rome stood by. In Act 3, Scene 1, they do so by stabbing him with daggers 23 times. Today, this act of ending someone’s life due to an overdose of power is seen as a popular story line in many movies, comics and video games. One major example for this is the Assassin’s Creed video game series. Throughout the game, your objective is to complete missions leading up to the final mission, which is to assassinate the main rival, usually a leader who misuses his power. For example, in Assassins creed Unity, your objective is to end the elite bourgeoisies in 1700s France, in order to spark riots, which would then lead to the infamous French Revolution. This is even more evident in the recent Assassin’s Creed Origins game, where your objective is to initiate the assassination of Julius Caesar.

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CHARACTER: BRUTUS

Brutus is a character that is rather very different when compared to the other characters of the play. Brutus is a person who can be manipulated very easily, he is a person you can easily get under the skin of. For example, In the beginning of the play Brutus knew that it wasn’t a good idea to kill caesar as Caesar was like a father to him, But Brutus was easily and quickly manipulated by Cassius in this situation. That particular scene defines Brutus as a person who can easily be manipulated. In my opinion I think that Brutus’s emotions and feelings control him rather than him having control over his emotions and feelings and this is why he is one of the contrasting character of the play. He has a lot of mixed emotions in a few scenes in the play. For example, first we have the decision of wether to kill Caesar or not and then we have the argument between Brutus and Cassius, In the beginning of the argument between these two Brutus is really angry and disappointed in Cassius and then all of a sudden he clams down and forgives him for whatever it was that he had done.

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A painting depicting the influence that Antony's speech had on the Romans gathered around for Caesar's funeral.

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February 26th, 2018 Option B - Quotation LB

“The evil that men do lives after them, the good is oft interred with their bones.” This quote which Mark Antony spoke during his obituary to Caesar, is a phrase which is unfortunately accurate. All the terrible things that an individual has committed during their lifetime, is usually the most highlighted features that burn in people’s memories after his/her passing. It is human instinct to focus on the negative, the “glass half-empty” type of mindset. When the people begin to only recognize the flaws, they eventually forget the strengths.

This phrase even applies to modern lives, your image can be ruined by the smallest errors; especially with the flourish of social media, word spreads faster than water. People decide it's easier to focus on the bad qualities of an individual, for if they recognize the good features, then their conscience is at stake. There are some exceptions, where martyrs and saints are remembered, but it doesn't occur as often as it should. For the Romans, it's easier to accept their ruler’s death if they focused on his wrong doings, and guilt would overtake them if they decided to see his strengths. Antony uses this phrase to guilt-trip the Romans, and eventually manipulate them to support Caesar instead of Brutus.

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26th February 2018, Option C, NG                                                                                                                        Blog 3 (Global Issues) :                                                                                                                                          One of the main global issues that is prevalent today is based on feminism and equality. Women fought for their rights decades ago and they continue to fight. During WWII (1900s), there were several propaganda posters that were made just to show women their standard. Prominent leaders including Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin emphasized on the fact that women were meant to give birth to healthy babies and do household work only. They were not even allowed to take up a career of their choice such as a lawyer or a doctor. They could only take part in social services and everyone believed that this was their “fundamental way of life.”

It is 2018 and even though the scenario has become better, it has not completely transformed. This is why several feminist foundations still exist and this is where the phrase “She for He” was developed. Many activists still fight for equality and Emma Watson, a feminist leader even stated, “Women feel like they need permission; we need to change that.” In fact, there have been multiple protests pertaining to this topic such as “The Million Mom March” and “The March for Women’s Lives.”

In many countries comprising Syria and some other Middle Eastern countries, women are meant to wear ‘burkas’ and they are denied entrances in certain places such as sports stadiums because they are considered inferior. In many Indian villages, people consider the birth of a baby girl an omen since she cannot bring glory and wealth to the family.

Undermining women was a part of the society even during Caesar’s times. This was proven when Cassius stated, “And we governed with our mothers’ spirits: Our yoke and sufferance show us womanish.” This particular line is enough to show the mindsets of the people during the time, since Cassius believed women were inferior to men and that their guts were weak enough to be considered as womanish. The status of women has not altered much since then and this must provoke the audience furthermore to bring about a change.

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26th February 2018, Option C, NG                                                                                                                        One of the main global issues that is prevalent today is based on feminism and equality. Women fought for their rights decades ago and they continue to fight. During WWII (1900s), there were several propaganda posters that were made just to show women their standard. Prominent leaders including Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin emphasized on the fact that women were meant to give birth to healthy babies and do household work only. They were not even allowed to take up a career of their choice such as a lawyer or a doctor. They could only take part in social services and everyone believed that this was their “fundamental way of life.”

It is 2018 and even though the scenario has become better, it has not completely transformed. This is why several feminist foundations still exist and this is where the phrase “She for He” was developed. Many activists still fight for equality and Emma Watson, a feminist leader even stated, “Women feel like they need permission; we need to change that.” In fact, there have been multiple protests pertaining to this topic such as “The Million Mom March” and “The March for Women’s Lives.”

In many countries comprising Syria and some other Middle Eastern countries, women are meant to wear ‘burkas’ and they are denied entrances in certain places such as sports stadiums because they are considered inferior. In many Indian villages, people consider the birth of a baby girl an omen since she cannot bring glory and wealth to the family.

Undermining women was a part of the society even during Caesar’s times. This was proven when Cassius stated, “And we governed with our mothers’ spirits: Our yoke and sufferance show us womanish.” This particular line is enough to show the mindsets of the people during the time, since Cassius believed women were inferior to men and that their guts were weak enough to be considered as 'womanish.' The status of women has not altered much since then and this must provoke the audience furthermore to bring about a change.

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26th February 2018, Option C, NG                                                                                                                        Blog 2 (Politics) :                                                                                                                                                        The monopoly of politics was evident during the ancient times and today. There has always been a balance in politics with two or more teams competing against each other for supremacy. During Caesar's times, he was meant to become the ruler of Rome and his opponents were Cassius, Brutus, Caska and many others. This is why Cassius spread rumours about Caesar and such defaming is prevalent even today. For instance, before Trump was elected, his main opponent was Hillary Clinton and to defame her, he made mean remarks about her in many of his speeches such as, “Crooked Hillary Clinton is the worst and biggest loser.”

Caesar was assassinated by sixty or more conspirators before he could be crowned King and as history always repeats itself, this incident occurred again. Martin Luther King, an American activist, visible spokesperson and a leader of civil rights was killed by one of his opponents due to the same reasons as to why Cassius assassinated Caesar. He was shot dead on April 4, 1968.

After Caesar’s death, Brutus and Mark Antony delivered speeches to humungous masses sharing their condolences and opinions. Similarly, after Martin Luther King’s death, the King of the state and other ministers delivered very important speeches that are still remembered today. The only difference might be that in the olden times, authority was challenged as seen in Julius Caesar and now the ones questioning authority are challenged as seen in the United States election.

Another modern connection that can be drawn to this is that after Caesar’s death, Mark Antony along with Octavius launched a war against Cassius and his supporters to defend Caesar’s death and show their strength. After Martin Luther King’s death, there were outbreaks of racial violence that led to over forty deaths and massive destruction of property. Hence, politics of the Roman Empire in 1599 can be compared to the politics of the world in 2018.

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26th February 2018, Option C, NG

Blog 1 (Culture) :                                                                                                                                                           “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar” by William Shakespeare is believed to be inscribed around 1599 and despite this readers from across the globe study the play to this day. However, is this play still relevant to modern day? Well, it has many elements that clearly indicate a modern setting. The culture presented in Julius Caesar is very similar to the culture today. The play has particular characters that believe in superstitions.

In the first act of the play, the readers are brought across a celebration known as Feast of Lupercal, which is when Caesar commands his devoted follower Mark Antony to whip Calpurnia, for it to be easy for her to bear a baby. Whipping someone while riding a horse is not actually going to make a woman pregnant since there is no change within her body. It is just a tradition that has been carried on for a long while with no apparent reason. Similar superstitions exist today, as well. For instance, in rural areas many women believe that getting blessings from a high priest will rid them of infertility.

Moreover, in Act I, Scene 3, Caska imagines a lion who walks past him without hurting him, men walking on fire and ghastly women, which he believes to be evil omens. Today, countless people strongly believe that if a black cat crosses your path, then something bad is about to occur. This is because cats are thought to be connected to the evil. Many even believe that broken mirrors signify a broken soul and to get rid of the spell, one must pick up the broken pieces after seven hours. The number thirteen is still regarded as ‘unlucky’, which is why many buildings do not have a thirteenth floor and several individuals do not step outside on Friday, the 13th.

Last but not the least, Calpurnia’s horrific dream of Caesar’s death and her staunch belief that Caesar would actually be murdered and lothy conspirators would bathe their hands in his blood portray superstition. Caesar also believed that the Ides of March was an unlucky day for him since there was no heart found in the beast. Today also a bat’s presence is someone’s house is considered a sign of death and if a crow caws at someone, death is considered to be very near. Hence, such superstitions continue to dominate the world today as they did in the olden times.

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Welcome to this assignment! Have fun posting!