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Essay / Dynamics between characters as a major means of plot construction
Although the characters in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar cannot be easily classified due to their emotional depth and mental complexity, one can draw certain conclusions about them based on the attributes they possess. Shakespeare uses the complexity of the characters' personalities to develop the plot. The motivations of some characters are often quite obvious, while others intentionally or unconsciously mask their intentions to maintain an appearance of loyalty or to deceive their opponent. Few characters fit any of the four character descriptions perfectly; protagonist, antagonist, anti-hero or heroic anti-hero, but rather are a composite of different aspects of each. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Mark Antony is probably the easiest character to categorize. He is clearly an antagonist. Before the assassination, Antoine makes only four brief appearances and speaks just as many lines. Three times, twice at the games and once at Caesar's house, Antony asserts his allegiance to Caesar as ruler and friend. After the assassination; However, Antony is quick to fill the void left by Caesar's absence and becomes a leading player in the struggle for power. Beginning with Antony's use of his servant to flatter Brutus before Antony's arrival at the Capitol, Antony attempts to appeal to Brutus' senses of honor and nobility. He managed to convince Brutus that he would be able to agree with the conspirators if their cause were explained to him. He shakes hands with them all to prove the integrity of his claim. He obtains the right to speak at Caesar's funeral by playing on Brutus' sense of righteousness. At the funeral, Antony carries out his plan by turning the crowd of fickle plebeians against the conspirators, forcing them to flee Rome. Antony gains Octavian's support and together they pursue Brutus and Cassius to Philippi where Antony skillfully leads his army against them. The defeat leads to the suicides of Brutus and Cassius. Caesar plays the role of a heroic anti-hero. Although he had won military triumphs before the play began, he was not satisfied with them. He aspired to absolute power, but his tendency to be easily flattered and his disregard for omens led to his demise. From the first glimpse of Caesar at the Lupercal in Act I, Scene II, it is clear that he is a man to be worshiped and would not have it any other way. When he tells Antony to touch Calpurnia, Antony responds: "When Caesar says, 'Do this,' it is done." Caesar stupidly called the soothsayer who warned him to “beware of the Ides of March” a “dreamer”. Caesar sees himself as one with the gods and believes himself invincible against mere humans. On the night before the Ides of March, Caesar received many indications of his impending doom, but he ignored none of them. Among other things, Calpurnia told Caesar that she had imagined a lioness giving birth in the streets, tombs digging up their dead, and "fierce fiery warriors" who "fought on the clouds." Caesar also ignored the meteor shower and scorned the advice of augurs who failed to find a heart in a slain beast. When Calpurnia insisted that it would be dangerous to venture to the Capitol, Caesar said that he and the danger were "two lions thrown in one day, / And I the eldest and the most terrible." It allows Decius Brutus to appeal to his Achilles heel, his selfishness and his honor. Decius said."