“Why man, he doth bestride the world like a colossus, and we petty men walk under is huge legs, and peep about to find ourselves dishonorable graves.” (Act 1 Scene 2) This quote shows that Cassius thinks Caesar’s reputation is too good and that Caesar’s reputations should be the same as the other, “petty” men. Cassius is driven to murder Caesar by his jealousy of Caesar’s reputation and his greed for Caesar’s power that in the end cost him and his friends their lives.
Avarice, acquisitiveness, avidity, covetousness, piggishness and greed are all the same thing; they are also one of the main motivating factors for Cassius. Cassius is driven by greed because he wants to be the best and in order to become the best you can not have any superiors and the only immediate superior in Cassius’ ascension to the apex of the roman republic is Caesar therefore Caesar must fall. Cassius has always felt strongly that Caesar should die and audits his opinions aloud to Brutus meanwhile trying to convince him. “Ye gods! It doth amaze me a man of such a feeble temper should so get the start of the majestic world and bear the palm alone.” (Act 1 Scene 2). This quotation means that Cassius believes he should rule Rome with Caesar. Cassius sincerely believes that Caesar does not deserve his social status and that he, Cassius, should be his equal. This motivates Cassius because it makes him furious that Caesar is at the peak of the roman republic meanwhile Cassius is only one or two rungs blow Caesar on the roman ladder of class. Cassius calls Caesar a colossus but one can assume he was using verbal irony and actually thinks of Caesar as a weak dominant despot who climbs on the roman citizens as if they are a huge ladder and when he gets to the top he alienates and becomes aloof to all the people who helped him ascend to the apex as if they had been antiquated instantly. Greed is one of the most heinous and powerful motivating factors men are influenced by. Getting everything you want honestly is very difficult and many people are incapable of doing this. Keeping an army well supplied with food, armor and weapons is a very cost consuming task that consumed Cassius’ coffers and left him penniless; however with Antony and Octavius’ armies growing larger by the day, Cassius knew he had to find a way to get money and he didn’t care if it was legitimate or not so he turned to selling favors for money. Brutus the honorable hero caught wind of Cassius’ services and said, “let me tell you, Cassius, you yourself are much condemned to have an itching palm, to sell and mart your offices for gold to undeservers.” (Act 4 Scene 3). This quote shows an honest Roman’s view of Cassius and means that even honorable men like Brutus think Cassius has an itching palm or a palm that must come into contact with coins, an itch is something you scratch compulsively because it is second nature and grazing Cassius’ palm with money is necessary in order to assuage the itch. This motivates Cassius because both Antony and Octavius have massive armies, but Cassius wants a bigger army than them, this quote shows the great lengths Cassius is willing to go to in order to conquer his enemies; however this source of revenue was ephemeral for Brutus made sure Cassius stopped selling and marting his office for money. On the other hand Cassius was not just an itching palm but looked upon Julius Caesar with jaundice and brimmed with Choler at his own insignificance.
Cassius looked upon Caesar resplendent in all his glory green with envy. Cassius knows without a doubt that Caesar does not deserve his position in the Roman Republic and greatly envies Caesar. This makes him feel murderous and violent towards Caesar. Jealousy shows in Cassius because he is constantly criticizing how Caesar is better than him and saying what is different about Caesar that made him ascend to the top of the Roman Republic? Cassius was testing Brutus about his loyalty to Caesar when Brutus tells Cassius he fears that Caesar will be chosen as a king. Cassius pounces on his opportunity and launches into a diatribe against Caesar in which he says, “I was born free as Caesar; so were you; we have both fed as well and we can both endure the winter’s cold as well as he” (Act 1 Scene 2). This quote means I was born just like Caesar, I have eaten the same food as Caesar and I am as tough as Caesar, but why am I not as powerful as Caesar? This quotation shows Cassius feels as if he has been greatly wronged by Caesar and Cassius eventually contrived to murder Caesar. Cassius states he is superior to Caesar by saying, “I, as Aenas, our great ancestor, did from the flames of Troy upon his should the old Anchises bear, so from the waves of Tiber did I the tired Caesar. And this man is now become a god, and Cassius is a wretched creature, and must bend his body if Caesar carelessly but nod on him.” (Act 1 Scene 2). In this quote Cassius shows what he thinks of himself and what he thinks of Caesar. This quote shows exactly how Cassius thinks of himself and what he thinks of Caesar. Men all make mistakes and Cassius’ worst mistakes were: thinking he was Caesar equal and trusting Marcus Brutus’ bad judgment.
“Men are equal; it is not birth but virtue that makes the difference” (Voltaire). Cassius should have realized that the reason Caesar was better than he was would not be a physical quality it would be their sense of virtue, of right and wrong that made them different. Cassius cared only about the corporeal qualities in which their was little difference between him and Caesar however philosophically and tactically Caesar was superior therefore he became the ruler while Cassius became the servant. This of course would make anyone especially a philosopher like Cassius feel angry and jealous and since Cassius ponders indefinitely about how he and Caesar are physically alike these two emotions eat away at his insides until he knows without a doubt he has to kill Caesar. Cassius was a man of action just as much as he was a man of thought and contemplation, but in his envy for Caesar he did not plan well and Caesar’s downfall turned out to be his own as well. Cassius partially achieved his goal because he got Caesar out of his way but then Antony came along, made him and the conspirators an anathema to the people of Rome and repressed him until he committed suicide in the end. One can assume that Cassius would have been better off obeying Caesar instead of dead but obviously Cassius had not foreseen this and therefore this was his downfall. I believe Cassius’ goal was ignoble and unworthy. Cassius’ goal was for personal gain and his jealousy of how one man became better than he. These are selfish goals that characterize Cassius as the selfish senator that he is. This just goes to show, “Selfishness is the greatest curse of the human race” (William E. Gladstone).
Avarice, acquisitiveness, avidity, covetousness, piggishness and greed are all the same thing; they are also one of the main motivating factors for Cassius. Cassius is driven by greed because he wants to be the best and in order to become the best you can not have any superiors and the only immediate superior in Cassius’ ascension to the apex of the roman republic is Caesar therefore Caesar must fall. Cassius has always felt strongly that Caesar should die and audits his opinions aloud to Brutus meanwhile trying to convince him. “Ye gods! It doth amaze me a man of such a feeble temper should so get the start of the majestic world and bear the palm alone.” (Act 1 Scene 2). This quotation means that Cassius believes he should rule Rome with Caesar. Cassius sincerely believes that Caesar does not deserve his social status and that he, Cassius, should be his equal. This motivates Cassius because it makes him furious that Caesar is at the peak of the roman republic meanwhile Cassius is only one or two rungs blow Caesar on the roman ladder of class. Cassius calls Caesar a colossus but one can assume he was using verbal irony and actually thinks of Caesar as a weak dominant despot who climbs on the roman citizens as if they are a huge ladder and when he gets to the top he alienates and becomes aloof to all the people who helped him ascend to the apex as if they had been antiquated instantly. Greed is one of the most heinous and powerful motivating factors men are influenced by. Getting everything you want honestly is very difficult and many people are incapable of doing this. Keeping an army well supplied with food, armor and weapons is a very cost consuming task that consumed Cassius’ coffers and left him penniless; however with Antony and Octavius’ armies growing larger by the day, Cassius knew he had to find a way to get money and he didn’t care if it was legitimate or not so he turned to selling favors for money. Brutus the honorable hero caught wind of Cassius’ services and said, “let me tell you, Cassius, you yourself are much condemned to have an itching palm, to sell and mart your offices for gold to undeservers.” (Act 4 Scene 3). This quote shows an honest Roman’s view of Cassius and means that even honorable men like Brutus think Cassius has an itching palm or a palm that must come into contact with coins, an itch is something you scratch compulsively because it is second nature and grazing Cassius’ palm with money is necessary in order to assuage the itch. This motivates Cassius because both Antony and Octavius have massive armies, but Cassius wants a bigger army than them, this quote shows the great lengths Cassius is willing to go to in order to conquer his enemies; however this source of revenue was ephemeral for Brutus made sure Cassius stopped selling and marting his office for money. On the other hand Cassius was not just an itching palm but looked upon Julius Caesar with jaundice and brimmed with Choler at his own insignificance.
Cassius looked upon Caesar resplendent in all his glory green with envy. Cassius knows without a doubt that Caesar does not deserve his position in the Roman Republic and greatly envies Caesar. This makes him feel murderous and violent towards Caesar. Jealousy shows in Cassius because he is constantly criticizing how Caesar is better than him and saying what is different about Caesar that made him ascend to the top of the Roman Republic? Cassius was testing Brutus about his loyalty to Caesar when Brutus tells Cassius he fears that Caesar will be chosen as a king. Cassius pounces on his opportunity and launches into a diatribe against Caesar in which he says, “I was born free as Caesar; so were you; we have both fed as well and we can both endure the winter’s cold as well as he” (Act 1 Scene 2). This quote means I was born just like Caesar, I have eaten the same food as Caesar and I am as tough as Caesar, but why am I not as powerful as Caesar? This quotation shows Cassius feels as if he has been greatly wronged by Caesar and Cassius eventually contrived to murder Caesar. Cassius states he is superior to Caesar by saying, “I, as Aenas, our great ancestor, did from the flames of Troy upon his should the old Anchises bear, so from the waves of Tiber did I the tired Caesar. And this man is now become a god, and Cassius is a wretched creature, and must bend his body if Caesar carelessly but nod on him.” (Act 1 Scene 2). In this quote Cassius shows what he thinks of himself and what he thinks of Caesar. This quote shows exactly how Cassius thinks of himself and what he thinks of Caesar. Men all make mistakes and Cassius’ worst mistakes were: thinking he was Caesar equal and trusting Marcus Brutus’ bad judgment.
“Men are equal; it is not birth but virtue that makes the difference” (Voltaire). Cassius should have realized that the reason Caesar was better than he was would not be a physical quality it would be their sense of virtue, of right and wrong that made them different. Cassius cared only about the corporeal qualities in which their was little difference between him and Caesar however philosophically and tactically Caesar was superior therefore he became the ruler while Cassius became the servant. This of course would make anyone especially a philosopher like Cassius feel angry and jealous and since Cassius ponders indefinitely about how he and Caesar are physically alike these two emotions eat away at his insides until he knows without a doubt he has to kill Caesar. Cassius was a man of action just as much as he was a man of thought and contemplation, but in his envy for Caesar he did not plan well and Caesar’s downfall turned out to be his own as well. Cassius partially achieved his goal because he got Caesar out of his way but then Antony came along, made him and the conspirators an anathema to the people of Rome and repressed him until he committed suicide in the end. One can assume that Cassius would have been better off obeying Caesar instead of dead but obviously Cassius had not foreseen this and therefore this was his downfall. I believe Cassius’ goal was ignoble and unworthy. Cassius’ goal was for personal gain and his jealousy of how one man became better than he. These are selfish goals that characterize Cassius as the selfish senator that he is. This just goes to show, “Selfishness is the greatest curse of the human race” (William E. Gladstone).
Cassius was a man of action just as much as he was a man of thought and contemplation, but in his envy for Caesar he did not plan well and Caesar’s downfall turned out to be his own as well. Jealousy Quotes
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