William Shakespeares Julius Caesar - Mark Antony Proves...

William Shakepeares Julius Caesar Mark Antony proves to be the most skilful politician in the play. Do you agree? Power is the ability to influence the behaviour of others - whether this is achieved with or without resistance, for good or for bad. Some would go as far as to say that all human behaviour is propelled by the want of power. One can conclude, however, that power is inevitable in the human society. It’s natural. William Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar, is brimming with humans fighting for power, and the one who stands out as the most skilful of these is not the play’s tragic hero Brutus, but Mark Antony, Caesar’s confidant and friend. During Lupercal, Caesar shows his keen insight by remaking to Antony that Cassius†¦show more content†¦He’s also impulsive and unscrupulous, and has no misconceptions on the way the political game is played, enabling him to see the motives behind men’s actions. He is unconcerned with using unethical means to further his own cause, such as ruthlessly raising taxes. Cassius’ most significant characteristic is the one Caesar had observed in him, that is, his ability to perceive the true motives of men. He uses his sharp insight to deceive Brutus, by means of a long and passionate argument and fake letters, into joining his conspiracy to assassinate Caesar. He knows that Brutus’ noble nature will serve as a catalyst to recruit more nobles into his conspiracy. Ironically, his success leads to his own decline in influence within the group of conspirators. A costly mistake of Cassius is his relenting to Brutus, even though he disagrees with most of Brutu s’ decisions, as most of the tactical decisions that Brutus makes eventually proves disastrous. Brutus’ strict moral and ethic code and rigid idealism is both his greatest virtue and his most deadly flaw, as he assumes a naà ¯ve view of the world. He doesn’t see through the roles played by Cassius, Casca and Antony, and is unable to recognise the fictitious letters that would tip off a more perceptive man. In a world of self-serving ambition, his qualities are fatal when competing in public with those who do not have the same moral standards as himself. He repeatedly makes