USE AND ABUSE OF POWER



Use and Abuse of Power in Julius Caesar and King Lear

Use and Abuse of Power in Julius Caesar and King Lear

This paper discusses the use and abuse of power in Julius Caesar and King Lear in a concise and comprehensive way.

Julius Caesar was written in 1599 in England by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare has born in 1564 and died in 1616. Nobody really knows when exactly he was born but for the records it is assumed that he was born in April, creating an interesting coincidence with his death. He is the greatest writer of his century and probably of the modern era. He influenced many contemporary writers and created a new point of view in the poetry. He wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets. In his work Julius Caesar Shakespeare shows us the change of power in Rome and the problems that Rome had there (Bevington, 2000). Power is the ability to act with force. Shakespeare makes visible the abuse of power and the struggle to gain power in the biggest empire at the time. Shakespeare also shows that the power itself is more than a name or position. It is something that the people exercise. There is not absolute power, every power has limitations. Besides the servants every character in some way has his power. Although the biggest argument in Julius Caesar is the change of power in the rulers of Rome, Shakespeare tries to show us many different kinds of power and the use of it. As we can see during the play, people with power use power just for their convenience.

During the first part of the play, Shakespeare introduces the characters and the situations. He makes us notice how powerful everyone is. Throughout the different meetings and the dialogues we can feel the power of the personalities of some characters, which in the nearly future is going to make a difference. The rulers of Rome have so much power that they can control the freedom of the people as we can see when Caesar gave an order to Antony. "I shall remember. When Caesar says do this, it is performed" (1.2.12-13). Although this abuse of power made the conspirators act against him, Caesar did not have absolute power and in some situations Calpurnia, his wife, had control in him "The cause is in my will. I will not come. / That is enough to satisfy the senate. / But for your private satisfaction, / Because I love you, I will let you know. / Calpurnia here, my wife, stays me at home. / She dreamt tonight she saw my statue, / Which, like a fountain with an hundred spouts, / Did run pure blood; and many lusty Romans / Came smiling and did bathe their hands in it. / And these does she apply for warning and portents / And evils imminent, and on her knee / (Shakespeare, 1998).

Hath begged that I will stay at home today" ...