Luc Nguyen
The bible contains the the saying “pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall”.The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare explores the connection of hubris and downfall as Roman senators conspire to kill the emperor Julius Caesar. Caesar’s pride is his defining characteristic and the main catalyst of all events in the play, both prior and after his death.
It is quite clear that Caesar is a prideful man. Pride is to be pleased with self worth and Caesar shows that he has a high opinion of himself. When his wife Calphurnia tells him about her fears he dismisses her, saying “the things that threatened me ne’er looked but on my back. When they shall see the face of Caesar, they are vanished.”(75) He believes himself so great that nobody would dare face him. This inflated idea of his might is a clear demonstration of pride. Caesar also refuses to admit that he is afraid of the threat that Cassius poses, saying “I rather tell thee what is to be fear’d Than what I fear; for always I am Caesar.”(27) He feels that he is so great as Caesar that there is nothing that can cause him fear. This is a clear demonstration of pride; he is making a show of how he is great and nothing can endanger him. Caesar is full of pride, and this ultimately leads to his downfall.
The conspiracy against Caesar, while in part caused by individual desires, is motivated by the idea that Caesar’s pride will bring about the end of Rome. Cassius, the organizer of the plot, believes that a man with Caesar’s pride in a position of power is deadly. He says that Caesar is “a Colossus, and we petty men walk under his huge legs and peep about to find ourselves dishonorable graves.” (21) He thinks by having a man like Caesar in power even the death of senators will lose importance due to Caesar cherishing himself over all other things. Though Brutus, another conspirator, is a friend of Caesar’s he too thinks that Caesar’s pride is dangerous. Brutus believes “That lowliness is young ambition’s ladder, whereto the climber upward turns his face. But when he once attains the upmost round, he then unto the ladder turns his back, looks in the clouds, scorning the base degrees by which he did ascend.” (51) If someone’s ambition leads them to taking power they will believe their own judgment better than that of their supporters and inevitably hurt the people. Brutus thinks that Caesar is heading down this path and that Caesar’s death, however tragic, is necessary for the wellbeing of Rome. This encompasses the main reason why the conspirators want to bring down Caesar; his pride is dangerous to Rome as well as making him quite unlikable.
While his pride is a motivating factor for the conspirators, it is directly responsible for his death and the events that follows. Calphurnia tells Caesar not to go to the senate, but Decius appeals to his pride by saying “If Caesar hide himself, shall they not whisper ‘lo, Caesar is afraid’?” (81) Caesar’s pride feels threatened at the idea that the senators will see him as weak, so he goes to the senate house where his murder will take place. Right before Caesar’s death, Metellus Cimber pleads to Caesar to pardon his brother, but Caesar refuses. Caesar says that he is “constant as the northern star, of whose true-fix’d and resting quality there is no fellow in the firmament.”(97) He is saying that he is too great to be moved by words, and this prideful dismissal is what removes any doubt in Metellus Cimber. Cimber stabs Caesar, and the other senators soon follow. Caesar’s death incites a civil war in Rome that is the focus of the rest of the play.
Caesar’s pride defines him and ultimately leads to his downfall. It is clearly displayed in his words and is what leads the conspirators to kill him. Interestingly, Caesar’s will leaves the possibility that his pride would not have affect his ability to rule and that Brutus and the other conspirators were simply manipulated by Cassius to be afraid of Caesar’s pride. However, his pride is immediately apparent by his speech and makes him unliked by the senators, and this dislike is what makes the senators so easily swayed against Caesar. Shakespeare’s ultimate message about pride is that a prideful person will have their allies turn against them and will become blind to the severity of this threat.