In the book Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, Cassius and the
conspirators depicted Caesar as being ambitious. He was also said to not be
ambitious by Mark Antony. He was, however, ambitious. This is because he refused
the crown three times, he did not listen to the warnings that people gave him
throughout the book, and he did not end the punishment he placed upon Metellus
Cimber’s brother, Publius Cimber. These were all acts of ambition. On the
Lupercal, Mark Antony presented Caesar with a crown. Caesar then proceeded to
turn down the crown three times. The reason he did this is because the crown was
not the real one, but only a coronet. This is known when Casca tells Brutus and
Caesar, “I saw Mark Antony offer him a crown (yet ‘twas not a crown neither;
‘twas one of those coronets), and as I told you, he put it by once; but for
all that, to my thinking, he would fain have had it.” The reason that this was
ambitious is because it shows that he wanted more than they offered him and that
he wasn’t satisfied with just that. It also shows that he feels that he is too
good for it. After he turned down the crown, the people watching yelled because
they wanted him to take the crown. This shows he does not listen to others.
Throughout the book, Caesar received many warnings about his death. All of these
warnings he refused. The Soothsayer told him to “beware the Ides of March,”
Calphurnia told him about her dreams, the owl was seen in the capitol during the
daytime, the slaves hand caught on fire, and the sky spit fire. All of these
were warnings that Caesar did not listen to. He pushed away the Soothsayer and
said, “He is a dreamer. Let us leave him. Pass.” This shows that he will not
accept advice from anyone. If he does this, then he will be a tyrant. When
Calphurnia told him about her dream, he did not listen to her. Instead, he
listened to flattery, which he said he disliked. These shows that he was also a
hypocrite and that he would only listen to or do what sounded better for him.
All of these things reveal that he has a huge ego. This is ambitious because a
person with a big ego will only do things that will benefit him. Before Caesar
is stabbed, Metellus Cimber and the conspirators approach him and ask him to let
Publius Cimber back into the kingdom. “I could be well moved, if I were as
you. If I could pray to move, prayers would move me. But I am as constant as the
Northern Star,.” He did not back down because he felt that he was right in his
decision to banish Publius. He was also very stubborn and did not listen to
reason. This is ambitious because he would always feel that he was right and no
one else was. This is what tyrants do, and he would have also. Caesar was
ambitious because he refused a crown that he felt was not good enough for him,
did not listen to warnings from people, and would not back down from his
decision to banish Publius. Because he did all these things, it revealed the
things that he would do if he were to become king. If Caesar had become king, he
would have ruled the Romans like a tyrant.