You are viewing a free preview of this lesson.
Subscribe to unlock all 11 lessons in this course and every other course on LearningBro.
Themes are the big ideas that run through the entire play. The examiner expects you to track these themes across the play and connect them to context. This lesson covers four closely linked themes: power, ambition, honour, and betrayal.
Power in Julius Caesar is presented as something that is contested, unstable, and dangerous — both to those who hold it and those who oppose it.
| Form of power | Who holds it | How it is exercised |
|---|---|---|
| Military/political power | Caesar | Through conquest, popularity, and political office |
| Rhetorical power | Antony | Through language — his funeral speech changes history |
| Moral authority | Brutus | Through his reputation for honour and virtue |
| Manipulative power | Cassius | Through flattery, forged letters, and emotional pressure |
| Mob power | The plebeians | Through collective action (riots, lynching Cinna the Poet) |
Shakespeare shows that:
Subscribe to continue reading
Get full access to this lesson and all 11 lessons in this course.