Caesar's greatest weakness is his physical frailty. In Brutus' quote "He hath the falling disease?" we see that this frailty is obvious and the subject of open discussion amongst those who plot his downfall. Caesar's physical limitations spur him to his greatest strength, however, which is his assertiveness.
Caesar was successful in defeating Pompey at war. One of Caesar's weaknesses is that he was easily manipulated. In Julius Caesar, when Decius speaks of Calpurnia's dream, he manipulates Caesar into believing that the dream is misinterpreted.
He was diplomatic, transparent, and refused any semblance of monarchical titles. In contrast, Julius was a strong military leader, but lacked the strength and bureaucracy needed to be a respected politician and ruler. His motives were not transparent and he made little effort include …show more content…
Caesar's main tragic flaw is his confidence. Despite multiple warnings, he is overly certain of his security in his position and leaves himself open to his tragic end.
Cassius tells Brutus this story to describe Caesar as a weak character, unworthy of the position he was given in Rome. In this scene, Cassius speaks of Caesar's character, describing Caesar as so weak that Rome chose him as king to “make a big fire.” In other words, Rome wanted a man they could manipulate and control.
Caesar's tragic mistake is his high self-regard and assumption he is invincible.
Cassius hates Caesar because he is jealous of Caesar's power and he believes that Caesar is a weak man and, therefore, undeserving of the power and admiration he has been given by the Roman citizens.
At times Caesar showed mercy to conquered people by offering them Roman citizenship. But he was also a ruthless warrior, having slaughtered thousands in his conquests. Some scholars considered him a tyrant, citing his forceful takeover of Rome and bullying his way into power.
One of Caesars 'weaknesses' could be his epilepsy. He is also ignorant of the soothsayer, showing he is also somewhat cocky.
Caesar's most important problem, however, was that he had become too powerful: the Roman republic was an oligarchy in which the powers were shared among the senators. Even though the Senate was defeated, oligarchic sentiments were strong, and Caesar had to find a way to make his rule tolerable.
Caesar's most amazing characteristic is his energy, intellectual and physical. He prepared his seven books on the Gallic War for publication in 51 bce when he still had serious revolts in Gaul on his hands, and he wrote his books on the civil war and his Anticato in the hectic years between 49 and 44 bce.
Constant wars and overspending had significantly lightened imperial coffers, and oppressive taxation and inflation had widened the gap between rich and poor. In the hope of avoiding the taxman, many members of the wealthy classes had even fled to the countryside and set up independent fiefdoms.
So Caesar sees Cassius as a good Roman. On the other hand, Caesar worries that "Such men as he be never at heart's ease / Whiles they behold a greater than themselves," and he accuses Cassius of being too ambitious, which makes Cassius not a good Roman.
Cassius intensely dislikes Caesar personally, but he also deeply resents being subservient to a tyrant, and there are indications that he would fight for his personal freedom under any tyrant.
Many members of the Senate, a group of appointed (not elected) political leaders, resented Caesar's popularity and arrogance. After Caesar attained the status of dictator for life in 44 B.C.E., these officials decided to strike the ultimate blow against his power.
Caligula (37-41 AD)
Caligula, whose real name was Gaius Caesar, ruled with a sadistic and erratic demeanor. He was known for his extravagant spending, sexual depravity, and his desire to be worshiped as a living god.
His increasing power and great ambition agitated many senators who feared Caesar aspired to be king. Only a month after Caesar's declaration, a group of senators, among them Marcus Junius Brutus, Caesar's second choice as heir, and Gaius Cassius Longinus assassinated Caesar in fear of his absolute power.
At the heart of his resentment and willingness to assassinate is Cassius's deep jealousy of Caesar's rise to power. From the very beginning, Cassius is pleased with himself for his ability to manipulate others.
When the people answered that it was Caesar's, Jesus said, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God, the things that are God's" (Matthew 22:21). This saying of Jesus was a response to the attempt to discredit him by the Pharisees and Herodians.
William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar contains many examples of situational irony. The conspirators expect their assassination of Caesar to result in peace, but instead it causes war, and Caesar's hope to be king is destroyed along with his life.
Hannibal is one of the greatest military generals in history, whose tactics are still studied to this day. He famously led a Carthaginian army, including 38 elephants, over the Alps and came within sniffing distance of Rome.
Instead many historians point to a number of different problems combined that brought about the fall of the Roman Empire. There were 3 main reasons for the fall of Rome which are: political instability, economic and social problems, and finally a weakening of the frontier or border.
The Roman army became overstretched and needed more soldiers than they had. Without adequate protection or the means to supply it, the city of Rome finally fell to Germanic Tribes in 476 AD.