One of the most renowned tragedies written by Shakespeare, “Julius Caesar” was first performed in England in the year 1599. The play follows the rise of Julius Caesar as a ruler of Rome, the eventual dissent among the public against him, his assassination at the hands of those he trusted the most and the public realization of his worth after his death. Although it may not seem apparent, the story and character of Julius Caesar has been compared to that of Jesus Christ. While the former led the most powerful empire of the time, the latter was the founder of possibly the most influential religion in the world. Despite that great difference in the context of each figure, there are several striking similarities in their tale.
Julius Caesar began his journey of political ascent in the neighboring district of Gallia. Similarly, Jesus Christ began his ministry in Galilee. Rivers played a major role in the fate of both the figures. While Caesar was to cross the famed Rubicon, Jesus Christ was faced with the passage of the river Jordan. Having accomplished this task, Julius Caesar met Pompeius, a man who was known for his subjugation of Jews and was a rival of Caesar. Pompeius has two important followers namely, Curio and Antonius. On the other hand, on crossing the Jordan, Jesus Christ met John the Baptist who may be considered his rival. Andrew and Peter were prominent followers of John the Baptist. Caesar decapitated the head of Pompeius while Jesus Christ delivered the same end to John the Baptist. Another striking similarity is the fate that Caesar and Jesus Christ met when they arrived at the cities where they would spend the remainder of their lives. While Julius Caesar eventually made his way to Rome where he gradually rose to power, Jesus Christ reached Jerusalem from where he majorly preached to spread Christianity. In both cases, while the figures first met with tremendous success, they were eventually doomed to be betrayed by their closest aides. Julius Caesar was tricked by Brutus who was part of the plot to assassinate him. Similarly, Jesus Christ was famously betrayed by Judas .
Although both, Caesar as well as Jesus did not proclaim themselves to be kings, they were accused of it by the opposition. Julius Caesar was accused of becoming the king of Rome, which was a republic and could hence not have a monarch. Similarly, Jesus Christ was called the King of Jews on account of the sway he held over a significant portion of the population . In either case, the governments of Rome and Jerusalem respectively, deemed Caesar and Jesus Christ of being guilty of treachery. While each had the support of the people, their governments were staunchly against them Shakespeare indicates how the struggle between the governments and the public leads to adverse effects . The eventual death of both the figures was the result of this misconception. While Julius Caesar was assassinated, Jesus Christ was crucified.
However, the act of assassinating the most popular political figure of a state does not automatically guarantee the necessary level of change . The men who plotted to assassinate Caesar committed the act in either the hopes of restoring the republican form of government in the city of Rome or clinching power themselves. However, even after they were able to get away with slaying Julius Caesar, the conspirators failed to garner sufficient support from the community and were hence unable to fulfill the key objectives of the murder. Similarly, although the government justified the crucifixion of Jesus Christ as punishment meted out to a person who was inciting mutiny and rebellion. However, the death of Jesus Christ only served to increase the devotion of the people towards him and thus the objective of the government to regain control of the Jews was thwarted.
In the case of Julius Caesar, Cassius as well as Brutus highlight the desire for change due to continuous oppressive rule while Mark Antony becomes the voice of reason against political chaos. Similarly, Judas represents the greed for money as he betrayed Jesus for a small amount of 25 silver tokens paid by the chief Roman priests (Mathew 26:14-16). Once Caesar has been killed, the connivers were able to swiftly sway the citizenry of Rome that the act was justified for the purpose of eradicating the evils that infected the government. Mark Antony, however, proves to be a match for the conspirators. The former is able to convince the massive gathering of citizens present at the funeral of Caesar that the murder of their beloved leader was not an acceptable act and that the primary aim of the schemers was to clinch power . Similarly, after the passing away of Jesus Christ, Peter was able to rouse the crowds who then realized the truth behind the crucifixion and mourned the passing of Christ.
It should also be noted that the public that was subject to both the leaders was very fickle minded. Despite its great love for the two, the public was, if for a short time, swayed by the words of those who were responsible for the killing of Caesar and Christ. However, once reality dawned, they turned into an angry mob, seeking revenge upon those who had been involved in the murders. People who are tasked with overseeing the government are possessors of sufficient power to implement changes for both the bad and the good. The precariousness of the position becomes distinctly clear when the disposition of the mob transforms from unwavering admiration of Brutus to firm reverence for Mark Antony within a short duration. Shakespeare portrays how fast society can jump from a specific position to another and how the majority decision influences the ultimate course of action in politics.
Both, Caesar and Jesus Christ, had prior warnings or indications of their lurking doom. Calpurnia, the wife of Caesar, as well as the Soothsayer both cautioned Caesar that attending the senate would end in his doom. However, Julius Caesar prefers to pay no attention to their warnings so that he is able to maintain his powerful image in front of his fellow politicians, the very same ones who were scheming his assassination . Similarly, Jesus Christ had prophesized his own death (Matthew 16:21) and yet went on to meet his destiny. However, there was no vanity involved in this case. Jesus selflessly accepted his fate as it was necessary for the redemption of his people.
A minor, yet notable similarity is that both Caesar and Jesus dined with their followers a day before their deaths. Julius Caesar dined with his subordinates including Brutus among other conspirators. Likewise, Jesus Christ attended the Last Supper with the 13 disciples including Judas. Strangely enough, although neither was crowned a king, each wore a crown of sorts that evening. Caesar wore a crown of laurel wreath while Jesus wore a crown of thorns. Both were robes that were purple in color and were mocked for their attire by those present .
In “Julius Caesar”, the conspirators get what they deserve and are the targets of violent revenge by Mark Antony. Eventually, Brutus faced ruination even though he was not killed by the mob .Marcus Brutus commits suicide by throwing himself on the sword, although it has been argued that he did so in regret of republicanism ending in Rome despite the assassination of Julius Caesar. It can be said that, although Brutus was close to Caesar, he valued republicanism more than the General and hence became a part of the plot to kill him. His suicide is not the result of remorse over his act, but his disappointment at the futility of it. In contrast, Judas commits suicide as he cannot live with the guilt of having delivered Jesus Christ to the Romans .
Another remarkable similarity between Julius Caesar and Jesus Christ is that neither was bound in matrimonial ties and did not have a biological heir. “Julius Caesar” sees Calpurnia being barren and so, unable to produce children for Caesar. Even though ancient Rome happened to be a republic and did not depend on family succession, the lack of an apparent heir of Caesar bears an uncanny similarity to the position of Jesus. Both these individuals were succeeded by their respective adopted heirs that effectively brought an end to their reign . Julius Caesar had mentioned Gaius Octavianus while Jesus Christ had taken John the disciple to be his son . Julius Caesar was given a divine status after his death when the people named him Divus Iulius. Moved by the people’s sentiments, the Senate formally acknowledged Caesar’s divine status and even issued coin with his bust, head crowned with laurel wreath and the words Divus Iulius minted on them. This was the first time in Roman history that a human being was included in the Roman Pantheon . Similarly, Jesus Christ was proclaimed as the Son of God and holds this divine status even today .
One of the lesser known similarities between Caesar and Jesus Christ is kindness as well as their philosophies. While it is well known that Jesus Christ was kind to the point of being selfless, Caesar has often been portrayed as being a ruthless general. However, further analysis of his dealing with his peers, his subjects as well as those he conquered reveal a side of Caesar that is quite similar to that of Jesus Christ. When compared to the political and military norms of the time, Julius Caesar was considered to be extremely kind among his peers such as Cicero. He is said to have had an Epicurean philosophy whereby he preferred solving problems through diplomacy and friendship rather than military might. Julius Caesar also known for his Clementia Caesaris or the Clemency of Caesar. Caesar extended a friendly and courteous treat to his enemies once they had been conquered, either setting them free or even allowing them to join his army unlike the brutality exhibited by the likes of Pompenius. He further asked his soldiers, whenever possible, not to kill their fellow citizens who embroiled in battles with them. Although his philosophy did not go down too well with peers with more orthodox thinking, it did win Caesar the admiration and loyalty of those peoples whom he conquered, his soldiers, as well as the citizens of Rome .
The Clemency of Caesar may be likened to the ‘Love Thy Enemy’ philosophy of Jesus Christ. Jesus too preached that one should be kind even to their enemies. It is also interesting to note that it was possibly their lenient approach towards their enemies that led Caesar and Jesus to their death. While Caesar failed to heed the warnings of his wife and the soothsayer as he fully trusted those whom he considered his ‘friends’, Jesus knew of the fate that awaited him but possibly did not know that it would be one of the 12 disciples – Judas – who would betray him and eventually cause his death.
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