Reaching the Tomb of Julius CaesarIt is assumed that the title of a work should reflect the nature of its content. The title should relate to the central influence that controls the flow of the work. Shakespeare's Julius Caesar seems to contradict this convention. Caesar meets his bloody end at the hands of conspirators in the first scene of Act III, barely halfway through the play. He is not the tragic hero; that distinction goes to Brutus and Cassius, around whom the play revolves before and after the assassination. This essay will show that even if Caesar is not the hero of this tragedy, he is certainly the main character. Like the storm in the first scene of The Tempest, Caesar's victory over Pompey at the beginning of Julius Caesar sets up how the plot works. movement. Plebeians and senators became increasingly separated in their loyalties. In a time of brutal civil war, the plebeians felt they needed a single strong ruler such as Caesar. The senators, on the other hand, fear that he will become ambitious and continue to kill his competitors, that is, the senators themselves. During the celebration of Caesar's victory, Brutus remarks: "What does this cry mean?" I fear that the people will choose Caesar for king” (I.ii.78-79). Cassius is shown to be bitter towards Caesar, because he believes that Caesar is physically weak and does not deserve any of the praise the public gives him. Early on, Cassius distrusts Caesar and himself becomes as ambitious as he fears Caesar will be. Well, man, he rides the narrow world like a colossus, and we little men walk under his huge legs and look around to find ourselves dishonorable graves. Men at some point... middle of paper......art is still powerful! Your spirit walks abroad and turns our swords in our own bowels” (V.iii.94-96). Scene V shows Brutus finally giving in and joining his fellow senators in death, unable to bear the grief of their loss nor the guilt of having killed Caesar in the first place. Thus, Caesar, although dead and physically gone, remains a presence powerful throughout the second half of the piece. The guilt he inspires in the conspirators and the vengeance he arouses among the plebeians is strong. the play to its tragic conclusion. This is the only way Julius Caesar can remain the main character, maintaining a powerful influence throughout the play, whether he is dead or alive. Shakespeare called the play Julius Caesar not because Caesar is the tragic hero, but because it is Caesar's ambition, his fall, and his presence after death that causes the tragedy.