Julius Caesar was historically the end of democracy in Rome. By declaring himself permanent dictator, he had taken a formerly neutral title and given it a negative connotation. Having total power would allow tyranny to occur. Cassius took it upon himself to rid Rome of this threat. His first move was to employ Brutus, an Idealistic man, esteemed by many as the most honorable man. His reasons for joining were
preventing abuses by the powerful Caesar, which outweighed his love for Caesar. Having Brutus’s support would persuade others on the fence to join the conspiracy; Caesar was abusing his power- killing him would be for the good of Rome.
When the time comes, and the Senators finally kill Caesar, the people are with the conspirators. However, when Marc Antony gives his speech at the funeral, the people start to turn on them. If the people hated them, but they were free, the conspirators would feel as though it was worth it. However, the people were riled by Marc Antony’s speech, and along with the other two members of the second triumvirate, Octavian and Lepidus, go to war against Cassius and Brutus. The chaos created from the
assassination of the dictator had led to 3 dictators in the end. The irony in this is that in the end, Brutus had only worsened the situation he was in by attempting to fix it. This resulted in Brutus losing his status, and eventually his taking of his life.
