The Humanity of Caesar

Watching Episode 12 of "Rome," helped to change my perspective on some of the things we have been reading and talking about. The scene where Caesar was being stabbed was particularly eye opening. Being able to see how he reacted helped me to better understand the human aspects of Caesar. Many times Caesar is made out to be this larger-than-life figure who has basically been made immortal by TV, books, movies, etc. Being able to actually see this scene played out rather than just reading or talking about it helped to exemplify that Caesar was a mortal human just like the rest of us. I think that a lot of these historical figures we talk about no longer seem capable of emotions and feelings because they have been so manipulated throughout time. However, in this scene we get to see not only the human aspects of Caesar but of Brutus as well.

When the camera zooms into Brutus’s face, it is clear to see the pain, fear, and uncertainty that he is feeling. The way this was shot was particularly interesting because I wasn't completely sure whether Brutus was crying or profusely sweating, which may have been the director’s intention: leaving the interpretation up to the viewer. When Cicero comes up behind Brutus and urges him to stab Caesar, the blood that covers Cicero really just solidifies the whole scene. I feel as though so many times we all know that Caesar was stabbed but we never think about how messy and painful stabbing can be. Stabbing is a very personal affair. You are the one physically taking the weapon and thrusting it into someone else’s body. It is also a slow way to die, and I think that the director did a wonderful job of portraying the pain that Caesar would have felt as he was left there to bleed out and die. His face was full of so much confusion and horror. It really helped to make the whole human nature of Caesar come to the forefront and that is something that I feel we rarely get to see.