Sit down...Be humble

Does Queen Elizabeth present heself as humble in her letters to appear inefior or superior?

Does she care to make herself look humble in front of other people to get their respect or does she just want it to seem like she's humble because she knows she's above others.

Britannia ruled the waves... for a while.

video tribute to "1492: Conquest of Paradise" (Ridley Scott, 1992) original score and performance by Vangelis


I chose this piece, the main theme from Ridley Scott's 1992 film 1492: Conquest of Paradise for its sweeping, epic feel and the sense of strength and purpose. The reign of Queen Elizabeth I saw England's rise as a dominant maritime power of Europe, a position they maintained until well into the nineteenth century. The destruction of the Spanish armada left England as one of the most powerful naval forces in the western hemisphere, paved the way for their subsequent assumption of control over much of the Caribbean and North Atlantic, and eventually opened opportunities for English colonization in North America.

Oh How The Powerful Have Fallen

In episode 12 of the HBO series, "Rome", Julius Caesar's reign falls because he started taking power away from the republic and taking it for his own, and in turn gets stabbed to death by many men, including Brutus. In this scene from MockingJay Part 2, Katniss decides to kill President Coin instead of President Snow because she realizes that Coin's true intentions are for herself and not for the people like she had initially promised. Therefore, she is just as bad as President Snow.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPug6IJSKXs

Ubi non errabis? (Where did I go wrong?)

Marble bust of Brutus, at the Palazzo Massimo alle Terme in the National Museum of Rome
(Wikipedia)

"...and having slightly reproved them for having fallen upon the enemy in disorder without the word of battle or command,he promised them, that if they behaved themselves bravely in the next engagement, he would give them up two cities to spoil and plunder, Thessalonica and Lacedaemon. This is the one indefensible thing of all that is found fault with in the life of Brutus; though true it may be that Anthony and Caesar were much more cruel in the rewards soldiers after victory;..."
(Plutarch 604)

This passage displays the difference between a "good" man and a "great" man. Plutarch is not particularly interested in the moral capacity of his subjects, but thir ability to lead. even though he notes the destruction caused by Caesar and Anthony, Plutarch considers Brutus to have this major flaw, because he had to make the reward of plunder an incentive for good behavior from his troops, rather than a reward for a job well done.

SAVAGE

Plutarch's Marcus Brutus pg. 596-597--

"A terrible and strange appearance... of a ... body... [says] 'i am your evil genius...' to which Brutus, not at all disturbed, replied, 'then i shall see you.'"

This struck me as very bold of him.  There is this unrecognizable figure in front of him telling him he is "his evil genius" and he basically nonchalantly says "i don't give a fuck".  This is unusual, i feel, due to the way he seemed to be very interested and invested in things he did or was a part of. (pg.582)

 
i dont fuck with you

Caesar: big ego or actual want for love?

Why does Caesar feel the need to make everyone like him? He is obviously a very powerful leader, particularly in the military, so why does he want common people to genuinely like him rather than just rule them by fear? Is it because of his ego or does he feel there is actually a true advantage to the common people genuinely liking who he is?

Caesar, The GOAT

“there was no danger to which he did not willingly expose himself, no labour from which he pleaded an exemption.” (Plutarch 210)

I believe this quote is important because it shows Caesar as a fearless, and brave leader. It goes along with a general theme of the text that Caesar was a leader, and not just some guy who bossed everyone around without getting his hands dirty.

Plutarch. Plutarch's Lives of Illustrious Men. The J.C. Winston Co., 1908.

Plutarch on Caesar

Does Caesar act like a dictator?

Fake Love

For my musical challenge I picked the song "Fake Love" by Drake. In the song, Drake (who's basically the biggest hip-hop artist alive right now) describes how people who are below him in the rap game show him "fake love" in order to gain relevance in the music industry. I feel Caesar faces the same issue to an extent, as he is surrounded by political foes who are both beneath him and want his position of power.

-Trevor Delane