Caesar's Death scene

https://www.hbo.com/rome/season-01/12-kalends-of-february

The betrayal of Caesar scene being acted out made it seem more plausible than reading it in an ancient text. It was interesting how Brutus and Antony were portrayed. They both had more emotion than what was mentioned by Plutarch. Brutus dropping the knife hinted at a sense of guilt at betraying Caesar. It really seemed like he was not going to take part in the murder which would have contradicted every record of the event. Instead he got the knife back in his hand and gave the final blow. It did not kill Caesar and Caesar did not deliver his famous lines. Caesars slow death was weird in that it made him into a mortal human being rather than an all powerful dictator/tyrant that would ruin everyone's lives.

Plutarch only mentioned Marc Antony being distracted by someone while the betrayal was happening but there were a couple of people distracted. Vorenus was taken out of the picture before entering the building and then as the chaos was unfolding Posca was clubbed in the head. A lot happened and it all happened fairly according to plan. The realism was further enhanced when one of the betrayers fell to the ground, succumbing to his wounds from friendly fire, as Caesar was still being stabbed. Plutarch mentioned something similar in his text.

The way the plan was enacted looked more sloppy than it sounded like it should have gone. The guy who grabbed at Caesar first did not stab him and had to yell “Now” a bunch of times. There was a lot of hesitation from everyone involved because no one wanted to be the first one. That sort of hesitation happens nowadays but with less betrayal and blood. It was weird that even though this significant event was happening nobody knew about it except the ones doing the murdering and to everyone else it was just another day, as can be seen when comparing what was happening to Caesar with Vorenus’ and Pullo’s side stories.

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.

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?