Personally, I believe that the situation occurring during Caesar's time is very similar to that in the modern world. Political leaders are constantly trying to persuade commonpeople that their idea is the only acceptable one, and this is exactly what is going on between Murellus and the plebes. Instead of accepting their ideas and opinions, he explains to them that they are disloyal and ignorant for praising the return of Caesar. His persuasive personality is very similar to that of Adolf Hitler, who also had the idea that anyone who disagreed with him was wrong. Hitler was a great speaker and convincer, which was the reason he was able to persuade so many people into believing his lies. Since the commonpeople were less powerful than him, they were forced to abide by his rules and support his ideas. This is also occurring during the scene between Murellus and the plebians. They are persecuted by powerful, high-class citizens for simply voicing their opinion.
Overall, I think that the society portrayed in Julius Caesar is quite similar to the one we have today. There is a huge difference in respect given to the high-class people versus the common people, and society members often get caught up in their own beliefs and views.
Yeah, lots of sims between then and now, it would seem. Do the plebes use their increased rights more or less than they should ... or appropriately?
ReplyDeleteI think that it was probably a big deal for them to voice this particular opinion because it was treasonous. However, I do agree with you with the idea that people did have less of an ability to voice their opinions back in this time period.
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