Did Caesar Deserve to Be Murdered Essay Example

Roman dictator Julius Caesar started as a wealthy, competitive boy. He became part of the Roman Army in 81 BC and accumulated interest in politics, so 16 years later, he became the “Adele” of Rome’s entertainment, putting him in charge. He was ambitious in his job and held parties and games with the Plebeians, causing them to favor him. After a few years, he was elected as a Consul and created the first triumvirate with Pompey and his friend Crassus, the richest man in Rome at the time. In this group, Caesar became governor and continued helping in the military. Some believe that Caesar was a great leader who prevented the Plebeians from revolting again, was a symbol of hope for the common people, and helped shape the Roman Republic. But, as he wanted more attention on him, he went out to annihilate entire civilizations with his army and added the land he conquered onto the Roman Empire. He was warned by everyone, including friends, that his hunger for power would put him in trouble. Julius is extremely famous for his unexpected and controversial assassination, committed by 300 senators, which included his old friend Brutus. Caesar was an atrocious leader, the reasons for which being he potentially created many enemies and put the Roman people in danger, he manipulated an entire social class, and he constantly disregarded the authority of the government.

As a man in the military, one could not escape unscathed or without enemies. Caesar probably faced many foes when he conquered the region of Gaul, which contained the countries of Luxemburg, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, and Northern Italy. He covered many territories, turned a portion of the people in those territories into slaves, and added their land to the Roman Republic. The conflict resides in the fact that he accumulated vendettas with countries he had obliterated and their allies without considering the danger he was putting his people in. Vengeance-seeking civilizations had the potential to strike war on Rome, which could have possibly resulted in many casualties. Caesar’s recklessness gave many opportunities for harm to be done to his people, proving that he lacks the responsibility and altruism that a leader should contain. 

In his quest for power, Caesar met many people that contributed to his overall leadership, one of them being an entire social class. The Plebeians were considered the lower class in Roman society, which meant that they did not have the same opportunity to indulge in lavish things such as parties and games as the upper class did. When Caesar took the job as the supervisor of Roman Entertainment, he made sure to include the Plebeians in all of the festivities that he hosted. Naturally, they gravitated towards him in political areas because he gave them exactly what they wanted. This leads some to raise the question of if he included them because he actually cared about them or if he did it purely intending to gain new followers. Caesar may have known how risky his political moves were, so, if he had a group of people that liked him because he “cared” for them, it could help him gain popularity and uplift his public image. With this being said, it is evident that Julius never cared for the Plebeians or anyone in the Roman Civilization. All he cared about was how he would get what he wanted when he wanted it.

Caesar’s strong, but controversial moves, gave him consistent backlash from the Roman government. During his 10 year invasion of Gaul, tension began to mount between Caesar and Pompey as he continued to make audacious decisions in the military. The two were in the midst of conflict since they were fighting over political hegemony and Pompey had the Senate under his influence. For this reason, when Caesar offered compromise, the “Senate” refused. After this, a tipping point was reached and in 49 B.C., a civil war broke out between the Roman military and government, both groups under the influence of either Pompey or Caesar. The war lasted four years with at least 30,000 casualties but arguably, one death stood out more than all of the others. After Pompey’s defeat at the Battle of Pharsalus, he fled to Egypt and before he even stepped onto Egyptian ground, he was unexpectedly beheaded by a servant on the order of King Ptolemy of Egypt. Pompey went to Egypt with the hopes that the King would assist him as they were formerly business partners, but Ptolemy was scared of Caesar and feared what position Egypt’s involvement with Pompey would put his people in. Although Caesar did not directly kill Pompey, his reckless actions and the civil war he helped create by refusing to comply with orders from the government put Pompey in the unfortunate position of being murdered. 

Knowing all of the unrighteous choices Julius made, the question still remains: did he deserve to be murdered by the Senate? Unfortunately, he did earn the fate that was handed to him. Although no one deserves to die in the way that Caesar did, it was the only viable option where they wouldn’t risk continued death and destruction by him. Before this event, his friend Brutus, a senator, alerted him what destiny awaited him if he didn’t consider the consequences of his actions, but quite obviously, that did not get through to him. Caesar is recognized as a general, a politician, and a scholar, but he did nothing to honor these titles except gather wealth, power, land, and a reputation for being ruthless.