Julius Caesar Duet Acting

As Caesar's supporters lament his death, Brutus and Cassius are forced to flee Rome due to a civil war. A divide in Rome was caused by Caesar's assassination; those for Caesar, and those against Caesar. While Octavius Caesar, Julius Caesar's successor, and Mark Antony prepare their army in Rome, Brutus and Cassius arrange their battalion in Asia Minor, by Sardis. As Brutus runs low on funds for his army, he asks for Cassius's aid, who denies him the money. Instead, Cassius gets the money through bribery from a man in their army. As an honorable man, Brutus gets angry with Cassius, causing tension between the two. Brutus accuses Cassius of being an itching palm, killing Caesar not for justice, but because of wrath. As Brutus insults Cassius, Cassius progressively becomes angrier and angrier, to a point where he threatens to physically hurt Brutus. Unaffected, Brutus brushes off the threat and once again blames Cassius to be a dishonest man for accepting money through bribery. Cassius, hurt, falls apart and begs Brutus to kill him. Feeling compassion for Cassius, the man who has stuck with him through everything since the assassination of Caesar, Brutus, relenting, not only forgives Cassius but also asks for Cassius's forgiveness for his harshness. As the two make up, Brutus tells his friend that the reason for his stress and hard words were because he was grieving his wife's suicide.

This passage is significant because the two succumb to the pressure of worries caused by the war, causing a tension in their friendship. Throughout the whole play, Brutus has been collected, not letting stress overcome him. But with his wife's death and the war breaking out because of the conspiracy, Brutus falls apart and takes it out on his friend Cassius, who on his part has also done Brutus wrong. But after realizing that they had been through a lot with each other, they forgive and forget about the argument, knowing the importance of their friendship. This passage truly proves that even under circumstances as such, even if you approach a bump in the road, friends will help you through, staying by your side as long as you need them.

Act IV, Scene 3. Lines 38-122.

Brutus Hear me, for I will speak.
Must I give way and room to your rash choler?
Shall I be frighted when a madman stares?
Cassius O ye gods, ye gods! Must I endure all this?
Brutus All this? ay, more; fret till your proud heart break;
Go show your slaves how choleric you are,
And make your bondmen tremble. Must I budge?
Must I observe you? Must I stand and crouch
Under your testy humour? By the gods,
You shall digest the venom of your spleen,
Though it do split you; for, from this day forth,
I'll use you for my mirth, yea, for my laughter,
When you are waspish.
Cassius Is it come to this?
Brutus You say you are a better soldier:
Let it appear so; make your vaunting true,
And it shall please me well. For mine own part,
I shall be glad to learn of noble men.
Cassius You wrong me every way; you wrong me, Brutus.
I said, an elder soldier not a better;
Did I say better?
Brutus If you did, I care not.
Cassius When Caesar liv'd, he durst not thus have mov'd me.
Brutus Peace, peace! you durst not so have tempted him.
Cassius I durst not?
Brutus No.
Cassius What? durst not tempt him?
Brutus For your life you durst not.
Cassius Do not presume too much upon my love.
I may do that I shall be sorry for.
Brutus You have done that you should be sorry for.
There is not error, Cassius in your threats;
For I am arm'd so strong in honesty
That they pass by me as the idle wind,
Which I respect not. I did send to you
For certain sums of gold, which you denied me:

For I can raise no money by vile means:

By heaven, I had rather coin my heart,

And drop my blood for drachmas, than to wring

From the hard hands of peasants their vile trash

By any indirection: I did send

To you for gold to pay my legions,

Which you denied me: was that done like Cassius?
Should I have answer'd Caius Cassius so?

When Marcus Brutus grows so covetous,

To lock such rascal counters from his friends,

Be ready, gods, with all your thunderbolts;

Dash him to pieces!


Cassius 
I denied you not.


Brutus 
You did.


Cassius 
I did not: he was but a fool that brought

My answer back. Brutus hath riv’d my heart:

A friend should bear his friend's infirmities,

But Brutus makes mine greater than they are.
Brutus 
I do not, till you practise them on me.


Cassius 
You love me not.


Brutus 
I do not like your faults.


Cassius 
A friendly eye could never see such faults.


Brutus 
A flatterer's would not, though they do appear

As huge as high Olympus.


Cassius 
Come, Antony, and young Octavius, come,

Revenge yourselves alone on Cassius,

For Cassius is aweary of the world;

Hated by one he loves; brav’d by his brother;

Check'd like a bondman; all his faults observed,

Set in a note-book, learn'd, and conn'd by rote,
To cast into my teeth. O, I could weep

My spirit from mine eyes! There is my dagger,

And here my naked breast; within, a heart

Dearer than Plutus' mine, richer than gold:

If that thou be'st a Roman, take it forth;

I, that denied thee gold, will give my heart:

Strike, as thou didst at Caesar; for, I know,

When thou didst hate him worst, thou lovedst him better

Than ever thou lovedst Cassius.


Brutus 
Sheathe your dagger:

Be angry when you will, it shall have scope;

Do what you will, dishonour shall be humour.

O Cassius, you are yoked with a lamb

That carries anger as the flint bears fire;

Who, much enforced, shows a hasty spark,

And straight is cold again.


Cassius 
Hath Cassius lived

To be but mirth and laughter to his Brutus,

When grief, and blood ill-temper'd, vexeth him?


Brutus 
When I spoke that, I was ill-temper'd too.


Cassius 
Do you confess so much? Give me your hand.


Brutus 
And my heart too.


Cassius 
O Brutus!


Brutus 
What's the matter?


Cassius 
Have not you love enough to bear with me,

When that rash humour which my mother gave me

Makes me forgetful?


Brutus 
Yes, Cassius; and, from henceforth,

When you are over-earnest with your Brutus,

He'll think your mother chides, and leave you so.



Brutus: Sam
Cassius: Izzy

To Know Everything Is To Know Nothing

Art is a snapshot of society painted by the hands of geniuses. Unlike a snapshot with the click of a camera, it isn’t just the picture seen generally. Painted art consists of the artist’s feelings implied in the picture itself. Therefore, as the painting grows in life and color, so do the feelings in it. The feelings of the painter, another person who is part of the society. The painter’s feelings are communicated through messages in strokes, details, and emotions lingering in the art. Essentially, the viewer will be able to read these messages, and even though they may or may not be able to connect with the painter’s feelings, it is that one more person’s input on his or her view of society that more people, as they gaze at the painting, can explore and take account of. From the audience’s point of view, they are able to see the scene from another person’s perspective.

Obviously back in the Renaissance, cameras had not been invented yet; therefore the only means of taking a snapshot of a scene would have been through art. Therefore, each scene is painted with such precision and care as to show every detail. Overall, the details combined create the bigger picture, but if examined carefully and closely, the details all have hidden messages in them as well. It doesn’t have to be the drawing itself, but the colors and how the object is represented have effects too. For example, Aristotle and his master Plato are presented to be the focal point of the painting “The School of Athens.” Aristotle’s clothes are blue and brown, the colors of the ocean and Earth, elements that are held down by gravity. This is significant to the representation of Aristotle because his studies were more tangible, as opposed to Plato’s more spiritual studies that were not experimental.

In this artwork, Raphael’s idea was to put all the geniuses who had contributed greatly to knowledge, under one roof. In that case, this painting would be a humanist’s dream. The RenProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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ssance was a time of rebirth of knowledge, where people inquired more about subjects, as opposed to relying only on the Church’s answers. In the Renaissance, people had been able to explore about subjects such as anatomy, science, math, art, and others. But it was through their curiosity and inquiry that people stumbled upon scientific explanations, rather than religious explanations being their only resource. Therefore, with all the geniuses under one roof, this painting represents the Renaissance greatly because these geniuses discovered and contributed greatly to the knowledge that was studied and built upon in the Renaissance. Art mirrors society not only in the big picture seen at first glance, but also by the actions of the people in the painting, and the implied feelings of the painter, a person part of society his or herself. Art mirrors society’s thoughts as well as actions, completing the picture overall.

Who Would I Be?

If I were to be someone in Raphael's painting of the geniuses, I would be Socrates. He was a Greek philosopher, who took on to Plato's studies of the abstract and intangible. His greatest contributions were logic and epistemology, the theory of knowledge. Socrates once said, "All I know is that I know nothing." The more one knows, the more that person doesn't know. As people gain more knowledge, the less knowledge they have. An answer leads to another question, and therefore as you learn more and more, you start to question things more and more, therefore you have less answers to your questions. In the end, you are left with gained knowledge that leaves you to lack of knowledge. Apart from his theory of knowledge, Socrates was a man of arguments and contradiction. The Socratic Method is a form of debate, and Socratic paradoxes contradict with themselves. An example of a Socratic paradox would be his famous quote, "I know I am intelligent because I know that I know nothing." In this sentence, Socrates contradicts the idea of knowing anything with the idea of knowing nothing in the process of learning more and more. So not only was he a man of logic and epistemology, but also of arguments.

Like Socrates, I argue a lot, with valid reasons to support my arguments. This is evident in Humanities itself, in the Socratic seminars we have. I find myself participating a lot during these seminars, arguing or agreeing with others' ideas. When arguing, I have reasons to support my statements, and although others may not agree or understand my statements, I myself have a valid reason to support it. But I can relate most to Socrates because I have a profound side, in which I question knowledge. My cousin once said to me, "The more you know, the more you don't know." And it was then that it hit me. This is a true statement. We will never stop inquiring about subjects as soon as we start to learn about them. I was able to grasp the idea of not knowing anything as we learn more, and from then on, I questioned knowledge. It is best, at times, to not learn anything about a certain subject, as to not question it any longer. Logic is essential to life, as it is applied to almost everything we do. Therefore, I believe that I need to develop my logic, which is why when it comes to logical thinking, I try my best to understand the concepts, just like Socrates. Like Socrates, I understand what I know, and I know that to know everything, is to know nothing.

Dare To Stand Out

The Alchemist reminds me of another book, Stargirl, written by Jerry Spinelli. In this book, the main character's name is Stargirl. Her name alone reflects her bizarre personality. She stands out in the crowd, her vivacious personality propelling her to talk to students she doesn't know. Unfortunately, she's not accepted by anyone. But a boy named Leo takes the time to befriend her, and later becomes her boyfriend.

An important trait Stargirl possesses is persistence.

Steadfast Persistence

Determination

Determination prods you off the back of your heels
Blanketed in steadfast persistence
Tenacious until you reach your goal.

Santiago, in achieving his destiny, needed to be determined. For without determination, he would not have succeeded and overcome trials.

Curiosity is Genius

Renaissance was a time of rebirth of knowledge. Cultures, art and architecture from past eras were revisited and incorporated into the Renaissance. The Renaissance evolved from a time of strict belief based on the Church, to a time of curiosity and opening up to other ideas that were not just based on the Catholic Church.

Geniuses such as Leonardo Da Vinci can be recognized as a true Renaissance man because of his inquiry. Being a curious person, he explored and experimented with a lot of concepts, such as flying. He also reflects the ‘rebirth of knowledge’ by incorporating some of the Ancient Roman ideas. The basic concept of a dome derived from Ancient Roman architecture which was explored by other architects. Da Vinci took this knowledge and included it into his own designs. Leonardo Da Vinci is very well known as the painter of the all around famous, ‘Mona Lisa.’ But he was not just a painter. He was a scientist as well. An inventor.

While trying to find the formula of having the same area of a square and a given circle, Leonardo Da Vinci was able to use this knowledge to draw his people to scale. Although his calculations failed, it helped him with his paintings. In the painting, ‘Baptism of Christ,’ by Andrea del Verrocchio who was Da Vinci’s master, Andrea del Verrochio let Leonardo paint one of the angels, as it was common for the master to allow their apprentices to paint sections of a master’s painting. The angel Leonardo drew stands out from the rest of the painting, with its intricate detail. In Leonardo’s own painting, the ‘Virgin of the Rocks,’ the Virgin and babies are all to scale with details such as the shape of their muscles clearly shown.

He was able to paint with such accuracy because he was also a scientist. He liked to open up corpses and study their anatomy. Da Vinci has numerous sketches of bodies and their insides. They clearly show muscles and tendons, and how they look like in different positions. Apart from dissecting corpses, Leonardo also spent time outside carefully studying people’s body movements such as hands. He sketched them in their different positions and drew with a lot of detail. Therefore, this helped him with his paintings such as the very famous ‘Mona Lisa.’ If the painting is studied carefully, her hands are in a carefully placed and elegant position with the bottom hand supporting the top hand.

Leonardo Da Vinci also asked a lot of questions about other concepts, such as flying. He spent a lot of time observing birds and their flight as well. After studying them, he invented devices that would help man fly. Based on theory, knowledge and observation he constructed the actual devices and while some of them failed, some of them worked as well. In fact, he invented a parachute, something that we now have today. Leonardo Da Vinci was indeed a very curious person. And his curiosity led him to becoming a genius. A true Renaissance man.

Determination

In life, we have to keep moving forward. In the present, we have to face the consequences from the past. Facing these consequences aren't always easy, and usually they're quite scary. But it's your determination that helps you overcome them and look forward to the future. Determination keeps me moving forward. It's the thought of getting through each day successfully that determines me to always strive for my best. Every achievement in life must be earned, and there is no easy way. I feel that if I don't work hard for something, I don't deserve it. Which is why I always (at least try to) exert my best effort in everything. Everyday, I try to be an attentive student in school, because this leads to overall success in the end. I'm always determined to do my personal best when playing sports. Even though some people will always be better than me, I take this as a way of improving. A way of challenging myself. Sometimes the thought of giving up comes, but I realize that if I give up, I acquire nothing. In dance, I'm always determined to perform to my best. Yes, there are times I fall. But being able to get up from falling is a big achievement in itself. I know that determination doesn't always lead to success. But I think that the thought of exerting my best effort in trying to acquire something is a success in itself. Therefore, determination plays a big part in achieving my destiny, whatever it may be. It will keep pushing me forward, the thought of getting closer to my destiny each day motivating me. Each step towards your destiny, is each step closer.

The Drops of Oil on the Spoon

“I’m like everyone else – I see the world in terms of what I would like to see happen, not what actually does.” (Coelho 38) The Alchemist is a story of a boy going on a journey in search of his destiny. He shows that in this pursuit, you might lose everything that you’ve ever worked for as a result of one wrong decision, but in the end, you will be rewarded with the accomplishment of the destiny and the treasures it brings along with it. Santiago, a shepherd wanting to travel the distances of the world, leaves everything behind to achieve a destiny that started with a recurring dream. He sells his beloved sheep, and starts with nothing but the money that the sheep were worth. Showing lack of good judgment, Santiago's naivety leads to the loss of his money because he trusted a stranger too easily. Consequentially, he has to work hard to gain it back. Along the way, Santiago meets people who teach him valuable lessons that guide him on his journey. Starting in Andalusia under a sacred tree, he travels all the way south to Africa where he sees the true beauty of the Great Pyramids. Santiago uses his courage, ability to self reflect, and determination to successfully achieve his destiny.

Santiago’s courage helps him overcome the obstacles that challenge him on his journey. After getting robbed in Africa, he works for a crystal merchant who is afraid of changes. Santiago, by reading omens, slowly modifies the shop and therefore sells more crystals. Because of his continuous success, the merchant lets him restyle the shop, believing in the prosperity the boy will surely bring. “ ‘Never stop dreaming,’ the old king had said. ‘Follow the omens.’ “ (59) Santiago’s confidence in his ability to read omens results to a flourishing shop and a pleased merchant. When Santiago leaves the crystal merchant, he travels to an oasis in Al-Fayoum, Egypt after days of traveling. He meets a girl named Fatima who he instantly falls in love with at first sight. Knowing he has to depart the oasis to further move on in his journey, he confidently confesses his love for Fatima. Not wanting to lose her, Santiago asks for her hand in marriage. She leaves without an answer, but on their next encounter, Fatima declares of her responding love. She tells Santiago that she would be willing to wait for his return. The boy then meets a man who convinces him to leave his loved one so that he can continue his journey. On Santiago’s first confrontation with this man, his courage is being challenged. The man, an alchemist, interrogates the boy. In return, Santiago confidently, yet fearfully responds to his questions. “ ‘It is I who dared to do so,’ said the boy.” (105) By choosing to reply with “dared,” he shows the alchemist he is brave enough to withstand whatever punishment is in store for him. His ability to reply with such confidence also shows that he believed he made the right decisions. Santiago, to have found his bravery, had to study himself closely and reflect not only on his surroundings, but his own self as well.

On his journey, Santiago had to be metacognitive to understand his inner self. On his way to Al-Fayoum, he rode a caravan where he met a camel driver. This camel driver taught him to live in the present, leave the past behind, and let the future come if it does. Santiago heeded this advice, and it especially came to his mind when he was in danger of getting killed. When he reflecting on the happenings in his life one day, two hawks’ flights showed an omen about the oasis being in danger of an attack. Santiago tells the tribe’s chieftains of this, and when they hear it, they are shocked. They took note of Santiago’s warning, but threatened to kill him if it did not come true. When this happened, Santiago reflected on his life so far and realized that he would not have minded dying at that moment. He had come further than any shepherd and he had met the love of his life. Santiago was living in the present and reminisced in the past, but didn’t mind if the future was not to come. But on he lived, as the omen resulted to be true, and he proceeded in his adventure. One of the obstacles he had to get through was his heart’s fear. “ ‘When I have been truly searching for my treasure, I’ve discovered things along the way that I never would have seen had I not had the courage to try things that seemed impossible for a shepherd to achieve.’ “ (125) Santiago listened to his heart, taking in its fears, but also advising it. Because his heart was afraid of failure, it was holding him back from achieving his destiny. But Santiago told his heart that they had traveled a long distance, and that nothing should hold them back now. By listening to his heart, he was able to understand it, therefore allowing Santiago to be in control of his heart. When he achieves his destiny, Santiago reflects on his whole journey and the little things that helped him accomplish it. He understands that if not for all the people he met, he wouldn’t have come so far. He learned valuable lessons along the way, and he applied all these lessons to life to be able to achieve his destiny. By understanding his inner self, Santiago learns he’s determined to achieve his destiny and that he’ll do anything to accomplish it.

Santiago’s determination helps him overcome obstacles, therefore leading him to his destiny; finding the treasure he dreamt about. “ ‘Well I’d like to see their land, and see how they live,’ said [Santiago]. …’Amongst us, the only ones who travel are the shepherds.’ [Father] ‘Well, then I’ll be a shepherd!’[Santiago].” (9) This conversation between Santiago and his father shows Santiago knows what he wants, which is to travel and see the world. In order to live a life that he is happy with, he chooses a career that wouldn’t necessarily make him a wealthier person, but instead one that would allow him to travel. Santiago had the choice of being a priest and earning money to travel the world, knowing they can’t afford for him to just be a traveler, but he decides not to take this choice. One of the challenges Santiago had to attain was to turn into the wind. In the process of doing so, he shows his persistence by asking however many resources he thought could aid him. The wind itself couldn’t help Santiago; even after he explained how it was possible for him to be a part of the wind. Not understanding what Santiago was suggesting, he was passed on to the wiser sun. He had a similar conversation with the sun, but still did not succeed in getting help to turn into the wind. Yet he didn’t give up. At last he was channeled through to God’s soul, the wisest. The connection between God’s soul and Santiago's soul was so strong, they communicated without words. Santiago’s perseverance led him to connecting to God’s soul, which helped him turn into the wind. Further on in the novel, Santiago finally discovers the Great Pyramids. An omen suggests where he should dig for his treasure; a spot in the sand in front of the Pyramids. Tired and weary, Santiago becomes weaker as he digs deeper for his treasure, when suddenly a group of men interrogate him. They try to steal his gold, and Santiago let them, out of his weariness and also his belief in finding his treasure. He finds the determination to keep digging, even as the men harass him. The leader, after beating up Santiago, decides to leave him alone, stating that he is a fool for deciding to give up everything just to follow a recurring dream. He told Santiago of the dreams he had of treasure under a sycamore tree in an abandoned church in Spain. It is from this that Santiago finally learns where his treasure is. If Santiago did not possess his determination, he wouldn’t have come far in his journey, because it is his determination that pushed him to achieving his destiny.

On Santiago’s journey, he loses all he has more than once and works hard to gain it back every time. As his story progresses, Santiago starts seeing the world as it really is, and not just how he wants it to seem. Although allowing yourself to see the world as desired can help in achieving one’s destiny, it is also very important not to be naïve to its trials. Santiago accomplished his destiny with the courage that aided him through the toughest parts of his journey, his reflections about his life and lessons learned, and the determination that pushed him to keep moving forward. After his quest, Santiago, from a doubtful boy, becomes a self-confident young man who reflects on happenings in his surroundings to read omens that will help him in his life. “The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon.” (31) Like Santiago's journey, this quote suggests that even though you're appreciating the wonders of the world, you must always focus on your goal and never ever forget it.