Conflicting: Roman Republic and Caesar

Composers actively manipulate the perspectives and representations of their characters and events in order to influence the opinions of their audience. In Shakespeare’s 1599 tragic play Julius Caesar, Shakespeare challenges the audience’s perception of Caesar and the conspirators, in order to confuse the concepts of good and evil. Likewise, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, in his beat poem “Two Scavengers in a Truck, Two Beautiful People in a Mercedes” (1962), challenges the audience’s perception of democracy and equality.

Finally, in the 2005 film Thankyou for Smoking, directed by Jason Reitman, the social stigma of smoking and cigarettes is highlighted by the composer, urging the audience to contemplate its acceptability.

The composers all subtly challenge established people, events and situations by presenting two conflicting perspectives on the subject, and using forms, features and structures to persuade the audience to their viewpoint, thus challenging the social norm. Julius Caesar is often held in the utmost respect as an ancient ruler, however Shakespeare challenges this concept through Cassius’ manipulation of Brutus’ perspective.

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This can be seen in Act 1, Scene 2 where Cassius attempts to persuade the noble Brutus to the cause of the conspirators. Cassius is characterised as a scheming mastermind, shown after he senses confusion and dissatisfaction on Brutus’ behalf created after the diegetic stage direction of flourish and shout; “I do fear the people choose Caesar for their king. ” Upon which, Cassius launches into a speech attempting to manipulate this confusion and change it to contempt; Cassius’ persuasive methods include references to Brutus’ past “There was a Brutus once…” which plays on Brutus’ hubris of being noble and honourable.

He belittles Caesar with a sarcastic, mocking tone “This god did shake, his coward lips” and this undeniable contrast, as Edward Dowden puts it, between the myth of Caesar, and the real Caesar urges action from Brutus, who now feels he has to prove his honour to Cassius. In presenting the conflicting perspectives on Caesar to Brutus, Shakespeare does likewise to the audience. They, like Brutus, have two logical yet conflicting perspectives on Caesar and thus their previous opinion of him as a legendary dictator has been unbalanced. Antony strongly opposes the perception of Caesar held by Cassius and Brutus, nd he manipulates the perspective of the Plebeians and the audience in Act 3, Scene 2. The stage direction of bringing Caesar’s dead body to the pulpit dramatises the event and evokes pathos from the Plebeians, seeing their great dictator dead, covered in bloody sheets. In contrast with Brutus, Antony speaks in blank verse, utilising iambic pentameter, which allows for pauses for the audience, and the Plebeians, to reflect on Antony’s emotive language and passionate argument; “Caesar hath wept. ” Shakespeare couples this with the frequent use of rhetoric questions, such as “Did this in Caesar seem ambitious? to really challenge the audience’s perceptions of the slain dictator. Furthermore, Antony uses sarcastic repetition to belittle the conspirators and exploit Brutus’ hubris;

“But Brutus says he was ambitious, and Brutus is an honourable man. ” Up until this point, Shakespeare has given the audience an almost entirely negative viewpoint on Caesar through the dialogue of the conspirators, however the juxtaposition of the funeral orations forces the audience to reflect on both sides of the argument. Shakespeare shows the huge swing in support through the Plebeian dialogue; “They were traitors. Honourable men! They were villains, murderers! ” The audience’s perception of Caesar has again been manipulated again by Shakespeare’s characters as they see Caesar as a positive ruler of Rome, in contrast to the tyrannical ruler the conspirators see him as.

“Two Scavengers in Truck, Two Beautiful People in a Mercedes” manipulates the audiences’ perspective on democracy and the equality it is supposed to create. Ferlinghetti uses the symbol of the “red light” to establish the contrast between the two groups of people who should be equal, but aren’t, in the context of the Western democracy of “San Francisco. He juxtaposes the depressing allusion of “grey … gargoyle Quasimodo” with the alliteration of “casually coiffed” to show their vast disparity. Interestingly, he shows the similarities between the two groups, for example “Also with sunglasses and long hair,” to illustrate how they have been drawn apart by the “great gulf” of democracy. Like the dictator Caesar, democracy is seen as a great concept, however Ferlinghetti and Shakespeare challenge the audiences’ perspective on these concepts subtly by portraying them as flawed.

For example Shakespeare’s line “When Caesar says ‘Do this’ it is performed” places a negative dissertation on his undisputed power, likewise in stating “As if anything at all were possible” Ferlinghetti creates irony in supposed equality of democracy. In these texts it is clear the author’s establish a inconsistency between ideals and reality. Thankyou for Smoking is a contrast from the previous two texts, as it shows a widely acknowledged evil concept and one man’s attempts to change this connotation.

Nick Naylor is described as having a “bachelor in kicking ass,” and accompanying this metaphor is the non-diegetic sound of a machine gun, symbolising the power and destruction of his PR spin on tobacco. Reitman satires the social perception on cigarettes; “they’re cool … our job’s practically done for us” and provides the irony of the lobby groups; the acronym “SAFETY” aims for increased gun rights. Reitman presents Naylor as having the near impossible task of convincing the public that cigarettes are okay, and using this characterisation to stress the moral incoherence that is associated with his job.

As Reitman ironically belittles Naylor, so too does Antony use irony; “Brutus is an honourable man” to undermine the reasoning behind the assassination. The composers have utilised their characters to present conflicting perspectives, be it on Caesar’s assassination or the tobacco industry, to show that they are negative situations, and thus effectively manipulate the audience’s perspectives on them. Literary texts are powerful tools for which their composers can use to manipulate the perspectives of their audience convincing them, or the texts’ characters, to believe a certain perspective on a concept.

The textual integrity and technical versatility displayed by Shakespeare, Ferlinghetti and Reitman is commendable in their presentation of conflicting perspectives. Julius Caesar and “Two Scavengers …” show the dangers of absolutes and the shades of grey within ideals like republics and democracy. Likewise, the freedom of speech in Thankyou for Smoking is not always used for justice. The composers effectively manipulate their audience’s perspectives against what is considered socially acceptable.