Trust & Friendships In “Julius Caesar”
How easily do you give trust away? Are you scared that you are susceptible to manipulation? How deep does true friendship go, and when does duty override friendships? These are all questions that arise in “Julius Caesar” by William Shakespeare, and offer a level of self-reflection on the part of the reader.
Below are just five of the many key takeaways you can find upon reading the book for yourself.
Trust Can Be Manipulated
Manipulation can occur from others playing on your sense of loyalty to things you love.
Genuine trust between friends can be twisted when someone appeals to the other person’s values or fears.
It is important to be cautious of individuals willing to exploit your trust, especially if they attempt to disguise their own motives as selfless.
Friendship or Duty
Even if you love someone as a friend, you can still fall into the trap of convincing yourself that another’s ambition may harm other things you love.
If you are caught in the painful conflict between loyalties and responsibilities, a deeper evaluation is needed.
Individuals can use the shroud of “the greater good” to justify and rationalize the destruction of trust.
Painful Betrayal
One of the most famous lines written by Shakespeare - “Et tu, Brute?” (and you, Brutus?) - delivered by Julius Caesar himself in the book, shows the level of shock and pain of betrayal Julius Caesar felt in his final moments - in Shakespeare’s book.
The betrayal of a friend will always cut deeper than a similar act of betrayal by an enemy, because we do not expect it.
Always remember that those we let get the closest to us have the greatest ability to harm us, but do not take that as a reason to hold on to trust out of fear of what may never come to pass.
Broken Trust Is Hard to Repair
If you commit an act of betrayal with others, the trust used by your group to commit the act of betrayal on another will quickly disintegrate.
Your best course of action is not to break trust in the first place, avoiding the cascading spread of mistrust that soon follows.
Once you break someone’s trust, even if your bond was iron-clad, it will be almost impossible to repair.
Avoid Blind Trust
In the book, Caesar avoids multiple warnings that his trust will soon be betrayed, instead choosing to maintain an overconfidence in his own powers and the loyalty of those around him.
Misplaced trust can lead to your undoing, so give trust but do so carefully.
Be discerning of how you give your trust; it may just save your life.
We highly recommend “Julius Caesar” by William Shakespeare — a thought-provoking read that explores some of life’s big questions. If you’d like to support our work, you can do so by purchasing a version of the book through our affiliate link. And for a steady stream of literary insights, don’t miss our newsletter, Must-Read Mondays—your weekly guide to literature worth knowing.
Till next time!
