Why is Shakespeare widely read nearly four hundred years after his death? Maybe it’s because his writing is so deep beyond the grasp of common literature. When Shakespeare writes, it is very meaningful. Shakespeare’s use of blank verse, puns, personifications, oxymora, similes, and metaphors show how he expresses himself through his language. The similes and metaphors at the beginning of Julius Caesar reveal the personalities of the characters because the similes and metaphors compare them to unlike things and they also reveal the nature of the conspiracy.
In Act I, Scene ii, Cassius speaks of a “swimming” story. The point of Cassius telling Brutus this story is to ridicule Caesar. Cassius ridicules Caesar for almost drowning. By telling this story, Cassius is trying to make Brutus feel the same way that he does. This story shows how much hate Cassius really has for Caesar. In Act I, Scene iii, we see metaphors showing us Cassius’s feelings. On lines 108-110, Cassius says “Poor man, I know he would not be a wolf/ But that he sees the Romans are but sheep;/ He were no lion, were not Romans hinds.” During this phrase, Cassius compares Caesar to a wolf and a lion, and the Romans to sheep.
In Act I, Scene iii, a storm is spoken of. Here, we get the understanding of what Cicero means when he says, “ But men may construe things after their fashion,/ Clean from the purpose of the things themselves.” Casca and Cassius differ in their interpretations of the storm and supernatural phenomena. Casca is fearful that the storm represents the anger of the gods about human actions. Cassius on the other hand, thinks the storm is a sign from god angry about Caesar’s rule. In Act I, Scene iii, Line 60, Cassius says that Casca is “dull,” but it can be inferred that Cassius is the “dull” one for tempting fate. Casca is a man of faith, and Cassius is a man of will. Cassius’s will is to overthrow Caesar. Thus he interprets the storm as a metaphor for the “monstrous state” (Act...