Julio Caesar by William Shakespeare Essay - 884 Words

Composers build on our perspectives to instil diverse interpretation of events, situations and personalities represented through various mediums shaped by their purpose. Thus the representation of conflicting perspectives within their works enables responders to experience a deeper understanding of the world. This is clearly demonstrated in Shakespeare’s tragic play Julius Caesar (1599) and Jason Reitman’s satirical film Thankyou for Smoking (2005). While the Elizabethan context informs Shakespeare’s differing perspectives of Caesar’s assassination in relation to human beings’ complexities and the manipulation used to gain power, centuries later, Reitman also explores the multi-faceted nature of an individual and the persuasion involved†¦show more content†¦The film opens with Nick appearing on Joan Launden’s daytime talk show Joan, and as he is introduced Reitman uses slow motion shots and freeze frames to capture the audience spitt ing, pointing and shouting at him, signifying the hatred of his powerful and dubious position. Reitman extends this portrayal with a mid-length shot of Nick holding a lighter in front of the American flag with a caption below indicating the number of people who die from smoking each year. The confrontational nature of this scene conveys to the audience an immediate image of Nick’s despised persona. It is only towards the dà ©nouement of the film when Nick resigns from his job that Reitman ‘offers up’ a more compassionate perspective on him. His vulnerability becomes obvious through cross edits to his son and the voice-over of Nick stating, â€Å"Some things are more important in life than paying the mortgage†. Thus both texts explore the conflicting perspectives of Caesar and Nick’s multi-faceted personalities, and enrich the responder’s appreciation of human nature and the world around us. This reflects Shakespeare’s values of politi cal stability and Reitman’s judgment of the nature of political and corporate culture in a capitalist society. As individuals gain power, their higher authority often strives for an easily controlled and often manipulated