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Julius Caesar and Egyptian Politics!! |
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Sondos Asem - AljazeeraTalk - Cairo
 First of all I cannot conceal my adoration of Shakespeare as an artists who devoted his life to exposing the good and evil in human nature. No theme in Shakespeare's works is more prominent than that of human weakness in the face of vice and worldly temptations. This was the case of Macbeth, Hamlet and Julius Caesar.
I have just finished reading Julius Caesar and i can only describe it as a masterpiece of political drama. Shakespeare brilliantly depicted Julius Caesar and his fellow Romans as a bunch of politicians who are obsessed with kingship. I can not separate the play from our political status quo in which one faction fears any progress by another. The play is based on two axes: first envy, then conspiracy.
The initial military conquest by Julius Caesar (a member in the Roman parliament) has drawn the envy of his friends in the parliament who started to fear the outcome of his heroic conquests, for the people hugely admired Caesar and choosed him to be their king during a public horse-race. Based on the events of the story, i couldn't accuse Caesar of any vicious plot as his rivals claimed; rather, i saw him as a victim of political adversaries whose likes can be found in any place at any time.
The conspirators (Casius, Casca, Metellus, Trebonius, Decius Brutus, and Marcus Brutus) were driven by their greed for power and envy of any opponent who represents a possible challenge for their positions.
It is true that Brutus participated in the murder of Caesar for national purposes (he was deceived by Casius who first fueled his rage of Julius Caesar); but i cannot neglect the fact that someone like Brutus, with his wisedom and knowledge, should have been the first one to oppose the crime.
Brutus was Caesar's most beloved and trusted friend, how can he be moved by some rhetoric without questioning the moral purpose of the act??!!
It is a pity that friends and fellow citizens become enemies once someone rises above the other in public appeal or economic power, and it is even worse when the same enmity exists between people who are apprehensive of POSSIBLE success on the part of their rivals.
The greatest catastrophy, however, is when political tyranny is used in the process, to achieve one target: crushing the opponent.
This is usually done either through political exclusion (murder or imprisonment) or targetting the property and all economis resources of the opponent in an attempt to exhaust him.
In either, noone eventually wins, and the result is prolonged antagonism and hatred which has a drastic impact on the people.
The most effective method to combat any national threat is unity among conflicting parties, as this unity would stand as a stumbling block against any personal desire (like that of Casius).
In Juilius Caesar, where murder was the only resort for conspirators, all faced the same destiney: death. But in Egypt, where the regime adopts a policy of exclusion together with freezing the assets of opposition (topped by the Muslim Brotherhood), Mubarak should not expect but ultimate failure and a sudden uprisal by the masses who will one day erupt in a violent revolution against oppression and all its perpetuators.
Image: the assassination of Julius Caesar
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