Glog

Caesar's Letter

Rachel Gruenenfelder

English II

Mr. Allam

March 10, 2011

Caesar’s letter

What is Friendship? Friendship is defined as is the cooperative and supportive relationship between people, or animals. After the events that have taken place and by being backstabbed (literally) by the people I thought I was closest to, I have learned one of the greatest lessons of all. I’ve learned what true friendship is, it is: loyalty and being supportive

Others who don’t know what real friendship is might say it’s being kind and compatible, but they would be mistaken. Friendship isn’t just about being kind and compatible because just because you get along with somebody doesn’t mean that they’re really concerned about you. People can get along, but to be a friend to someone you must also be loyal and supportive.

To be a true friend you must be loyal to that person.  Brutus had told me that he was loyal to me and that we were friends. But he disagrees when he says, “Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.”(III.ii.21) In other words, Brutus believes that he killed me because he was more loyal to Rome than myself. In making this comment, Brutus urges us to believe that he was a friend to me, but that he was more loyal to Rome, which is true. By killing me he proves that you must show a person loyalty, to truly be a friend. Brutus obviously is more of a friend to Rome, than myself. He is no friend of mine because of this. Antony on the other hand,  had confronted the conspirators after my murder and said “I shall not fine myself so apt to die; No place will please me so, no mean of death, As here by Caesar” (III.i.160) Antony’s point is that he is so loyal to me, he is willing to die by my side than any other place. Antony who begs my murders for my body and asks for me to be properly buried, he is obviously loyal to me. He, unlike Brutus and my other “fellow Romans” is a true friend.

                To be a True friend, you must also be supportive. People I had called my friends, planned and plotted against me, because they were not supportive of the respect and virtue I had gained from the people of Rome. Out of jealousy they had slain me. Brutus states “I do fear the people choose Caesar for their king.”(I.ii.78). In other words, Brutus is worried about me becoming king. By being unsupportive and jealous of the power I had gained, he decided the best way to deal with the situation was to murder me in a brutal manner. Which is something a friend should never do. Even in my death Antony still supports me, Antony states “Woe to the hand that shed this costly blood.”(III.ii.258) Basically, Antony is saying that there will be revenge for my death, which shows that even though I am dead his still views me as a friend. And even in death he is still there for me. This again proves real friendship.

`           Real friends are hard to come by, those who I can actually count as friends in life, were loyal and supportive of me. Murders that I once had considered friends acted false to me, they deceived me by acting kind and agreeable to me. I now can clearly see the error of my judgment, but now I’m able to pass the information I have learned about real friendship.