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Gaius Cassius Longinus

Aim By: Miranda Wolf Gaius Cassius Longinus was an egotistical man who obtained power through his envy. Senator who ultimately conceived the plot to murder Julius Caesar. Cassius had formed an alliance with Pompey, both of whom despised Caesar. When Caesar promised Pompey he would one day govern Syria, Pompey immediately switched alliances. With just over 60 men, Julius Caesar was brutally stabbed on the Ides of March. Cassius was quick to plot against Julius Caesar. ‘Cassius was a man of considerable ability and a good soldier, but in politics he was actuated by vanity and ambition and had an uncontrollable temper and sharp tongue’ (“Cassius”). Julius Caesar’s Senate was easily swayed by Cassius’s political opinions. The deep sense of jealousy Cassius felt toward Caesar was the motive behind the demise of one of the most eloquent Roman leaders; Cassius’s ability to manipulate an audience foreshadowed a tragic, biased future for Rome. When the Second Triumvirate formed between Octavian (Caesar Augustus), Mark Antony, and Lepidus, Brutus and Cassius raised an army in an attempt to secure Rome. While Brutus returned functioning, Cassius returned dead. Gaius Cassius Longinus was eventually marked by Brutus as ‘the last of the Romans’ (“Gaius Cassius Longinus”). Cassius was a vain, eager man whose spite lead to his own desolation.

 "Cassius." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2013. Encyclopedia.com. 22 Oct. 2013.

 "Gaius Cassius Longinus." Encyclopedia Britannica. N.p.. Web. 22 Oct 2013.

Audience By: Aleisha Lerma Cassius was a senator and is known for his involvement in the assassination of Julius Caesar affecting the Roman Empire drastically and forever putting him in the history books as a monstrous traitor. Cassius was strongly against the rise of the leader and took a huge role in planning the assassination of Caesar by convincing other Roman leaders.  His involvement convinced and affected Rome for the worst. In the Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, he’s found in the final level of Hell for Treachery. Cassius convinced Brutus (Marcus Junius Brutus) to kill Julius and was thrown from power. After a loss with Marc Antony, he ordered men to slay him. He lived from 85 BC to 42 BC and after a long life of from being a role model to a criminal, he’d be forever marked as a one of the biggest traitors in history. Today, historians and students alike are widely familiar with Cassius as a treacherous politic.

Citations: "Gaius Cassius Longinus." Encyclopedia Britannica. N.p.. Web. 22 Oct 2013. .

Historical By: Camille Spendlove <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">One of the most well-known men of historical and political importance is Cassius. Cassius is most remembered as a man “impatient with friends and ruthless with enemies” (“Gaius Cassius Longinus”). Cassius was the man that persuaded men and <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> directed them to kill Julius Caesar. The men were not just anyone that Cassius could find, they were Senators and Caesar’s most trusted associates. Cassius was even able to convince the much loved Brutus to betray Julius. Before this, however, he was well-known for his militarism by certain historic events, namely by saving the province of Syria and becoming the naval leader for Pompey (“Gaius Cassius Longinus”). When Pompey lost the squabble for power, Cassius defected for Caesar’s side. Cassius never truly believed in Julius Caesar, believing him to be soft. He became extremely bitter, and essentially brought upon himself his own demise. While fighting against Mark Antony after the death of Caesar, Cassius became distressed and killed himself. Cassius went on to make a place for himself in political history as a representation of a betrayal similar to Benedict Arnold. This man also perhaps dramatically changed what history from what it would have been like with Julius Caesar still alive. People would have not be given this good example of what ‘not to do’ for future contemplation.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Citations: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">"Gaius Cassius Longinus Biography and Facts." Rugu RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Cultural <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">By: Blaire Krakowitz

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Cassius’s actions of treachery and cunning have left an incredible impact on culture that continues to be relevant today. According to a web page that describes the life of Cassius, “Cassius’ memory lived on and his name became synonymous with tyrannicide and republicanism” (“Gaius Cassius Longinus”). Cassius was a central part of the infamous assassination of Julius Caesar, and it is for this event that he is most remembered. Caesar’s death has become a symbol of treachery throughout the ages, as it was his own men (some of whom were close friends of his) who killed him. As one of the main plotters, Cassius has become a symbol of cunning, firm belief, and treachery in art and literature. In the classic epic The Inferno, Cassius is punished for his treason against Caesar by being eternally chewed on by Satan in the lowest circle of Hell, along with Brutus, one of his co-conspirators and his brother-in-law (Alighieri 118). Cassius also figures into William Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar, an artistic retelling of Caesar’s demise. In this play, Cassius is one of the main conspirators, wishing to kill Caesar because of the man’s weakness, and is portrayed as cunning but impulsive (“Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar”). The concept of seemingly noble men willingly assassinating their leader, whom some of them were extremely close to, had a massive cultural impact on society. The assassination attempt and Cassius’s role in it was extremely influential to authors such as Dante; the event was important enough to him and Cassius’s part in it so great that Dante gave Cassius the worst punishment that his version of Hell had to offer. Julius Caesar is a classic work that is still professionally performed and widely read in schools. Cassius remains to this day to be an infamous figure because of his part in the assassination attempt as well as the cunning and firmness of belief that resulted in his active participation.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Citations <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Alighieri, Dante. The Divine Comedy Volume One: Hell [The Inferno]. Trans. Charles Eliot Norton. Vol. 1. N.p.: Pennsylvania State University, 2005. Penn State Electronic Classics Ser. PDF. 118. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">"Gaius Cassius Longinus Biography and Facts." Rugu RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2013. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">"Shakespeare's Julius Caesar: Character Introductions." Shakespeare's Julius Caesar: Character Introductions. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.