One point is that it is not just fear of Julius Caesar overthrowing the republic and becoming the king of Rome, but also the same fear regarding Pompey and Brutus. Both of these men were a subject of hero-worshiping to the point that there was fear that they would proclaim themselves emperor. In Act 1 Scene 1, Flavius and Marullus are removing decorations from statues of Pompey, placed there in his honor. Pompey is now dead, and Caesar is now the key figure in Rome. After Caesar’s death, there are calls for Brutus to become the ruler. However, he dies before that happens, and Octavius becomes emperor as Caesar Augustus.
It is not so much fear of the ambition of these men that troubles the Roman Senate, but it is the willingness of the Roman citizens to cast aside the republic for a dictatorship in order to improve their lives. The same situation has happened at the rise of any tyrant. Dictators come to power because they are invited to assume that power.
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