Tragedy of Julius CaesarIn the play Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, both of these characters Calpurnia and Decius try to persuade Caesar to continue life or treason and death. Calpurnia had a vision that Caesar would die if he went to the Senate. Opposing Calpurnia's dream, Decius promised Caesar the crown if he went to the Senate. Calpurnia had to support her thesis with her appeal to ethos and fear for Caesar's life. He spoke from the heart, but logic was missing from his dream. Decius took advantage of his vision and knew that Caesar would not refuse anything that granted him power, success, and wealth. Decius managed to persuade Caesar with seductive lies and evil tactics. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Calpurnia used vivid detail and made strong appeals to ethics to support her thesis. Calpurnia's credibility was established simply by the fact that she was the wife of Caesar, one of the greatest men in Rome. He hoped to capture Cesare's attention by warning him of the terrors he saw in his dreams. For example, he tells us: “A lioness gave birth in the streets, and the graves opened wide, and gave up their dead; Fierce fiery warriors fought on the cloud” (5-7). Caesar was influenced by Calpurnia's dream, but it was not enough to make Caesar stay at home. Calpurnia concluded her discussion with Caesar by stating, “Your wisdom is consumed in trust. Don't move on today. Call it my fear” (29-30). Unfortunately, Calpurnia's appeal to ethos failed to sway Caesar. Being married to an overconfident person, Calpurnia should have known that Caesar would not believe her. He had very few fears; above all he did not fear his death because he knew that God had control over it. Caesar was overconfident and as a result Decius took advantage of his arrogance. Decius' motivation for convincing Caesar to go to the Senate was based on his ethics. He was a member of a group of conspirators, whose plan was to kill Caesar in the Senate. Decius managed to manipulate Caesar by turning everything in his wife's dream into a positive “This dream is all misinterpreted; it was a beautiful and fortunate vision” (45-46). Decius appeals to Caesar's ethics. He knows that Caesar is greedy and seeking eternal glory. Decius concluded his argument by explaining to Caesar: “And know this now, the Senate has decided to give a crown to the mighty Caesar today. If you send word to them that you are not coming, their opinion may change” (56-58). Promises of wealth and success were all Decius needed to influence Caesar. Decius explains what Caesar will miss if he stays at home. Decius uses ethos because it appeals to Caesar's character. He knows that Caesar is greedy, seeking glory and striving to become a legend. Decius simply tells Caesar everything he wants to hear and in this way easily deceives him. Both arguments were strong, but in this case Decius knew Caesar better. Calpurnia and Decius each had a close relationship with Caesar, and were both equally capable of persuading Caesar. Caesar was neither fearful nor emotional, and as a result, Calpurnia's emotional argument had little effect on him. Decius was sure that Caesar would not refuse anything that would make him prosperous or greater than others. Decius was right and ultimately believing his lies would cost Caesar his life.