Opportunity versus Ideology in Julius Caesar Opportunity is the concept of doing something appropriate, practical, useful, and advisable. It is the right means to an end. Ideology is the set of beliefs or ideas of any person or group. These two words, when put together, clash. It's a battle between what is truly best, between what you think and what you should do. An excellent example of this clash is in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. Was Caesar's death something that was done pragmatically or was it an action taken based on certain beliefs, an ideology? Was Caesar's death practical? Would it bring a positive change to Roman society? The main reason given by the conspirators for their action was that if Caesar were crowned king, he would become a tyrant, an oppressor of the Roman people. This was done in the interests of the Republic. Now that he was dead, Caesar could never be a tyrant and the Romans could live in freedom. His murder, therefore, was necessary. Brutus and Cassius took it upon themselves to be the operational forces to kill Caesar. These were opportunistic men who cared only about Rome. Or were they? The flip side of being practical and doing what is best for others is acting on what you think should be done and/or actually doing it for selfish reasons. Even the death of Julius Caesar can be considered an ideological decision. In I, II, ll. 35-180, Cassius raises the issue that he thought Brutus could be as good a ruler as Caesar. Why does Cassius talk about it? What does he achieve by saying this? You could say these were encouraging words from one friend to another. However, these words serve as the catalyst for Brutus' plan to kill Caesar. Among the conspirators, there were motives behind their participation in Caesar's murder?