Cassius vs. Antony

[floridagatorfan]

I have been asked to write a compare/contrast essay on Cassius vs. Antony. Any ideas??? Comments?? Help???

[Cassius]

You might start by asking yourself a series smaller questions to get the ideas flowing.
How much are they each driven by ambition?
Are they realists or idealists?
Do they seem to be more driven by personal relationships or political ideals?
Are they natural leaders or followers?
Are they good judges of character?
How skilled are they as manipulators?
How ruthless are they willing to be?

Caesar also provides a brief comparison of the two men in act one scene two, and you might want to work this in, too. What is the implication of Caesar's comment that "He [Cassius] loves no plays, as thou dost, Antony?"

Some of these questions do not have clear cut answers, but hopefully they will help you examine Cassius and Antony a bit more closely. If you would like my opinion on any of these questions, I would be happy to give it. I'll warn you, though, that I absolutely love Cassius, so I might be a bit biased ;)

[Quark]

That's really good advice Cassius. I would only add one other possible question to the list. That is, what are the characters ambitions? I might also suggest that you don't simply look at what the characters themselves say, but also how they appear in other's eyes. Another idea might be to look at the way Cassius and Antony express themselves--aside from just the content of what they are saying. In Othello, for example, the villain, Iago, exposes his cynical perspective through very earthy and sometimes bestial comparisons and language. You might want to look to see if Cassius' or Antony's language express anything about their personality.

Good luck.