Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar refuses the crown because he wants to appear humble and avoid seeming openly ambitious, even though many characters suspect that he secretly desires greater power. During the Lupercal festival, Antony offers Caesar a crown three times, and Caesar rejects it each time. Casca later reports that “he put it by with the back of his hand, thus, and then the people fell a-shouting,” but Casca also notices that Caesar seemed increasingly reluctant to refuse it each time. Caesar’s public refusal helps him maintain the image of a leader acting for Rome rather than for personal gain.

The refusal is politically important because many Romans fear monarchy and tyranny. Brutus admits that he loves Caesar but does not want Rome ruled by a king. Cassius uses the crown incident to argue that Caesar’s ambition threatens Roman liberty. Even though Caesar never officially accepts the crown, the event convinces the conspirators that he may eventually seize absolute power.

At the same time, Shakespeare leaves Caesar’s motives somewhat ambiguous. Caesar refuses the crown publicly, yet Decius later persuades him to go to the Capitol partly by telling him that the Senate plans to crown him king that day. Caesar quickly changes his mind and agrees to go, suggesting that the possibility of kingship strongly appeals to him. The tension between Caesar’s public modesty and possible private ambition drives much of the play’s political conflict.