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A simile is when two things are compared using the word 'like' or 'as'. For example, If you said 'My adopted kitten is as sweet as sugar,' you created a simile by comparing your kitten to sugar, using the word 'as'. Similes make writing more memorable and interesting.
One of the first similes in Julius Caesar comes when Cassius is bad-mouthing Caesar. He wants to convince Brutus that Caesar does not deserve to be the leader of Rome. Cassius tells of a time that he and Caesar jumped into a raging river and raced across the current together. Cassius said that they both fought the waves until Caesar asked Cassius to help him cross the river or else he would sink. Cassius says:
I, as Aeneas, our great ancestor, / Did from the flames of Troy upon his shoulder / The old Anchises bear, so from the waves of Tiber Did I the tired Caesar.
In other words, Cassius emerged from the river carrying Caesar, just as Aeneas, a Trojan hero, carried his elderly father from the flames of a burning city. With this simile, Cassius paints Caesar as an old feeble man and himself as a hero.
As Cassius continues to talk smack about Caesar, he tells Brutus of a time that Caesar had a fever. He explains that Caesar was weak, sick and pale. He was thirsty and asked for some water. When Caesar called out for water, his voice was shrill and weak 'as a sick girl.' This descriptive simile works to further portray Caesar as someone who is not fit to become king.
In act 1 scene 3, Casca is extremely frightened after seeing a number of disturbing events. As a storm rages outside, he sees many supernatural signs that he cannot explain. Cicero finds Casca stumbling around in a panic with his sword drawn. Cicero asks him why he is so worried and Casca responds by asking Cicero if he would be afraid when the earth shakes like an unfirm thing. Cicero dismisses this, asking if he has seen anything other than a simple earthquake. Casca continues to explain that he has also seen a slave who:
Held up his left hand, which did flame and burn Like twenty torches joined.
Casca uses similes in this passage to explain how serious and disturbing the events of the night were.
Later in act 1 scene 3, Cicero leaves Casca alone and then Cassius enters. Cassius listens to Casca continue his anxiety-ridden tale of the storm. According to Casca, the storm has caused graves to open and spit out the corpses. There is lightning shooting all over the sky and fire is flaming down from the heavens, causing everyone to worry and fret. Cassius takes the opportunity to insult Caesar and win the nervous Casca over to the side of the conspirators. He tells Casca:
Now could I, Casca, name to thee a man / Most like this dreadful night.
He is referring to Caesar, and playing on Casca's deep-seated fear of the storm. The simile seals the deal, and Cassius wins Casca over.
A simile is a literary tool that compares two things using the word 'like' or 'as'. In William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar we can find many similes. A few examples include Cassius's comparison of himself to a Trojan hero and his insulting remark that Caesar cried like a girl. Casca also makes use of simile by telling Cicero the earth is shaking like something that is unfirm. Lastly, Cassius draws a comparison between Caesar and a dangerous storm, winning the nervous Casca to his side.
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Julius Caesar: Help & Review11 chapters | 129 lessons | 2 flashcard sets
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