The Murder of Caesar

Should a good leader be loved or feared? This question is as relevant to leaders today as it was toJulius Caesar when he took control of Rome in 44BC. How Caesar treated his enemies is a valuable lesson on forgiveness, arrogance, and absolute power.

After Caesar seized power, he had to decide how to handle those who opposed him. Roman politics had always been bloody. The previous dictator had murdered 5000 of his rivals and confiscated（没收） their property after coming to power. Caesar's enemies expected a similar punishment.

But Caesar was determined not to rule through fear. If he were to reform the government, he would need the support of the people. So he made a fateful decision: rather than punish or kill his enemies, he offered them mercy and incentives. He didn't seize their property, and he even rewarded some of them with high-ranking government positions.

However, not all of his enemies wanted to be forgiven. Caesar's rivals came from the aristocracy. Many had held power in the Senate for centuries. By expanding and reforming the Senate, Caesar had shifted power away from the aristocracy and taken it for himself. The high-ranking positions he had given as rewards had no real authority. For the aristocracy, to live without power was not forgiveness, but humiliation.

Caesar should have known that many senators hated him, but his arrogance seems to have blinded him. After he made himself dictator(独裁者) for life, he proclaimed (宣告)himself a god and consolidated(巩固) more power. These actions infuriated(激怒) his enemies and even his allies. However, he still considered many senators to be his loyal friends. He even dismissed his personal security force. Ironically, when he was assassinated, it was his good friend, Brutus, who led the plot.

Perhaps it is better for a leader to be feared. If Caesar hadn't let his rivals live, he might not have been murdered. But was forgiveness the problem? Caesar's reform took power form the aristocracy, and his arrogance angered both friends and enemies. Perhaps if he hadn't been so arrogant, or acted like a god, he would have survived.

How did Caesar treat his enemies  after he seize power? 

What does the author believe about Caesar's arrogance?--it blinded him to the dangers around him and led to his death.

To infuriate  someone meas...--- to make them feel extremely angry.

To confiscate something means..---to take possession of it.

Why Caesar's enemies expected to be punished by Caesar?--The previous dictator had murdered 5000 of his rivals and confiscated  their property after coming to power.

Which actions infuriated Caesar's enemies and even his allies?..---After he made himself dictator for life, he proclaimed himself a god and consolidated more power.

By expanding and reforming the Senate, Caesar had shifted power away from the aristocracy and taken it for himself.

After Caesar seized power, he had to decide how to handle those who opposed him. Roman politics had always been bloody. The previous dictator had murdered 5000 of his rivals and confiscated their property after coming to power. Caesar's enemies expected a similar punishment.

复述：

For the aristocracy, to live without power was humiliating.

Many had held power  in the Senate for centuries.

He even dismissed his personal security force.