How is the theme of glory portrayed in Julius Caesar?

In ancient Rome, ambition was the pursuit of glory and honor. The primary way to achieve these traits was through military leadership in conquest. In fact, failure to achieve glory usually resulted in the honorable path of suicide.

Julius Caesar achieved glory through his military conquests of Gaul (modern France). He expanded Roman control beyond present-day Italy to the rest of Europe. Often, defeated enemies were brought back to Rome and paraded through the streets in what was termed a “triumph,” a parade of victory for the glory of the victor. Because Julius Caesar was the sole leader left of the First Triumvirate, he was the focus of much attention. This disturbed the Senate, who feared a military conquest of Rome. Dictatorships were a common practice, but they were temporary, lasting only six months. They were afraid that Julius Caesar was ambitious in the worst sense, feeding off the adulation of the public and making himself the sole emperor of Rome. Therefore, Brutus and Cassius believed their path to glory and honor was the assassination of Caesar, thus saving Rome from the dissolution of the Republic. Their actions, however, paved the way for Octavius to establish himself as Caesar Augustus, the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which would last another five hundred years.