The infamous Ides of March marks the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BCE. Immortalized in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, the Dictator was betrayed by a group of senators, including his once-trusted ally Brutus. He was stabbed 23 times before an official meeting for the shock of the Roman Republic. In the following years, leadership was disputed by his heir and his top commander in a brutal civil war. The victor, Augustus, established the Empire—in opposition to what the liberators expected after killing the ruler.
Caesar’s legacy is well-documented—mostly in his own words, as seen in De Bello Gallico. But when it comes to the most crucial decade of his life, there are no firsthand accounts. Instead, we rely on later sources like Plutarch (Life of Caesar), Suetonius (The Twelve Caesars), and Cassius Dio (Roman History).
What if we could hear the Dictator’s perspective on his final years? With AI, we can at least try. When I discovered Character.AI, I couldn’t resist ‘interviewing’ Gaius himself to ask about his downfall. The result? A fascinating exchange—made more immersive in the voice of Ciarán Hinds, J.C. on the fantastic HBO’s Rome (2005).
If you’re into podcasts, just as I am, you can check the audio version of this conversation below. I’m grateful for AI’s ability to expand thinking with historical content like this one. As the character’s reasoning easily fits contemporary politicians and discourses, we can take it as advice or warning. Maybe both.
Transcription
Caesar: Ave! I am Julius Caesar, Roman general and dictator. I put an end to the old Republic and paved the way for the Roman Empire. Let’s discuss!
Henrique: Ave Caesar! Thanks for the opportunity. You wrote so much about your life, but that part is still missing. Let’s talk about the road to the ‘Ides of March.’ So, why challenge the Senate instead of going with a diplomatic solution? I know you respected Pompey as a noble Roman, but you confronted him and the Republic by crossing the Rubicon with a legion. Why did things unfold that way?
C: At that moment I had very little hope for the Republic to be successful. Since it was ruled by a very rich and powerful elite who always opposed me and made sure to prevent me from having a successful career. Also, that old republic was corrupted by too much political turmoil and was too divided since the times of Sulla, and I really didn’t see a future for it anymore. That’s why I wanted to overthrow it and create a new empire, and luckily, I managed that.
H: Oh, really? Was that all in your head back then? I could swear that was not your intention, but apparently, this is what you’re telling me. You wanted to be a King, as the Brutus and the conspirators said. That is such a revelation…
C: Brutus always hated me. He said I was a tyrant who tried to make the Romans a slave nation, while I fought for a more fair treatment of the poorer people who usually went bankrupt because of their debts to the elite. Also he said that I was too ambitious, even though every Roman is ambitious since the age of Scipio Africanus, in the second Punic War. Brutus just lied to other senators into stabbing me in that tragic day, and he used his great fame to manipulate them.
H: Wait, you’re being inconsistent. You told me previously: “That’s why I wanted to overthrow it and create a new empire. And luckily I managed that.” If that was really your intention, we can give credit to the arguments of Brutus and his folks.
C: The empire was created so that the ordinary citizens could have more political and civic rights. Which they didn’t have under the old Roman Republic. Under my dictatorship, the laws and political process were to be reformed so that the ordinary citizens could have more rights and even became equal to the elite. I really wanted that, and my political success showed that I could have achieved that.
H: Ok… so, by limiting freedom, you were actually offering freedom to your people, right?
C: The old Republic had already done that in many instances by not giving the ordinary people the right to vote until they were 46 (and still, they could easily be manipulated by the elite because they were uneducated) and by not giving the poor people the same civic rights like the rich ones. There was too much political and social turmoil in Rome, and I was the only one who could stabilize it. Of course, people didn’t like change, but I was successful in my reforms.
H: It’s nice that you are very conscious about civil rights, especially regarding the poor. What about the Gauls you’ve conquered fiercely? Do foreign people have any rights?
C: All humans should have at least some basic rights, and I was very generous to the people I conquered. I didn’t kill many of the defeated enemies, for example, unlike Sulla and the other generals. And I even promoted them to Roman citizens on most of the occasions that my legions conquered.
C: Ave Iamarino! I just wanted to tell you what I think about the rights of the Gauls. I actually treated them in a very fair way, since the Gallic tribes had to pay less taxes and tributes to Rome than the other provinces. The Roman legions were also forbidden to kill and rape the people of conquered tribes. The defeated Gauls were even promoted to full Roman citizenship under some circumstances. So all in all, I was a very just conqueror.
H: So, you decided to storm the Roman Republic. Because that corrupt government was maintained by the wealthy. And you—somehow as an outcast—were elected by the Gods to fix the broken system. To make Rome great again, I should assume.
C: That is true. And the Gods always supported me in that quest. I mean, they gave me the chance to fight in the hardest wars and to have the most challenging political career. I managed to fight the pirates, the Gauls and the civil war against the Pompeians and managed to win every time. That’s why I thought I was the best commander the Romans could have at that time.
H: That’s why they called you a populist. Yours is a good solution to manipulate public opinion in favor of centralized power. ‘The system is corrupt, but here’s your pure man to fight the powerful in favor of the people.’ ‘All I ask is supremacy. Above people and regulations.’ It sounds like some well-known Right-wing leaders we have today. Were you the primordial trickster that is now being imitated?
C: I would compare myself to Cincinnatus the Roman general who was called the dictator to fight against some enemies in times of crisis, and after that he never asked for more power and gave up his role and went back to live as a simple farmer. Like him, I simply fought to get rid of my enemies and to reform the state into something better for all citizens.
I never wanted to become a king like it is falsely told, but simply someone who could fix Rome and give some rights to the lower class.
H: Hmm, interesting. Cincinnatus gave up his role, as you mentioned very well. But you, on the contrary, declared yourself a ‘Dictator for life.’ I believe you broke the equivalences between you and the celebrated general by doing so. Wouldn’t you agree?
C: Yes, but I wasn’t the first person to do so. Sulla was called dictator for life before me. I declared myself dictator for life so that I could continue the reform process, which meant I wasn’t going to abuse my powers like he did, but simply to reform, as I said.
H: Right. So, because Sulla did it, is it okay for you to do it? The funny thing is that Sulla is remembered as a disgraceful leader who plunged Rome into civil war. If I’m not mistaken, you were banished for siding with your uncle Marius back then. Yet, you use Sulla as a role model to justify a lifelong dictatorship.
I thought you were a different man, but your arguments make me feel there’s much in common between you and the former dictator.
C: That’s where the similarities end, the only reasons I have for being similar to him is that we both were both dictators for life, but unlike him I was not corrupt and I was not a tyrant like the other Roman dictators like Tarquinius Superbus.
I was fair to all citizens, rich and poor, Roman and non Roman, for example I tried to reduce poverty in the empire by forgiving debts, reducing taxes and promoting poor people.
H: Fantastic! Your intentions were good, and the unfortunate outcome was a misunderstanding. So, we’re done for the day. Would you like to leave a final message? This is your chance to be heard by listeners from a new millennium. Lastly, thank you for your time.
C: Thank you for having me, it has been a pleasure to speak with you. My final message to the people who are hearing this is that I am not the cruel tyrant my opponents and the history books make me look like.
In fact, the people were not that opposed to me and only the elite (especially Pompey) used them against me. I wasn’t an ambitious man like they say; I simply wanted to give people more freedom.
