23rd Annual Student Research Conference
The Tragedy of a Protege and his Mentor:
Julius Caesar's Relationship with Pompey the Great
Kayla S. Brooner
Dr. Rebecca Harrison, Faculty Mentor
Caesars respect for his elder Pompey, through their mentor and protg relationship, was founded on Caesars overall good character and their allegiance to each other through their shared human bonds with Crassus, their third partner in the triumvirate, and with Julia, the daughter of Caesar and the wife of Pompey. The mentor and protg relationship of Caesar and Pompey has not been studied in much depth before in terms of Caesars character. A popular view of Caesar shows him as a tyrant and dictator, but a goal in this paper is to look into his character as more complex, according to Ciceros definition of the ideal Roman statesmen in his De Officiis. This paper also aims to provide a deeper understanding of Roman relationships in general by comparing Caesar and Pompeys relationship with Ciceros description of friendship in his De Amicitia.
Keywords: Julius Caesar, Pompey, Protege, Mentor, Cicero, Rome, Civil War, Respect
Topic(s):Classics
History
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 14-1
Location: VH 1324
Time: 8:00