To mask thy monstrous visage - ends justify the means and appearance vs

reality
Seek none, conspiracy;
Hide it in smiles and affability
- be the fox hide your evils in plain sight
Be not perceived. If I failed my look/I turn the trouble of my countenance/
Merely upon myself Brutus
Let not our looks put on our purposes, - But bear it as our Roman actors
do Brutus
'When love begins to sicken and decay,
It useth an enforced ceremony. Brutus
When people stop feeling love for someone else, then they pretend that the
feeling is still there.
'And some that smile have in their hearts, I fear,
Millions of mischiefs. - Octavius,
Cunning people will pretend to be something that they are not. They may
pretend to be trustworthy, but the reality is that they may backstab you for
their own gain.
Let us presently go sit in council/ How covert matters may be best
disclosed. Antony

In your bad strokes, Brutus, you give good words. / Witness the hole you
made in Caesars heart,/ crying, long live, hail, Caesar! Antony about
Brutus
Brutus is trying to cover up the reality of his actions by using his words to
convince people that this actions are good.

give me your hands all over one by one and it shall be said this judgment
ruled out hands
Synecdoche, where hands represent people, and connotation of
partnership and companionship are subverted with new connotations of
murder (when Caesar is killed) Motif of hands are used as an ironic motif,
to portray Appearance vs Reality.

Good gentlemen, look fresh and merry/ Let not our looks put on our
purposes. Brutus
Clear reference to appearance vs reality up above.
Bathe their hands in Caesars blood bathe their hands in the blood, the
same hands that they shook to show partnership and honor. Shows
situational irony.
Live Brutus, live live in contrast to Let not a traitor live The people are
swayed by appearances, the way a leader addresses the people.
Three or four
wenches where I stood cried, 'Alas, good soul!' and
forgave him with all their hearts. But there's no
heed to be taken of them; if Caesar had stabbed
their mothers, they would have done no less. (1.2.282-286)Casca
ComparisontoThePrince:
ThePrincestatesthatappearanceandrealityneedtobetwoseparateentities,inorderfor
aleadertobecunningandfortheirtrueintentionstobehiddenfromthepeople.However
Shakespearecoversacomplexitywiththisidea.Oneofthetragicheroes,Brutus,is
heavilyconcernedwithappearinghonourable.However,inreality,Brutusisanauthentic
honourableman.AccordingtoMachiavelli,itisessentialforaleadertoactinawaythat
hidestheirintentions,iftheywanttobesuccessful.Arguably,Brutusisunsuccessfulasa
leader,ashishonourbecomeshishamartia(histragicflaw).Therefore,onecanassume
thatMachiavelliisinfactcorrect,anditisimportantfortheappearanceandrealityofa
leadertobeseparateentities.However,BrutusalsoliterallyandfigurativelystabsCaesar,

hisbestfriend,intheback.Thisactofcunningnessisreinforcedwiththeironicmotifof
thehands,whichraisesasenseofambiguityandquestioningaroundBrutuss
authenticity.