Paraphrasing Ambition

Original Quote:

Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world
Like a Colossus; and we petty men
Walk under his huge legs, and peep about
To find ourselves dishonorable graves.
Men at some time are masters of their fates:
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings. (1.2.135)

Paraphrasing:

A real man, like the great Colossus, spans and walks across all parts of the diminutive world; and the petty men go through life hiding under his huge legs, and meekly look out to see our disgraceful graves. Men are the masters of their own lives, and can choose to be a real man or a petty man. The fate in the stars, dear Brutus, does not control us, but it is ourselves who decide the path of our futures, we’re not just audience to our life, but the authors of it.

*This quote is imperative to the story because Cassius is trying to persuade Brutus to join his plot to rid the world of Caesar. In this time period, people believed that the stars foretold a person's future and that once it is set, it cannot be changed. But Cassius is telling Brutus that he can fulfill his own destiny and decide what he wants to do with his life, as well as telling him that he can pave his own way to being known throughout history. Cassius uses examples of choosing to be a strong or weak man to manipulate Brutus. Romans were all about being strong and forceful so no one wanted to be known as weak, which is why this plan worked. It got Brutus to wonder if he was a weak or strong man, this made him consider all that Cassius said. The definition of ambition is the desire for some type of achievement. Brutus was all about doing what was best for Rome, even if it meant he had to kill Caesar to lead the Romans to a better life. This showed his ambition to do what was his definition of Rome's best interest. -Ashtimicah415