Cato, a Tragedy

War and battle are symbolic ideas that run throughout Cato. For Cato and his allies, war and successful battle mean freeing themselves of Caesar’s tyranny and preserving their sense of personal liberty. Marcus’s death in battle also symbolizes his adherence to virtue and love of his country.

The play does not just explore the honorable glories of war. Caesar’s constant war and invasion represent his tyranny and quest for power, which Cato and the senators abhor. Through Caesar, war also represents death and destruction; Lucius explains that “already have our quarrels fill’d the world / with widows, and with orphans” and urges Cato to “sheathe the sword, and spare mankind” (19).

To the characters of Cato, Rome signifies more than a place or government. Rome symbolizes the broader virtues and set of values that Cato so strictly adheres to; his virtues are inextricably linked to the republic government he associates them with. When Cato declares, “Rome is no more,” he believes his own values are dead as well: “Oh, liberty! Oh, virtue! Oh, my country!” (51). This link between Rome and virtue is observed by the other characters as well;