Even as times change and people become more tolerant, illness and disability remain signs of weakness in modern America. Regardless of the severity of the illness, society generally associates it with a person's lack of strength, even if they cannot control it. Additionally, people regularly use illness to cover up other emotions, such as guilt or anxiety, or to avoid doing something they don't want to do. Often, authors use illness in their works to demonstrate different aspects of the plot, such as showing a character's emotions or reflecting on the themes of the text. During many scenes in Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, he uses illness to describe a number of things about a character, including weaknesses, worries, doubts, beliefs and emotions at the time of the scene in question. ; whether it is Caesar's epilepsy, Brutus pretending he is ill to cover up his doubts about Caesar's assassination, or Brutus using illness to imply that Portia is weaker, Shakespeare uses illness as an aid to deepening the intrigue of his ageless tragedy. The first example of the use of illness to describe weakness in Julius Caesar is Caesar's epilepsy or "falling sickness". In the Lupercal scene, Caesar's weakness is demonstrated when Caesar says, "come to my right hand, for this ear is deaf" (I,ii,212), showing that he only has one good ear. In ancient Rome, any form of physical disability was looked down upon and immediately identified the person as helpless; therefore, Caesar was powerless and unable to rule Rome. Shortly afterward, Shakespeare again depicts Caesar's physical weakness in a conversation between Cassius and Casca when Casca exclaims: "He fell in the market place, foamed and was speechless." ...... middle of paper ..... .represent a number of different undesirable traits. In his work, Shakespeare attempts to eliminate the barrier between the sick and the healthy by showing that these people are one and that they should accept each other because health is desired by all but is not necessarily accessible to everyone. Unfortunately, this blockade still exists in modern times, and many would say that people are moving backwards and are becoming less tolerant. Society fails to realize that those who are healthy and those who are not share the earth and are both human beings, that neither is superior to the other and that neither is in control. his well-being. If Shakespeare had succeeded in destroying this barrier and people accepted illness and disability, society would be happier, friendlier and overall more noble, but unfortunately this great feat is still a work in progress..