What is an effective leader? Some say that an effective leader is an individual who inspires a group of people into a time of great success. But, is an effective leader not also loved by his people? Does an effective leader not also love his people more than anything else? William Shakespeare does an amazing job of representing qualities of both effective leaders, as well as ineffective leaders in "Julius Caesar".

Current leaders, like Hillary Clinton, could benefit from reading Julius Caesar by studying and taking from Brutus’ prominent love for Rome and his many acts of putting the stability and well-being of Rome over anything else in his life. Sure, I may be just a teenager, but I think teenagers can show adults how to become better people as a whole. It doesn’t only have to be the other way around.

Brutus and Caesar had been good friends before the start of the play. Brutus needed a great deal of convincing by fellow conspirator Cassius to admit Caesar’s leadership was taking a turn for the worse and that, if he cared for Rome as much as he said he did, he would need to get rid of Caesar’s “wrong” ways. Brutus justified his actions of killing Caesar to the plebeians by the following statement: “Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more” (Shakespeare II. ii. 23-4). Brutus realized that, in order for Rome to thrive as a nation, he would need to make personal sacrifices. Hillary Clinton is one of few current leaders that could become a better leader if she listened to and followed Brutus’ realization.

Hillary Clinton lives in Chappaqua, New York with her husband, former president Bill Clinton. She has one child, Chelsea Clinton, who is pregnant with her first child. Hillary Clinton has made a name for herself in relation to the upcoming 2016 presidential election. According to Ben White and Maggie Haberman from POLITICO, “Two dozen interviews about the 2016 race with unaligned GOP donors, financial executives and their Washington lobbyists turned up a consistent—and unusual—consolation candidate if Bush demurs, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie doesn’t recover politically and no other establishment favorite gets nominated: Hillary Clinton” (White and Haberman). However, pregnant Chelsea Clinton has put a difficult decision in Hillary Clinton’s journey to power.

Hillary Clinton is finally about to become something she has been looking forward to for a long time—a grandmother. Many speculate that, because Hillary Clinton has been longing for this opportunity, she will want to be around for her daughter and new grandchild, which means limited time away from her family. If Hillary Clinton does become the new president of the United States, she will need to be away for quite some time. Hillary Clinton will also be faced with the need to pave the way for future female presidents that follow her.

If Hillary Clinton decides not to run, she will not get the opportunity to show the United States of America the potential of female presidents. She will not be able to represent women in high-powered positions. Hillary Clinton needs to listen to Brutus’ saying, “Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I love Rome more,” (Shakespeare II. ii. 23-4) and realize that taking the time to be around for a new grandchild will not enable her to, not only become the first female president of the United States, but also she will not show women in America that they can achieve great things if they set their minds to it as well.

Women in the United States are very much lacking a female representative—though feminism is becoming quite prominent, yet blind to how they should truly be acting to help the female population get through hardships from being put down. If Hillary Clinton decides to become a dedicated grandmother, she will not be able to help many women recognize that they can do anything—regardless of gender.

Potential 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton could benefit from reading "Julius Caesar" by studying and taking from Brutus’ prominent love for Rome and his many acts of putting the stability and well-being of Rome over anything else in his life. If Hillary Clinton puts running for President of the United States over becoming an extremely dedicated grandmother, she could do good, not only for the country as a nation, but also for the women that make up the country.

If Hillary Clinton listens to Brutus’s words in "Julius Caesar", she could turn out to be an amazing role model. And isn’t being a role model being an effective leader?