Gaius Gracchus was able to significantly influence the action of the political bodies of the Roman Republic by using and innovating his role as tribune; not only did he challenge the power of the Senate in previously unobserved ways; he also innovated the role of the court when he challenged the power of several consuls and undermined the power of that of his fellow tribunes. As a result, it appears to have encouraged factionalism among the Senate and the various magistrates because their actions became increasingly driven by the need to support their own faction, rather than what was best for the state. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Gaius Gracchus first challenged the power of the Senate when he helped pass laws popular among the people. These laws included a decree that changed the “appointment of jurors” so that members of the equestrian class were also chosen to serve “as jurors in criminal cases” (Gaius Gracchus 5). The popular committee “further charged Gaius with the choice of jurors who were to be drawn from the equestrian order,” and as a result Gaius “found himself invested with an almost monarchical power” (Gaius Gracchus 6). Therefore, Gaius innovated his role as a tribunal by gaining new power and simultaneously "reduce[d] the power of the Senate", as members of the Senate had previously been the only ones allowed to serve as jurors (Gaius Gracchus 5). Therefore, the Senate felt pressured in its takeover of power, because Gaius Gracchus now had the people on his side and his power, as tribune, to stop any law that he might deem unfavorable. The members of the Senate then turned to Livy, Gaius' fellow tribune, and convinced him to help them "compete with Gaius for the favor of the masses, granting their wishes regardless of the best interests of the state" (Gaius Gracchus 8). Partisan feelings (centered on support for Gaius or opposition to him) continued to grow and eventually motivated the Senate to engage in outrageous attempts at demagoguery. For example, members of the Senate decided to parade the body of a slave around the Forum to incite the people to violence against Gaius Gracchus' faction. This show should only be called an attempt at demagoguery, as it was unsuccessful. The people accused the Senate of mourning with false sorrow a “mercenary”, in order to “destroy the last remaining champion of the people”, that is, Gaius (Gaius Gracchus 14). Therefore, Gaius encouraged factionalism in the Senate because it threatened the Senate's precedent of power, and those most opposed to this shift in power were inclined to carry out whatever actions were necessary to reduce the political power of Gaius' faction. Challenging the power of his fellow tribunes, Gaius Gracchus also stirred factionalism among his colleagues as he attempted to create a more powerful role for himself within the tribunate. Specifically, Gaius challenged the power of his colleagues when he argued with his fellow tribunes about whether to build seating around a gladiatorial arena; since he wanted to accommodate even the poorest citizens, he had not wanted seats to be built, since spectators generally had to pay for a seat. However, other stands were in favor of the seating and had it built around the arena. Gaius challenged the power of the other tribunes when he ordered the workmen to “dismantle[the] seats” (Gaius Gracchus 12), and consequently also incurred the fury of his fellow tribunes. This appears to have resulted in partisan electoral fraud, as many citizens speculated that "Gaius' colleagues falsified the reports and declarations" of the tribune elections to prevent.