Brutus is the most beloved and noble character in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. Whether you see him as good or bad is based solely upon the way you interpret what he does in this play. He plays a role in killing Caesar, yes, but in his eyes he was doing it for the good of Rome. Still, is that good enough of a reason to turn against your friend? In this play, Brutus shows incredible character development as he transforms from this honorable man into one of the leaders of the conspirators; a change for the best and the worst. Brutus was the final piece to the puzzle in the plot to murder Caesar, without him nothing would of worked out for the conspirators; even after he dies, he is still honored and respected by those closest to Caesar as the …show more content…
He went through a stage of depression where he wouldn’t talk to his wife about anything and he just left everything bottled up inside. At the point of the murder Caesar was surprised to see Brutus as a part of the conspirator’s and says “Et tu, Bruté?” (III.i.77 which is latin for “Even you, Brutus?”. This quote lives on even today and is a perfect way to illustrate just how surprised he had been at the sight of one of his best friends stabbing him in the back, literally and …show more content…
It may seem like he became corrupt when he chose to assist the conspirator’s with carrying out their plot against Caesar, however, in his eyes, he was doing it for all the right reasons. What Brutus did was similar to that of what the Serbian independence group, The Black Hand, did to Franz Ferdinand on June 28, 1914. The Black Hand killed Franz Ferdinand and his wife who were heir to the throne in Serbia because they thought it was the right thing to do and the only way that they could make Serbia an independent country. The only difference is that this was, arguably, one of the reasons World War I had even gotten started in the first place. Depending on how you look at it, the decision that was made may or may not of been a bad one. Anyways, back on topic, Even after Brutus is dead, Antony and Octavius continue to respect him. This just adds more proof to the fact that he was an honorable and noble Roman who will live on in the hearts of all who have heard the story as the protagonist of The Tragedy of Julius
Brutus- A high-ranking well known nobleman in Rome. He has gained all his power from Caesar and is loved by the citizens of rome. Brutus has a high sense of honor and because of that he is easy to fool. Brutus later gets tricked by Cassius into joining the conspiracy and he kills Caesar. Because of Caesar's death he causes a big riot in Rome and then he later dies.
Brutus definitely does not show how he is a honorable and loyal person. He focused too much about what he thoughts best for Rome and less about the people. During the play, Brutus also betrayed his wife, Portia. Portia notices something is up with Brutus. When Portia brings it up to Brutus, he will not tell her his plans to murder Caesar. Portia states, “If this were true, then I should know this secret. I grant I am a woman, but withal A woman that Lord Brutus took to wife.” (2.1.290-293). Brutus betrayed Portia by refusing to tell her the secret she begged to hear. She eventually stabs herself, and
Brutus was a wise and intelligent Roman citizen, who claimed that he was Caesar’s friend. Yet, he was quickly swayed to the conspirators side by some anonymous letters and a bit of flattering.
Brutus wanting to be very honorable is part of his tragic flaw. He will do crazy stuff just be honorable. While talking with Cassius about why he is not himself, Brutus said “For it let the gods so speed me as I love the name of honor than I fear the name of death” (I.II. 91-92). This quote shows that being honorable is a very big thing for Brutus since he would rather die with honor than die without honor. After talking with Lucius Brutus says, “It must be by his death, and for my part I know no personal cause to spurn at him but
As noble and great as Brutus might be, all tragic heroes have some tragic flaws and make some errors of judgment, which leads them to their downfall. In this case Brutus's great flaw is that he is too honorable, and he's too naïve when he is dealing with people. An example of an error of judgment is when Brutus underestimates Antony, and thinks him incapable of being dangerous after Caesar's death, "For Antony is but a limb of Caesar...he can do no more than Caesar's arm When Caesar's head is off." This turns out not to be the case. One example of Brutus's excessive honor being damaging to him, is when he decides that only Caesar should die and no one else even if they seem to threaten his cause, as Cassius warns repeatedly that Antony does.
In the end, Brutus was both a patriot and a betrayer. While he did kill for Rome, he betrayed his friend. I slew my best lover.” He did, and spoke this, because he was focusing on his own selfish fears. Through it all, he did what he truly believed what was best for Rome, even if that means killing his friend. He even offered his own life to Rome “shall please my country to need my death.” Despite the sin he committed, Brutus was a patriot for Rome. He killed the serpent that terrified him and threatened his people, all for his beloved country. Only a true patriot could make such
Brutus is an important character in the play ‘Julius Caesar’ as he is portrayed as a tragic hero where he possessed heroic traits such as being noble and honourable that earn the sympathy of the audience. However, he also has flaws and made many mistakes and hamartias that ultimately lead to his downfall.
Indeed, Brutus was a honorable man. His honor was his greatest strength, but it was also his weakness. He murdered and betrayed his closest and only friend, due to the fact that he was so focused on doing the most honorable thing. Brutus focused more on principles, than the one person who truly cared about him. Consequently he also cared more about principle, than his own common sense. Therefore, his main focus was on honor and principle, which caused him to kill Caesar. He murdered Caesar because he thought it would solve the problem, but it only caused pandemonium.Consequently, his actions produced an angry mob, ready to avenge Caesar's death. If Brutus never took matters into his own hands, he would not have created a vicious crowd of citizens filled with hatred. He never solved the problem. When it got out of control, he resorted to killing himself. Cowardly, when things got tough, he ran away from it. He
Brutus is truly “an honorable man.” He was initially resistant to Cassius’ suggestion to betray Caesar. Also, Brutus says, “not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.”(3.2.22) This proves that he only does what he feels is necessary to protect the Rome. In act 4, Brutus sees the ghost of Caesar, and this tells us that he is regretting his actions. He never felt right about killing Caesar afterwards. In fact, when he realized that he was wrong, he used the knife that he stabbed Caesar to take his own
Shakespeare’s tragedy, Julius Caesar, displays Brutus as a tragic hero, blinded loyalty and devotion. Brutus's heroic belief of honor and virtue was so powerful that it drove him to perform villainous actions and lead to his destruction.
In the beginning of the play, we meet Brutus, a highly respected, much loved, senator of Rome. He loved Rome as a republic and he has a good life until he is led astray by Cassius. When he becomes embroiled in the assassination of Caesar, he is very reluctant to do so. In the way he acted, you could tell he has sleepless nights over what he should do. He decided to kill Caesar for
Many people wonder whether Brutus should or should not join the conspiracy. In William Shakespeare's “Julius Caesar” play, Brutus is conflicted by joining the conspiracy, which helps Rome, but hurts his best friend Caesar in the process. Brutus did the right thing by joining the conspiracy for the better of Rome. He is able to use Logos, Ethos, and Pathos to justify the reasons for his actions against Caesar. Brutus’s main reason for killing Caesar is to stop him before he gets too powerful. As Brutus says in the story, “And therefore we think of him as a serpent’s egg which hatched, would as his kind grow mischievous, and kill him in the shell.” (II, i, 32-34). Not only does Brutus want to stop him before he gets to powerful, but he also
Furthermore, the relationship with Portia has changed throughout the tragedy as Brutus kept secrets and political opinions hidden from her. In one scene Portia literally stabs herself to gather information about Brutus’ mindset and feelings (II.i.324-325). The action Portia takes exemplifies how important politics have on her health and Brutus’ health. Throughout the tragedy Portia is very worried for Brutus as he carefully plans out the assassination of Julius Caesar and Portia eventually dies from the loneliness and despair as Brutus is out at Civil War. The death of Portia was the point Brutus’ relationship with her was destroyed since his
Brutus possesses many ideals and mannerisms that make him the tragic hero in William Shakespeare’s tragedy. To begin with, Brutus has a deep sense of love for his city, and concerns himself with its well-being. His concern for Rome is actually what causes him to backstab Caesar. He worries that he is too arrogant to be an adequate leader, “I do fear the people/ Choose Caesar for their king.” (Shakespeare I.ii. 85-86). Secondly, Brutus has an undying moral compass that navigates him on his integrity driven choices. Brutus thinks long and hard before he joins the conspirators, and wonders whether or not it is the right choice and questions his choices, “Into what dangers would you lead me…/ That you would have me seek into myself/ For which is not in me?” (Shakespeare I.ii. 69-71). His strong beliefs are what ultimately convince him to join the conspirators, for the good of Rome. Also, Brutus believes in equality and respect. He gives a speech to the public because he feels they deserve to know the reason why Caesar dies, ‘And, waving our red weapons o’er our heads,/ Let’s all cry “Peace, freedom, and liberty!”’. (Shakespeare III.i. 121-122). This heroic quality is one of the things that drives him to be a good leader, and a good person as well. As much as these traits lead us to believe
Marcus Brutus was a very well thought out man. Brutus declares to himself that his role in the conspiracy is to save Rome. He says to the people that, "If then that friend demands why Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer: not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more."(Act 3, scene 2, lines 19-21). If Brutus was not in the plot of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, the whole plot would've fallen apart. Since Brutus "...loved Rome more."(Act 3, scene 2 and line 21), he decided to be a part of the conspiracy. Cassius and the rest of the conspirators would probably not have continued on without Brutus because they would have no "insurance" afterwards. The people would think that there was no reason for Caesar's death and most likely beheaded all the conspirators. These are the reasons why Brutus was needed