How Is Brutus A Tragic Hero

In 1599 Shakespeare wrote the play Julius Caesar. The main character of the play Brutus as he represents a tragic hero. being a tragic hero means. He is above us but human And he falls from a high place, He struggles against his own fate, he is guilty of a fatal flaw (honor), he has an epiphany, and by the end of the play, he is dead

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 Julius Caesar Brutus displays the traits of a tragic hero throughout this play. His tragic flaw is need to be nobel. He makes an error in judgment, and when killing Caesar causes all of Rome to turn against the conspirators everything from then on causes tragic events. All of which eventually lead to his death.

In the play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar written by William Shakespeare, Marcus Brutus is proven to be the most noble tragic hero there is. A tragic hero is someone who is born of noble birth and who suffers a catastrophe, which definitely defines Brutus. “Caesar you can rest now. I didn’t kill you half as willingly” (Shakespeare 5.5.56-57) is one of the most important quotes said by Brutus to end the tragedy of the play.

A tragic hero in Shakespearean literature is understood as a noble and heroic character who makes a series of bad decisions based on his bad judgment that leads to his downfall and eventually death. In William Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar, the tragic hero is Marcus Brutus, a powerful Roman senator who joins a conspiracy to assassinate the Roman ruler, Julius Caesar. Marcus Brutus is a tragic hero because of his noble reputation, his moral personality, the cathartic experience that the audience feels from his life and his tragic flaw: idealism.

A tragic hero tries to do the right thing but has flaws in their character that prevents them from being a true hero. Scholars argue over whether Brutus or Caesar is the tragic hero in the play Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. Both men have tragic flaws which cause their downfall.They are both ambitious. Caesar wanted all the power to himself. On the contrary, Brutus wanted what was best for Rome and to keep a good reputation. Brutus is the tragic hero of the play since he falls the farthest due to the fact that he is too trusting of everyone, he naively allows his enemy to speak out about him, and he lacks self confidence.

The play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, has two main tragic heroes. Set in Rome and spanning from forty- four to forty-two B.C., the play tells of Brutus and Caesar whom both fall from the highest positions to the lowest of misfortune and then are enlightened on their mistakes. Brutus is the stronger example of a tragic hero in this story. Throughout this play, Brutus commits many faults, falls more drastically than all other characters, and regrets his previous actions by the end of the play.

Brutus’ first flaw is that he is too trusting. He cares too much about helping others, and trusts them entirely. At Caesar’s funeral, Brutus allows Antony to speak once the conspirators leave. He believes that Antony has the right to speak at his friend’s funeral, and trusts that Antony’s speech will not poorly affect the conspirators (3.1.263-270). Brutus also holds trust in the members of the conspiracy. He believes that they are acting out of nobility, but instead they are acting out of jealousy (4.3.9-12). Brutus holds too much trust in the people around him, and that undying trust leads to his downfall.

A tragic protagonist usually obtains three significant characteristics and “Julius Caesar’s” Brutus is an excellent example of a tragic hero. His power which essentially causes his downfall to appear more catastrophic, his extreme goodness that arouses pity, and his tragic flaws truly shape him as the protagonist of the play, “Julius Caesar” by William Shakespeare. Throughout the Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar," it may seem that Julius Caesar is the protagonist, however, it is truly Brutus who assumes the central role of a protagonist. Brutus, unlike Caesar, displays the three main identifiers of a tragic hero.

Wadus Clark5/10/2018Marcus Junius BrutusMarcus Junius Brutus was born in 85 BCE and died in 42 BCE. He was also a Roman governor, and he fought the battle of Philippi. Brutus had several characteristics of a tragic hero. Brutus’ need for others to see him as honorable and noble allowed him to be manipulated by Anthony and Cassius.Characterizes: Flaw: He is only in a small portion of the play and does not possess a major tragic flawPersonality: While Brutus loves Caesar as a friend, he opposes the ascension of anysingle man to the position of dictator, and he fears that Caesar aspires to such power.1. Struggles with fate2. Has a tragic flaw 3. Suffers a reversal of fortune4. Suffers from hubris (excessive pride)5. suffers greater than what

fate. Most tragic heroes rely a lot on fate but not shakespeare’s, his rely on the choices of the character. There are three main choices Brutus makes that end up with awful consequences. The first decision was deciding to not kill Marc Antony. Brutus thought that dealing with Caesar was enough. He viewed Marc antony as a limb, “For he can do no more than Caesar’s arm/When Caesar’s head is off.” (Shakespeare 2.1 82-84). Eventually, this lead to even more problems where Brutus’s decision was key on what would occur. Brutus’s second mistake was allowing Marc Antony to speak at Caesar's Funeral. Antony got the everyone riled up and spoke about the greatness of Caesar and what he left to everyone in his will. Outraged by everything they have just heard, the citizens went to find all the conspirators to punish them, this was what Marc Antony was hoping would happen. The final choice Brutus made that ended in his death was the decision to go to Philippi. Brutus had seen Caesar’s ghost who said he would see him at Philippi. Brutus still went, despite this vision. Many characters died at this battle in Philippi including Cassius and Brutus. Cassius tells Brutus in 5.1 “Flatterers! Now, Brutus, thank yourself:/This tongue had not offended so to-day/If Cassius might have ruled.” (Shakespeare 5.1 45-47). Cassius told Brutus on each of these decisions to not follow through with them, if Brutus

Marcus Brutus exemplifies prominence, a characteristic of being a tragic hero, by being a highly respected leader in Roman society. He is highly regarded in society because of his long line ancestors. His ancestors were one of the first citizens of Rome. He is married to Portia, who is the daughter of a politician named Cato the Younger. Brutus is the best orator in ancient Rome. He is well regarded by all in the Roman society. Marcus Brutus to be considered to be an honorable and noble man who displays great leadership. Antony remarks, “This was the noblest Roman of them all.” (V.v.68) He is a close friend to Caesar who is envious of his power. Caesar is a Roman dictator and all the common people of Rome love him, but Brutus receives some

Brutus, a noble and well-respected man, is easily said to be the savior of Rome. He fits all 5 of the tragic hero characteristics: great man, tragic flaw, punishment, suffering, and catharsis. He killed Caesar for the better and in the end lost his own life. Marcus Brutus, Caesar’s best friend, in William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, defines a tragic hero because of his positive attributes, flaws, and his role in the play.

In the play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare incorporates an unexpected tragic hero. Unlike what the name of the play suggests, it is not Julius Caesar, but the man who betrayed him, Marcus Brutu. Shakespeare fits him to be the perfect model of a tragic hero based on the traditional Greek definition of a tragic hero. The definition say that a tragic hero is a person, usually of noble birth, who suffers a catastrophe. Shakespeare shapes Brutus to fit this mold of a traditional definition of a tragic hero but adds his own elements to make it his own.

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