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Is Julius Caesar Honorable

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The Tragedy of Marcus Brutus, In Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar William Shakespeare, famed English poet and author of the widely recognized play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. Within his work, Shakespeare reveals the fascinating internal-workings of human nature, as he unfolds the actual events that took place in Roman history. As factual as Shakespeare might seem, it would not be wrong to suggest that his choice of a title is fairly misleading. The reader is led to believe that the tragic hero is Julius Caesar, not to say that being stabbed by one’s own friend is not devastating enough, but the character that suffers the real catastrophe is Marcus Brutus. Brutus, is the dagger-wielding, back-stabber of a friend, but he is honorable, and he only …show more content…

In order to fit this said mold of a tragic hero, there are several essential elements needed of said character. Traditionally, the character must be of noble birth. This can clearly be said of Marcus Brutus, who descended from the honorable Junius Brutus, who according to Marcus Brutus’s letter in 2.1, “...did from the streets of Rome/ The Tarquin drive, when he was called a king” (Shakespeare 2.1.52-54). Junius Brutus was the valiant Roman known for his extraordinary role in overthrowing the Tarquin King, ending the 200 year old monarchy that ruled Rome since its founding. Along with removing the monarchy, Junius Brutus began the Roman Republic, promising democracy and freedom to all of his ever so grateful citizens. It is this ancestor that seems to shape the Marcus Brutus in Shakespeare’s play. Brutus, just as his ancestor, feels that it is his duty to protect democracy within Rome. As the reader knows, this selfless notion leads kind Brutus to suffer from his own catastrophe. An internal battle, in which Brutus becomes so devastated that he is led to kill himself. Though like a flame, catastrophe needs a spark. Brutus is not perfect, his suicide was the product of his own personal errors. …show more content…

As for Brutus’s motives, it is clear that all said actions were done in order to retain democracy within Rome, and what negative could result from such a notion? It turns out that all of what Brutus has done, ends up backfiring in the end. In his article, “Shakespeare’s Brutus: A Man Torn by Conflicting Values,” J.L. Simmons states “Brutus’s attempt proved futile, but it was nevertheless honorable” (Simmons 69). Here, Simmons implies that everything Brutus did, including killing Caesar, ended up not working out in his favor, although that is not the importance of the tragic hero. Brutus serves as an obvious inspiration to be taken from the play, furthermore, he serves to represent the average person. Shakespeare uses his tragic hero to display the truly unpredictable, even ironic nature of life, and how it affects everyone equally. This can be implied directly from Brutus, when in the field of battle in 4.3 he states “Good reasons must of force give place to better” (Shakespeare 4.3. 202). This is raw irony at its best. Brutus knows of the nobleness of retaining democracy by killing Caesar, allowing innocent Antony to live and even going to war, therefore he feels relatively confident in the notion that only good can come from his actions. As the nature of life ensues, nothing

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