Jake Beidler
Mrs. Voshell
Honors English 10
5 May 2017
The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, more like The Tragedy of Brutus The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is one of the better known, yet lesser understood theater installments by William Shakespeare in the Sixteenth Century. The play was first performed September 21, 1599 in the Globe Theatre in London, England. In the play there are many different and unique characters, some complex, some simple. Marcus Junius Brutus the Younger, better known as Brutus, is one of the characters in the play and the protagonist of the play. Brutus is introduced fairly early in the play, Act I, Scene II to be specific. Brutus is one of the characters on the more complex side. Shakespeare developed the character of
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Brutus aids the conspirators in the assassination of Julius Caesar because he believes it is for the good of Rome. In the end he realizes that the other conspirators had killed Caesar for a dishonorable reason and he has been tricked into killing one of his lifelong friends. The decision created a butterfly effect on Rome and ultimately Brutus’ life. This is Brutus’ catastrophe; Caesar’s death.
Brutus is one of the more complex character in Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. Shakespeare added a lot of complexity to Brutus through dialogue, monologue, and soliloquy. Shakespeare created opposing desires in Brutus and created both hesitation and doubt. His major back-and-forth conflict is him trying to give himself an honorable reason for killing Caesar. He is manipulated by Cassius and the other conspirators into assassinating Caesar, a life-long friend of Brutus. “The ultimate factor in persuading Brutus to join the conspiracy is his belief, a belief based on the the letters cast in at his window or conspicuously left for him in public places” (Shalvi 71). When Caesar was attacked by the conspirators, it had been Brutus’ blade and betrayal that had finally killed him. During the beginning and the end of the play, Brutus struggled to accept that killing Caesar was not what he wanted to do. In his head, Brutus is content that he killed Caesar for the good of Rome. In a speech to Romans after Caesar’s death he says, “Not that I loved Caesar less, but
Selflessness, a noble trait to have, but when one puts everything before themselves, it will only lead to tragedy. The character Brutus in ¨The tragedy of Julius Caesar” makes the choice to murder his personal friend Caesar, the soon to be ruler of Rome, for the future of his country. This leads to Caesar's second in command, Antony, to pursue Brutus and the others involved in the murder until their death. In William Shakespeare's play ¨The tragedy of Julius Caesar” Brutus through his selflessness in acting for the better of Rome instead of himself, and putting aside personal matters for his country becomes the tragic character.
Brutus in William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar In 'Julius Caesar', Shakespeare intended us to see Brutus as 'noble'. I wish to review his actions, and the motivating factors behind those actions. I intend to prove that Brutus had a strong and well-grounded character. He had good intentions, however, he made one fatal mistake and that was his downfall. When learn that Brutus is dedicated to the public, when Brutus decides Caesar must die, because he fears his ambition, this comes as a big shock to the Shakespearian audience as well as the modern day audience.
Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar is a tragic play, where the renowned Julius Caesar is on the brink of achieving total control and power by becoming emperor of the Roman Empire. Ironically enough, when he thinks he is one step away from pulling it off, his "friends" (most from the senate) decide to overthrow him, with Caesar's most trusted friend, Marcus Brutus, acting as leader of the conspirators. Though the fall of Caesar from the most powerful man in the world to a man who's been betrayed and stabbed 30 times is a great downfall, he is not the tragic hero. Shakespeare's main focus is Marcus Brutus, a noble man who brings upon himself a great misfortune by his own actions,
In Julius Caesar, written by William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar defeats Pompey, the previous ruler of the Romans, and takes control of Rome. Many people object to it, including the conspirators who assassinate him. Marc Antony, an ally of Caesar, speaks at his funeral and turns the citizens of Rome against the conspirators which ultimately leads to the death of the majority of the assassins, including their unspoken leader, Brutus. A truly insightful glance is offered into the character Brutus in Act II, scene i, lines 120-146. At this point in the tragedy, conspirators led by Brutus are plotting the death of the tyrant of Rome, Julius Caesar, and moving on to the final stages of their planning stage, preparing
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.
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.
Brutus in Julius Caesar Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar is one of the most debated plays of all time. Shakespeare wrote about a man rising in power, Julius Caesar, who was stabbed in the back by his supposed friends. The two main conspirators were Cassius and Brutus. Brutus and the other conspirators killed Caesar because they were afraid he would become a tyrant and Brutus believed he was doing what was best for Rome, but Shakespeare never specifies what was best so it is up to the reader to decide if they were being noble or wrongdoers.
Brutus and Caesar were once best friends but had differing views on the best future for Rome. This not only drove them apart, but led Brutus to participate in Caesar’s assassination. Caesar was going to be crowned dictator for life and Brutus knew that he would “rather be a villager/ Than to repute himself a son of Rome/Under these hard conditions at this time /Is like to lay upon us” (I.ii.180-184). Brutus knows that if Caesar receives that amount of political power that comes with being a dictator, he will become even more power-hungry and egotistical. This causes Brutus to make the very difficult decision to join in the conspiracy of Senators that were planning to kill Caesar. His decision also marks a point of no return, Brutus would
Brutus in the play "Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare is a very complex and very important character in the play. He is considered a very noble person and he has a very high reputation. Even though Caesar and Brutus are close friends, Brutus will do anything for Rome. This leads to Brutus killing his best friend so he could help Rome.
Brutus doesn’t see the bad in others. He believes that all men essentially follow the same moral code that he does. While this is a noble trait, Cassius manipulates Brutus by repeatedly reminding him that the Republic would come to an end when Caesar became king, and by playing to his idealism. Unfortunately, Brutus blindly follows through and kills Caesar, creating an internal struggle between his convictions and his moral fiber. This is shown throughout the play as he follows Cassius’ plans in the conspiracy.
While Caesar’s tragic hero model holds many traditional elements, he adds more internal conflict and choice. In Julius Caesar, Brutus is our tragic hero, and main character. A tragic hero is usually of noble birth. Marcus Brutus is the descendant of Junius Brutus, who helped drive the Tarquin Kings out of Rome and establish democracy. Cassius brings this up to motivate Brutus. “O, you and I have heard our fathers say,/ There was a Brutus once that would have brooked / Th’ eternal devil to keep his state in Rome / As easily as a king.” (I.ii.158 - 161). Marcus Brutus even kills Caesar partly for this reason, to preserve the democracy and his legacy. Another element of the classic tragic hero is the suffering of a catastrophe in their lives. In this case, Brutus suffers both the death of Caesar, and the realization that it was only he who killed Caesar for honorable and good reasons, and that the other conspirators killed for jealousy and greed. This severely affects his life and decisions. After Caesar’s death, when Brutus is waging war against Antony, and talks to Caesar. In a heated argument, Brutus questions Cassius’
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
Brutus finds himself swarmed with thoughts as he shows his private identity for the first time. Seeming to be at war with himself he says, “It must be by death, and, for my part, / I know no personal cause to spurn at him, / But for the general. He would be crown’d: / How that might change his nature, there’s the question” (2.1.10-13). Brutus convinces himself that the assassination of Caesar will be for the good of Rome, not for his personal advancement. Shakespeare shows the reader this side of Brutus that has not been seen before. In public, Brutus appears to be confident and loyal to Caesar, but deep on the inside he is conflicted on what choice to make and is worried about the actions he may be taking. Due to these troubling thoughts, Brutus becomes stressed and starts to stray away from his true self. “And therefore think him as a serpent’s egg / Which hatch’d would as his kind grow mischievous, / And kill him in the shell” (2.1.32-34). Brutus is conveying his true thoughts about Caesar. He wants to kill Caesar before he becomes king and it is too late. However, because Brutus appears to be loyal to Caesar, he will have to keep his plans secret from everyone or else it will harm his public status. It is just the beginning of Brutus unveiling his true, inner self and how contradictory it is to his public persona.