preview

Julius Caesar : A Tragic Hero

Decent Essays

Julius Caesar is a well known piece of literature written by William Shakespeare in 1599. Within this play Julius Caesar is portrayed as a tragic hero. A tragic hero is defined as “the main character of a tragedy (who is) usually dignified, courageous, and high ranking” (Novel Study Guide). Also vital to defining a tragic hero is that, “the hero’s downfall is caused by a tragic flaw” (Novel Study Guide). It is evident that Julius Caesar in William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar is a tragic hero given that he is of noble stature, has a fatal flaw and comes to an unhappy end.
Julius Caesar is the tragic hero because of his noble stature. The noble stature of Caesar is made evident through his position in society and his outstanding qualities. Caesar’s position in Rome was that of dictator. At the start of the play Brutus enlightens the reader that “... the people/choose Caesar for their king”(I.ii.77-78). When Brutus says “king” he is actually informing the audience that Caesar has been made dictator of Rome for life. At this time in Rome the Roman society prided their republic. Therefore, electing Caesar was a monumental event. A dictator was the most powerful position in Roman society. Indeed, as stated in Encyclopedia Britannica, a dictator was “a temporary magistrate with extraordinary powers” (“dictator”). Furthermore, as opposed to the usual six month term Caesar was appointed a life-long term (“dictator”). With this in mind, one could say that Caesar was the most powerful

Get Access