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Examples Of Julius Caesar As A Tragic Hero

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Julius Caesar is a work of art 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 very 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. Caesars position in Rome was that of a dictator. At the start of the play Brutus enlightens the reader that “.... the people/ choose Caesar for their king” (1.ii.77-78). When Brutus says “king” he is actually informing the audience the Caesar has been made dictator of Rome for life. At this time in Rome, the Roman society took pride in being republic. Therefore, electing Caesar as a dictator was a monumental event. A dictator was the most powerful position in Roman society. Indeed as a stated in Encyclopedia Britannica a dictator was a “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 the Caesar was the most

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