Julius Caesar Brutus Foil

William Shakespeare illustrates Brutus to have outstanding morals but also displays Brutus’s naive and over-trusting personality which becomes his tragic flaw. For example, when Brutus suffers from an internal conflict on deciding if Caesar should be emperor or not, Cassius takes advantage of his confusion and naïve personality to act as the “glass [that] will modestly discover [Brutus] ... / [t]hat ... [shows Brutus’s appearance] which … [he] yet know not of ” (1.2. 68-70) and then says, “‘Brutus,’ and ‘Caesar’: what should be in that ‘Caesar’? / Why should that name be sounded more than yours[, Brutus]” (1.2.142-43). From this conversation, Brutus is shown to allow his naïve and over-trusting personality overcome him. As a result, Brutus follows his close allies in the path considered to be the most noble. Moreover, this characteristic of Brutus makes him weak enough to eventually trust the conspirator, Cassius, to take down Caesar, his own brother. This eventually leads to Brutus’s downfall

Unlike Cassius, Brutus is always doing what he feels is best for the Romans. In addition, Cassius feels inferior to Brutus. Brutus has much power from the people and is friends with the soon-to-be king, which is why Cassius is so desperate to have Brutus on his side. Once he persuades Brutus to join him, he shifts from being the leader of the conspirators to the subordinate of Brutus. For instance, Brutus gives Antony permission to speak at the funeral, even though this went against Cassius’ own will. Lastly, Cassius is quick to make decisions but Brutus analyzes things before coming to a final decision. It takes Brutus many days of agony to finally agree that joining Cassius was the right thing to do. In contrast, Cassius spends only a few seconds to decide on committing suicide. Directly after Pindarus says, “Now they are almost on him… And hark they shout for joy,” Cassius kills himself. (Act V Scene III Lines 31, 34) He is quick minded, not realizing that Brutus has actually not been captured.

Antony and Cassius, unlike Brutus, never separate their private affairs from their public actions while Brutus tries to prove himself by acting only with respect to honor and virtue, completely ignoring his personal concerns. For example, Cassius disliked the fact that Caesar became “godlike” in the eyes of the Romans, so he leads Brutus to believe that Caesar had become too powerful and must die by sending him forged letters claiming that the Roman people support the death of Caesar, ultimately converting Brutus to his cause. At last Brutus ends up murdering his good friend in an act he truly believed was honorable. Marc Antony, who also shares in Cassius’ selfish trait, persuaded the conspirators that he is on their side, therefore gaining their leniency. He proceeds to persuade the plebeians of the conspirators’ injustice and gains support of the masses.

In Act I, Scene 2, the purpose of Cassis’ speech is to persuade Brutus to distrust Caesar, and to join him in a conspiracy against Caesar. In his speech to Brutus, Cassius uses a variety of persuasive and rhetorical devices to persuade Brutus to join his cause against Caesar. Cassius is desperate to have Brutus on his side because of his close relation to Caesar and great respect and trust from the people of Rome. The tone of Cassius’ speech to Brutus is introduced with Cassius appealing to Brutus’ sense of responsibility towards Rome. Cassius tells Brutus that he has, “Heard where many of the best respect in Rome, except immortal Caesar, speaking of Brutus and groaning underneath this age’s yoke, have wished that noble Brutus had his eyes” (I.ii.64-68). Cassius tells Brutus that he is admired by Rome, appealing to Brutus’ value of putting Rome ahead of himself. Cassius uses knowledge of this value to his advantage in his speech, insisting that killing Caesar will be for the good of Rome. Cassius also introduces his speech by persuading Brutus that he is honorable and can be trusted. Cassius tells Brutus that, “Honor is the subject of my story”(I.ii.99). This appeals to the speaker Cassius’ credibility and has an ethical appeal on Brutus, or ethos. This appeal is effective because it connects with something that Brutus values, honor. In Cassius’ speech to Brutus, he uses a comparison comparing Caesar to a Colossus saying, “Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world like a Colossus, and we petty men walk under his huge legs and peep about to find ourselves dishonorable graves”(I.ii.142-144). Cassius is using an analogy comparing Caesar to Colossus, which was a large statue. Cassius again uses Brutus’ value of honor to persuade when he tells Brutus that if Caesar is in power, he and Brutus will die dishonorable deaths. During the time period, an honorable death was very important to noble Romans, especially Brutus. When Cassius is comparing the two names Brutus and Caesar, he uses the strategy of asking rhetorical questions. “Brutus and Caesar: what should be in that ‘Caesar?’ Why should that name be sounded more than yours?(I.ii.149-151).” Cassius also asks, “Upon what meat doth this our Caesar feed that he

Cassius contrasts Brutus by being power hungry. It shows just how trustworthy Brutus is. The text states, “You yourself are much condemned to have an itching palm to sell and mart your offices for gold to under servers.” This shows how Cassius was taking bribes. The text also states, “That struck the foremost man of all this world but for supporting robbers.” This shows how Brutus is upset with Cassius taking bribes.

He states that Brutus is just as noble and worthy as Caesar. (Act 1, scene ii). He says that Brutus cannot see what everyone else does and recognize his worthiness. Cassius and the other senators do not want Caesar to be king because they would lose all their power. Cassius is slowly luring Brutus in to do his dirty work. He builds Brutus’s confidence up to make him thing that killing Caesar is the right thing to do. Cassius is basically playing with Brutus’s head because he knows Brutus will listen. So, Brutus joins the conspirators in killing Caesar. Cassius tells Brutus that it is for the good of Rome, and that he is saving them from a dictatorship. Cassius is going for Brutus’s weakest point, his care and concern for Rome. He knows that if Brutus believes the people distrust Caesar, then he will be convinced that Caesar must be thwarted. Brutus knew that if Caesar was crowned, he would never have a chance, and he was power hungry. This is what ultimately leads to the tragedy of Julius Caesar. After Brutus kills Caesar off, he starts to feel guilty for killing his friend, thus creating an internal conflict. Brutus was so confident that the plan would go exactly as planned that he fell apart when they encountered problems. If Brutus and the other conspirators had taken more time to think things through, they probably would have been more prepared for the situation that was handed to them.

Moreover, when Brutus and Cassius argues within themselves for the matter of bribe, Brutus again gives more preference to his honor instead to his love for friendship. For example, Brutus publicly disgraces Cassius for not

They both share long conversation together that shows Brutus’ gullibility. Brutus is gullible for having a strong stance to be on Caesar’s side in the beginning of their conversation; however, throughout of the process of them talking, he falls into Cassius’ trap of plotting against Caesar. This first starts off with Brutus stating “I love him well” when is asked by Cassius how he feels about Caesar (I, ii, 82). Here Brutus is clearing taking a stand for Caesar in front of Cassius. This is only at the beginning of the speech where one will find Brutus being on the side of Caesar since after this Cassius will sway him adrift. Cassius is first able to do this by saying “ ‘Brutus,’ and ‘Caesar.’ What should be in that ‘Caesar’/Why should that name be sounded more than yours” (I, ii,142). Here Cassius is comparing their names. He trying to get Brutus to see himself has the same as Caesar by also following with “write them together; your is as fair a name” (I, ii,143). This gets Brutus listening to Cassius and considering why he is not as valued as Caesar. Consequently, Brutus’ walls are being taken down on how he originally felt on Caesar. Yet, Cassius takes it a step forward into trapping Brutus with his words by bringing up his ancestors. Cassius builds confidence in him by saying “There was a Brutus once that would have brooked/ the eternal devil to keep his state in Rome/ As easily as a king” (I, ii, 195-161). Here he states a story of Brutus’ ancestor who took care of and protected Rome. At this point in their conversation, Brutus as goon from being on Caesars side to being on plan to take Ceasar down; nevertheless, Brutus’ change has been sparked by Cassius comparing them along with boosting his confidence. This showing how gullibly Brutus is. This gullibility then translates to a bad potential leader since it often puts much pressure on others that

Brutus is an honorable man in this play but when Cassius, one of the main characters, and antagonists from the play, points out to Brutus why he

In the beginning of the play, one important aspect of the theme is when Cassius tries to persuade Brutus to join sides with the

We learn a lot about the ?evil, mischievous, deceptive? Cassius in one of his soliloquy. He reflects on the weakness of Brutus and how he is better than Brutus. He says that is he had been Brutus and Brutus him, he would not of joined the conspiracy. ?Well, Brutus, thou art noble; yet I see, / Thy honourable mettle may be wrought / ?If I were Brutus now, and he were Cassius, / he should not humour me.? (Act I Scene II, L. 308 ? 309, 314 ? 315). In the same soliloquy we learn that he is a very deceptive person. He decides that he will throw letters into Brutus?s house, chair that he as wrote. Brutus will think the letters are from citizens, who disagree with Caesar and the future of Rome. ?I will this night/ In several hands, in at his window throw, / As if they came from several citizens, / Writings, all tending the great opinion / That Rome holds of his name; wherein obscurely / Caesar?s ambition shall be glanced at:? (Act I, Scene II, L315 ? 320.) Deceptiveness is one of Cassius greatest strengths. A man who is as deceptive as Cassius is not fit to lead a battle, not to mention an Empire.

Cassius' loyalty line goes the other way. In the beginning he is out to set himself up in a position of power, and through Caesar's death he continues to act out of self-interest. By the end of the play, however, he has developed a sense of loyalty to Brutus and to Titinius. Brutus's pattern lies somewhere in between Antony's and Cassius's. In the beginning of the play most students feel that Brutus' loyalty is ambiguous. Although he seems loyal to Caesar, he is swayed by flattery to himself. By 2.1, when he makes the decision to participate in the murder, Brutus seems to be acting out of self-interest, though he disguises it in a rationalization of the good of the country. I find that students often engage in a really interesting discussion of the subtle shifts in Brutus' use of language; he shifts, for instance, to the use of the royal "we." By the end of the play Brutus, like Cassius, develops a sense of loyalty to his new comrades, and his last words, like Cassius's, are a self-condemning recognition of

In Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Brutus and Cassius are contrasting characters. They differ in the way they perceive Antony as a threat to the assassination plot, their dominance in personality, and their moral fiber. In Julius Caesar, Brutus is the more naïve, dominant and noble character, while Cassius is the more perceptive, submissive, and manipulative person.

Brutus is, once again, too trusting and lets Antony speak at Caesar’s funeral. Cassius is not as naive and sees the danger in letting Antony speak. He is more perceptive and uses more logic than emotion, as opposed to Brutus. Brutus has to evaluate his feelings about the assassination before he can kill Caesar. In most of the story, Brutus is emotionally driven which is not a valuable quality in a leader.

Brutus made the best of himself and the best of Rome, and he did it all for the people and he still made all the wrong decisions in killing Caesar, telling Antony he can speak at his funeral, and how Antony is not harmful. But he did all these things that he thought could help their country, and help the people around him be successful. He is a very risky man, and is not afraid to take risks, even if he is wrong like he was throughout the play. His confidence helped him become who he was, he did make a lot of bad decisions, but did it for the people around him. But Cassius was on a different side of things he thought the killing of Caesar was to just to get him out of power so they can be brought to power. But Brutus was not like that, he had some times that he was selfish, but did everything for the good of Rome. He made all of his choices because he thought that it was best and could be good for everyone. Brutus’s confidence in William Shakespeare's play The tragedy of Julius Caesar was very much one of the most tragic characters because his arrogance and selfish decisions led him and his army to lose the war and to his own death.