Julius Caesar Character Analysis

In Roman history, some elite men held certain values that they felt strong enough to take their life in order to defend it. In William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, there are certain characters portrayed to show how a person’s values or ideas can change their behavior and influence some significant decisions. The protagonist of the play, Marcus Brutus, supports this thought by having an idealistic view on the world and by showing his patriotism toward Rome. In William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Shakespeare uses Brutus as an honorable, idealistic man in order to show the depth that a high-class Roman man will go through in order to defend his honor.

In the determination of whether Julius Caesar was an intelligent, political hero or an egocentric, dictating villain, it is important to look at all of the facts. Born in 100 B.C.E. and assassinated in 44 B.C.E., Julius Caesar was legendary. He along Pompey, and Crassus created the first unofficial Triumvirate which was negotiated to appease both the Roman citizens and the power hungry rivals. Still, this agreement would not last long. After Pompey’s wife, Julia Caesar and daughter of Caesar’s daughter given to Pompey to establish the Trimvirate, dies in childbirth, civil war breaks out as Caesar leads his army against Rome. He fights until Pompey is murdered in Egypt. As Rome is “shattered,” Julius Caesar one person should rule. He

Julius Caesar is very much a warrior and he thinks that he is above every one else and that he is more than an ordinary man. As a result he is very arrogant and takes very little notice of the people around him. As far as he is concerned, they are meaningless and not worth his time. He believes he is honourable but really is not. In a way he wants to be trusted and to be a trusted leader of the Roman people but he is very unwilling to do anything to gain trust. Ordinary people have a great deal of respect for Caesar and probably believe that he would be a good, powerful leader who has Roman's troubles at heart. Caesar probably believes those things as well but he is ruthless and he craves power. He also believes that everybody likes him

In the play Julius Caesar, written by Shakespeare, we are presented with two characters, Brutus, a noble congressman of the Roman republic, and Antony, a loyal lieutenant to Caesar. Brutus, who is manipulated by Cassius to kill Caesar, is led to believe that Caesar was ambitious and was seeking to destroy the Roman republic as well as becoming a tyrannical king. Brutus, being the patriotic congressman all of Rome knows him as, agrees for the good of Rome, to join the radical conspirators and help kill Caesar. Despite his solid reputation and strong ethos, Brutus’s weak pathos and logos doom his speech for failure once Antony gets up to speak.

Brutus’s character is defined by the people; the bases his decisions and beliefs on the opinions of Roman citizens. Seeking Brutus to be a part of his conspirators, Cassius sends false letters to Brutus pretending to be many different, concerned people wanting Caesar out power; Brutus then willingly joins the conspirators under the impression that Caesar’s death is what the people want. To make this venal act morally right with himself he comes up with faulty logic, “And therefore think him as a serpent’s egg which hatched, would as his kind grow mischievous, and kill him in his shell” (911). Brutus is trying to justify killing a person, a leader, and his personal friend with this analogy that is not literally correct; not all snakes are evil; some kill other snakes to protect humans. Likewise, Caesar might not have used his power for evil and self-serving deeds; he might have been just what Rome pleaded for to lead. Yet Brutus sacrifices his honorable character for adsurb assurance that he is what the Romans want. After the assassination of Julius Caesar, Brutus speaks to the people and begins with, “Romans, countrymen, and lovers, hear me for my cause, and be silent, that you may hear. Believe me for mine honor and have respect to mine honor, that you may believe” (947). Brutus is supercilious in saying that the Roman should believe what he has to say, just because he is an

Julius Caesar lived from 100-44 B.C. During this time Rome was going through many political changes. Caesar took it upon himself to help Rome return to an at peace political system. He was a good man who had intended the best for Rome. He did not have ambition for himself, but for Rome. Caesar lived to improve himself. The Romans valued virtue. Some of these natural virtues were fortitude and justice. Caesar did his best to stay true to these virtues, but no one is perfect. Caesar was a man full of sin like any other man. Many argue that he was a bad man, putting himself above others in a very cowardly manner.

Another case why Brutus fits the part of a tragic hero all the more suitably. One of Brutus' shortcomings is his putting stock in mentality toward Antony. Anthony was offered by Brutus to state his tribute and to be sure not to say anything awful in regards to the schemers. Anthony happen to talk negative towards the plotters prompt a swarm droning, "Exact retribution!, About!, Seek!, Burn!, Fire!, Kill!, Slay!, Let not a double crosser live.!"(Act 3; scene 2). This discourse said by Anthony prompted Caesar's deathbed, Brutus' judgment, and Brutus turned into a foe.

Despite consistent evidence, it is often difficult to determine the true character of an individual. As such, it is essential to explore a series of different sources and perspectives. However due to numerous circumstances, these perspectives are often manipulated and rendered inaccurate, emphasising the need to instead judge an individual’s character through their actions. With this in consideration, historians both modern and ancient, agree that Julius Caesar was a successful leader due to his extensive military achievements and ability to manipulate certain aspects of the Roman political system.

Brutus, a conflicted senator obsessed with his civic duty, convinces the people of Rome that his motives in killing Caesar were just and noble by rhetoric. Brutus is the only conspirator to have impersonal motives in killing Caesar. In fact, his motives are trying to find the best solution for Rome, and in the end, he must make the hard choice of killing his best friend for his homeland. As early as Brutus’ conversation with Cassius in Act I, Brutus exhibits this deep love and respect for Rome and how this love is conflicting with his love for his friend, Caesar: “[P]oor Brutus, with himself at war, / Forgets the shows of love to other men” (I.ii.51-52). Brutus brings up this internal conflict again when he tells the crowds that although he did love Caesar, he loved Rome and its people more. After Brutus’ murder of Caesar, he realizes that the issue of the public opinion of Rome is of the utmost importance. Because of this love for Rome, Brutus uses rhetoric to persuade these plebeians to approve of him and his cause. When Cassius warns Brutus about “how much the people will be moved / By that which [Marc Antony] will utter[!]” (III.i.252-253), Brutus tells Cassius that letting Marc Antony speak “shall advantage us more than do us wrong” (III.i.261). In these cases, Brutus demonstrates his awareness of

Brutus’ trust in others and his love of Rome are his greatest faults. His tragic flaw is the trust he places in others. Brutus is easily swayed to trust Cassius when he plots to kill Caesar. Cassius uses his cunning to trick Brutus into believing Caesar is ambitious and that he is killing Caesar for the good of Rome. Cassius says to Brutus, “Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world like a Colossus, and we petty men walk under his huge legs...the fault, dear Brutus is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings” (Shakespeare Act I. ii. 142-148). Cassius is speaking of how Caesar is becoming almost like a tyrant or emperor in the aspect that he is becoming more powerful than everyone else. Brutus love Rome dearly and does not want it destroyed or ruled by a tyrant or emperor. Therefore, Brutus is manipulated by Cassius into murdering Caesar. Later on after Caesar is murdered, Antony makes a speech that is full of irony. His speech tells of how Brutus says Caesar was an ambitious man, and that Brutus is an honorable man. Antony says, “Brutus says he was ambitious, and Brutus is an honorable man… When the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept; ambition should be made of sterner stuff. Yet Brutus says he was ambitious, and Brutus is an honorable man” (Shakespeare Act III. ii. 95-103). Throughout his speech, Antony says Brutus is an honorable man, and that Brutus said Caesar

‘Brutus is noble, wise, valiant, and honest; Caesar was mighty, bold, royal, and loving. Say, I love Brutus, and I honor him; Say, I feared Caesar, honored him, and loved him. If Brutus will vouchsafe that Antony May safely come to him and be resolved How Caesar hath deserved to lie in death, Mark Antony shall not love Caesar dead So well as Brutus living, but will follow The fortunes and affairs of noble Brutus Thorough the hazards of this untrod state With all true faith. So says my master Antony.’ (Act 3 scene 1 line 126-137)

The discrepancy between moral and ethical political beliefs have been in opposition with each other since the establishment of early political systems. The justification of actions in political society varies between ruler and subjects. A ruler might believe that certain actions are justified for the purpose of power and authority, while the subjects consider this inequitable. An argument may arise in the context of, if an individual should subject himself to the will of an incompetent and unjust ruler, because they say it is law. This is a prominent theme in the play Julius Caesar, as Shakespeare constitutes an arrogant and tyrannical leader named Julius Caesar. Throughout the duration of the play numerous people attempt to expose Caesar of his domineering and autocratic power. Among these men are two preeminent characters, Marcus Brutus and Caius Cassius. However, in comparison to Brutus, Cassius deserves to be the character memorialized and venerated as he asserts himself as a skillful Machiavellian leader that provides the ingenuity behind the plot to kill Caesar. In correlation, Brutus is perceived as the noblest Roman, yet is morally conflicted and intellectually incompetent throughout the duration of the play. This inevitably creates conflict and delays the recognition given to Cassius. Individually, the moral beliefs of each notable character can attest to the notion of who should be respected, criticized or forgotten.

How would someone risk everything they have to save the city they love? In the play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Brutus is building a way to make Caesar step down from ruling Rome. He does not think that Caesar has what it takes to rule Rome. Brutus then decides to join the conspirators and make a plan to kill Caesar and save the people of Rome. Once Caesar is dead, Brutus and Cassius flee Rome to a camp near Sardis. Mark Antony seeks for revenge for the death of Julius Caesar. Brutus is the tragic flaw because he was so determined to stop Caesar from ruling Rome that he saw himself as a higher person that everyone loves. His determination became arrogant within his actions and his actions concluded with consequences and pursued his death. In William Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Brutus is the tragic character because his determination to save the people Rome caused him to become arrogant and the death of himself and Caesar.

“ A hundred years cannot repair a moment’s loss of honor”. In William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, Brutus tragic fall of honor leads to his downfall because of his choice to kill Caesar, and believe that it was okay to kill Caesar. In the beginning of the play, the story sees Caesar celebrating the win against the enemies of Rome and being crowned soon the king of Rome. The story then cuts to Brutus talking to Cassius, here is the first place seen Brutus talking about wanting Caesar out of power. Cassius is at first no convinced, but soon sides with Brutus. Soon after, Brutus as figured out the plan to kill Caesar and puts it into action. After killing Caesar though, Antony sees the death of Caesar and is at first furious. Brutus leaves the place Caesar death, to go out and tell the people of Rome that this death is good. Brutus leaves the scene, but Antony then comes to also talk about the why the death of Caesar is bad. Brutus has lost his honor for killing Caesar and now has lost the power of the people of Rome. Brutus and Antony then fight with their armies, with Antony being on the winning side and Brutus fleeing. Brutus is now realized that he killed Caesar for no good reason and that he deserves to die because of his actions. He is soon found dead by Antony and his army, seen as a man who regained his honor because of his actions, he will be buried like a captain of the military would.

In the play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar , Caesar has just been recently killed by Brutus,who is his best friend. Brutus has allowed Antony to speak about Caesar at his funeral but he is not to say anything bad about what the conspirators did. However things changed for the worse. After Brutus’s speech - Antony traded on him.