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Julius Caesar and Other Shakespearian Tragedies

Decent Essays

Shakespearian tragedies usually have a well-defined tragic hero. According to Aristotle, a Greek philosopher, a tragic hero is a character of high rank and nobility, exhibits a tragic flaw, and recognizes how his actions led to his eventual downfall. William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar incited a century old argument over who really deserves the title of “The Tragic Hero.” Many argue that Caesar is the tragic hero. However, I believe that Brutus should hold the title of "tragic hero" because he is a noble and respected man, he holds tragic flaw of poor judgment. But most importantly, what separates him from Caesar, is that he recognizes how these flaws and his decision to murder his leader resulted in his own demise.
To accomplish their plan, the conspirators needed a noble man of high stature to justify their actions. The best man for the job was Brutus. Brutus was Caesar’s best friend, loved by the people, and he loved the people back. Therefore, it only made sense for the conspirators to recruit Brutus guarantees the support of the Roman people. Cassius admits this too, “Brutus shall lead, and we will grace his heels / With the most boldest and best hearts of Rome” (3.1.135-136). Cassius himself says that Brutus’s credibility will lead to the success of the plan. If Brutus leads the way, then the people will assume that maybe Caesar’s death was not that terrible since this noble man killed Caesar. Brutus’s nobility in the conspiracy not only convinced the

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