The Corruption Of Brutus In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

We know Brutus and Caesar as great friends who hold a place in their heart for each other, though in the first Act, something has been troubling Brutus deeply, affecting his character and spirit, “If I have veiled my look, I turn the trouble of my countenance merely upon myself. Vexed I am of late with passions of some difference,

Throughout the play Julius Caesar, Shakespeare examines themes of power throughout, as well as letting your true colors show. Towards the end of the play, Brutus is able to show this theme perfectly while in the beginning, Brutus is thought as someone who is unsure and insecure. He is also an exception to this ongoing theme. But as the play progresses and Brutus becomes true to himself, giving in to the tempting power that appears to be reachable, he becomes the epitome of this theme. It becomes clear to Brutus that Caesar is not what’s best for Rome, in fact, he is the reason that it is falling apart. However, because it is already embedded into his mind by his good friend Cassius, he believes that the only way to fix this situation is to kill Caesar. This pivot into a more narcissistic version of himself is gradual, while him agreeing with killing Caesar is sudden. In the beginning of Julius Caesar, Brutus is insecure, but as the play progresses and he gives in to Cassius’ manipulation and his own hidden thirst for power, Brutus

Brutus’ act of betrayal against his so called close “friend” has shocked Rome. The crowd was in an uproar when they heard the news. An insider who was there at the scene of the attack heard Caesar breathe out, “Et tu, Brute?” Apparently Brutus did not act alone, it was at the hands of the conspirators. While Brutus pretended to be his friend, secretly behind his back he was planning his assassination. Talk about a backstab. Caesar had no idea what fate had in store for him, despite a few ill omens, certainly not his friend turning

Throughout Shakespeare’s play, Brutus changes dramatically, as his corrosive actions buffet him with punishments and losses. When he first appears in this work, he seems to be a troubled man, concerned for his country. “I turn the trouble of my countenance merely upon myself. Vexèd I am of late with passions of some difference” (890). He is, at first, concerned for his friend and Rome. He is afraid that the people do not know what is best for them and will choose Caesar as a king. As the plot thickens and the conspiracy grows, he becomes a vigilante trying to stop a tyrant, only for the people of Rome. “It must be by his death; and for my part, I know no personal

evidence to back up his reasoning and that makes me think of Brutus as a bad friend and gives

Brutus was a very loyal man. However, that could have been perceived as his major flaw. His friend, Cassius, turned out to manipulate Brutus in becoming a conspirator by pretending to be worried civilians. Cassius and the other conspirators plan was to kill Caesar, who was going to be crowned as the leader of Rome. The letters troubled Brutus when he read, “Speak, strike, redress!” (Shakespeare 1.2.55) and his loyalty to Rome and its people was shown when he agreed to be a part of the plan. He thought killing Caesar would be protecting the good of the people. Even though he had good intentions behind joining the conspirators and killing Caesar, this was not the right way to get the result he wanted.

Shakespeare examines this particular issue best in his simple yet complex characterization of Brutus. Guided

his soliloquy, Brutus’ background information is identified. “And therefore think him as a serpent’s egg / which, hatched, would, as his kind, grow / mischievous; / And kill him in the shell” (II, i, 32-34). This means that he should kill Caesar before he becomes a threat. That also identifies Brutus as a man who worried a lot and is a man who wants the best for Rome, not himself. Besides worrying, Brutus also was emotional. Brutus’ wife Portia kills herself one day when she was alone. Brutus becomes very depressed over this matter. “No man bears sorrow better. Portia is dead” (IV, iii, 146). This means that he is sorrow for his wife’s death, and a synonym for sorrow is depressed. This shows Brutus was a sympathetic man, and somebody who can love one’s country and others. Villains are always referred to as emotionless in plays; the heroes always connect and wouldn’t murder without a cause. Besides who Brutus was as a person, Brutus had intentions that would help Rome.

Brutus shows these character traits when he is contemplating joining Cassius’ conspiracy. Brutus struggles to decide if he should sacrifice his friendship for the better of Rome, or risk Rome’s democracy to save his friendship. He shows this by saying,” I know no personal cause to spurn at him,/But for the general,” (II.i.11-12), meaning that he has no animosity towards Caesar, but he believes removing Caesar from the throne is the best choice for Rome. Shakespeare uses a soliloquy to emphasize Brutus’ internal struggle between the time when he joins the conspiracy and when they plan to assassinate Caesar.”It is the bright day that brings forth the adder,/ And that craves wary walking. Crown him that,/ And then I grant we put a sting in him./ That at his will he may do danger with,”

The first side of Brutus that contributes to his hesitancy of joining the conspiracy is he has a good friendship with Caesar. I agree with J.L. Simmons in his article when he states this, “Brutus is the central character, mainly because his moral dilemma about whether or not to turn on his friend, Caesar, and join the conspiracy” (Simmons 61). This is an obvious reason for why Brutus does not want to kill Caesar, but he has an opposing desire for Rome. The other side of Brutus is that he simply loves Rome more than Caesar and wants to do what is best for Rome. This quote from the play shows how Brutus feels about his difficult decision to eventually accompany the conspirators, “Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more. Had you rather Caesar were living and die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live all free men?” (Shakespeare 3.2.21-...). Brutus was thinking of the future of Rome and he did not want to live under a possible dictator, which would be Caesar. This is how he tries to justify the assassination of Caesar as a necessity for the Roman’s liberty. Also, Shakespeare presents a character’s inner turmoil directly, through devices like the soliloquy. In the play Brutus announces a soliloquy. During act two and scene one of the play Brutus announces his soliloquy, in which he claims this, “I know no personal cause to spurn him, but for the general. He would be crown’d: how that might change his nature, there’s the question” (Shakespeare 2.1.11-13). This is only part of Brutus’s soliloquy, but it shows his one side or reason for deciding to join the conspirators. Shakespeare adding complexity to his heroes causes Brutus to have opposing desires and suffer hesitation before joining the

Brutus believed that everyone was good in this world, and assumed that no one will palter or betray him. Brutus believes in Cassius’ plan and falls into the act of killing Caesar instantly. He is too righteous and fails to understand what people are able to do to him when he comes to have a close bond with someone. In Act II Scene i this naivety can be seen when Brutus opens the letters and read, “Brutus, thou sleep’st. Awake, and see thyself. Shall Rome, etc. Speak, strike, redress!” “Brutus, thou sleep’st. Awake.”Such instigations have been often dropped”(Shakespeare 23). To get Brutus to join in on the conspirator for Cassius, he throw fake letters at Brutus's window because Cassius knew he could not do it without Brutus' assistance. Cassius deludes Brutus into thinking there are more folks in support of their actions than there really are. Furthermore, Brutus assumes the letters are from the people of Rome who agrees to Caesar’s

Brutus is a supporter of the republic who in the end stabs the back of his so-called friend Caesar. Brutus had such a strong love and respect for the people that he would stab his own friend for the good of the nation. The problem with Brutus was that he was blindsided by his own ignorance that he didn't notice he would be doing the complete opposite of helping the people, he would be hurting them and also murder his closest friend. Of course, Brutus would never have been able to make his own decisions and have a brain of his own, that he would have had to be convinced to join the conspiracy from Cassius. I believe someone might make this choice because they could be doing it for the good of society or the good of themselves. Brutus had quite a few justifications for killing Caesar which may not have been just. I believe Brutus stabbed the back of Caesar for many reasons and one of them is because he believed that Caesar’s ego would've only gotten bigger.

Cassius manipulating Brutus is the start of tragedy for Brutus due to Cassius being the catalyst of Brutus’ death. Cassiu shows this by influencing him to kill Caesar with Cassius and the other conspirators. “And it is very much lamented, Brutus,/That you have no such mirrors as will turn/Your hidden worthiness into your eye,/That you might see your shadow. I have heard/Where many of the best respect in Rome”(Shakespeare, Julius Caesar I.ii.54-60). Cassius is trying to to manipulate Brutus into killing Caesar with him by saying the people in Rome need him to. Cassius is playing to Brutus’ ego. Brutus takes the bait because he wants to be the hero for Rome because of this love for Rome. Brutus does not realize he is being manipulated, which is what makes Cassius so good at controlling him. This is what inevitably caused Brutus’ demise because he is too blindsided by Cassius telling him he’ll be a hero to pay attention to the hidden meaning in his words. Cassius’ need for power leads him to manipulate Brutus, but it is also what causes both of their deaths in the end.

One of the first presentations was when the conspirators were plotting Caesar's assassination. Cassius knew that he could not do it without Brutus. Cassius is so jealous of Caesar and he doesn't believe he should have this power. “What trash is Rome, what rubbish, and what offal when it serves for the base matter to illuminate so vile a thing as Caesar.” (Act 1 Scene 3 ) He needs to do anything he can to kill Caesar even if that means trying to get his best friend to stab him in the back. “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings.” ( )This is Cassius telling Brutus that Caesar is growing in power and it is their fault but yet they are doing nothing to stop it. Cassius needs to change Brutus’s perspective

Throughout the duration of the tragedy, Brutus has received numerous comments about his personality and how good of a human being he is. In Scene II of Act I, Brutus is caught in a conversation with Cassius, in which Cassius off-handedly mentions, “Brutus, I do observe you now of late, I have not from your eyes that gentleness and show of love as I was wont to have” (I.ii.34-36). Cassius speaks up and tells Brutus he hasn’t been himself recently. Where-as normally he is “good-natured and affectionate”, something is bothering him and has steered him away from these normal emotions. Brutus states,