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The Tragedy Of Julius Caesar

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The Tragedy of Julius Caesar has catastrophe in more characters than just Caesar. William Shakespeare presented Marcus Brutus in a way that closely followed the example of a tragic hero. Brutus came from noble birth, had a fatal flaw, suffered a great tragedy. Brutus also fits into Shakespeare’s variation of tragic heroes, by giving Brutus complexity, internal conflict, and using choice over fate. Brutus’ ultimate goal is fulfilled by in part by his actions. Brutus thought his cause to be honorable, and that cause included the murder of his best friend. He realizes too late that his cause was corrupted and that his actions had brought about what he feared.

One element of being a tragic hero in a story is that the character needs to come from noble birth. Marcus Brutus was a descendant of the great Junius Brutus. Junius Brutus defeated the king of Rome long before the play takes place. Instead of taking over as king, Junius Brutus established a democracy in the place of a monarchy, and because of this people had a deep amount of respect for Junius and the rest of the Brutus family line. Marcus Brutus works hard to keep the high respect people had for his ancestor. Cassius points this out saying “...There was a Brutus once who would have brook 'd the eternal devil to keep his state in Rome as easily as a king,” and using this sense of respect for his forefather to manipulate him (I.ii.159-161). Another element of tragic heroes is that the character needs to suffer a

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