Brutus’ protective nature in Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar becomes evident through indirect and direct characterization. Brutus a “nobleman and praetor,” (Hawks 1.2) (reveals his high status in society as well as being a praetor, the occupation responsible for running civil justice within the ancient Roman republic. Through the direct characterization of occupation, Brutus is revealed to have a need for rightfulness and to protect victims of the criminal’s wrongdoings. Furthermore, Brutus announces his love for Rome was greater than his love for Caesar (1.2) because even though Caesar was endeared, Brutus thought Caesar was a danger to Rome, so he sacrificed his personal relationship to protect his country. Thus, Brutus protective
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 William Shakespeare’s tragedy Julius Caesar, the character of Marcus Brutus is tasked with making a difficult choice: either kill one of his most beloved friends, or risk the corruption and downfall of Rome. Though Brutus acknowledges the ethical and moral concerns of his actions, he commits to the conspiracy against Caesar, and carries it out with conviction. The question, however, is whether or not Brutus’ actions are justifiable from an objective point of view. Unlike most other political assassinations, Brutus isn’t a hysterical stranger distraught with the target, but a close ally, and trusted friend. Brutus justifies his own doings by convincing himself and others that they’re sacrificing, not murder Caesar, and acting not out
Brutus believes he must put his own personal self and relationships behind for the betterment of Rome, leading to the people turning against him. One of the first examples is when he was brought the concept of killing Caesar, after much thought and deliberation he decides he must put away his own relationships for the betterment of his country. “O conspiracy, Sham'st thou to show thy dangerous brow by night, When evils are most free? O, then, by day Where wilt thou find a cavern dark enough To mask thy monstrous visage? Seek none, conspiracy. Hide it in smiles and affability; For if thou path, thy native semblance on, Not Erebus itself were dim enough To hide thee from prevention.” (2.1.84-93) He knows that by doing this act he will inflict consequences of a great degree upon himself, but he knows he must do it for the betterment of Rome. He then
Brutus is commonly known as the most honorable character in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. However, the debate over whether he truly is honorable or not can be quite striking as there are several examples of evidence to support this antithesis. Brutus may not be the most honorable character due to many of his actions, but he certainly seems to care about having an “honorable” appearance. Therefore, Brutus can be described as being prideful about appearing honorable. One example of Brutus’ lack of true honor happens near the beginning of his appearance in the story.
Brutus tells Cassius that he is willing to do what may be best for Rome regardless of the expenses, even his life. Brutus is a man of good repute, his love and affection for Rome extends far and wide and he is willing to give all he has for his people to be happy and under a dependable leader. Being an honorable person with wholesome intentions is one of Brutus’s main traits, followed by trust. An example of Brutus’s never-ending trust is when the conspirators are able to persuade and manipulate him into the act of killing his best friend, Julius Caesar (2.1.45-60). Brutus believes the men and trusts that their intentions and reasons are pure; only to benefit Rome and not themselves.
Brutus once said “Be not deceiv’d. If I have veil’d my look, I turn the trouble of my countenance” (33). Today we are here to honor Brutus. He was a good man , and he always put other people before himself. As his older sister, I grew uo raising him with our mother.
It is often difficult to distinguish a person’s intentions whether they are good or evil especially in Shakespeare’s writing. In the novel Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, Brutus was considered a betrayer to his friend, Julius Caesar. However, he only killed Caesar to protect the fate of his country. In Shakespearean literature, Brutus was known as a patriot towards his own country, but this is still being debated today. On the other hand, Brutus might be considered a cold-blooded killer for taking the life of his own friend behind his back, all for the sake of Rome.
His reason for joining the side of “tyranny” was his value in the actions of predecessors, saying, “My ancestors did from the streets of Rome/ The Tarquin drive when he was called a king. ”(2.1.53-54). To Brutus, honor is the reasoning behind his actions. But once there is nothing left for him to derive pride from, he begins to procure it from facets that are detrimental to his well-being. After the slaughter of Caesar, Brutus’ ego is allowed to grow indefinitely, allowing key characteristics of Caesar to emerge in Brutus.
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 in William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar In 'Julius Caesar', Shakespeare intended us to see Brutus as 'noble'. I wish to review his actions, and the motivating factors behind those actions. I intend to prove that Brutus had a strong and well-grounded character. He had good intentions, however, he made one fatal mistake and that was his downfall. When learn that Brutus is dedicated to the public, when Brutus decides Caesar must die, because he fears his ambition, this comes as a big shock to the Shakespearian audience as well as the modern day audience.
Brutus is an important character in the play ‘Julius Caesar’ as he is portrayed as a tragic hero where he possessed heroic traits such as being noble and honourable that earn the sympathy of the audience. However, he also has flaws and made many mistakes and hamartias that ultimately lead to his downfall.
Shakespeare shows how power and the prospect of power changes people through the character of Brutus. Brutus’ attitude changes as he acquires power and detects the possibility of being powerful. Originally, everything Brutus does is for the good of the people and Rome itself. He recognizes that he has “no personal cause to spurn at [Caesar]” (I.I.11); however, he considers doing it “for the general” (I.I.12). Power has not yet changed Brutus’ attitude; he still focuses on the good of Rome as a whole and not just gaining power for himself. As the play continues, Brutus’ ongoing internal struggle of whether or not he should kill Caesar ends when he decides to kill him. He wants to kill him in a very specific way so that the people hate Caesar rather
Brutus possesses many ideals and mannerisms that make him the tragic hero in William Shakespeare’s tragedy. To begin with, Brutus has a deep sense of love for his city, and concerns himself with its well-being. His concern for Rome is actually what causes him to backstab Caesar. He worries that he is too arrogant to be an adequate leader, “I do fear the people/ Choose Caesar for their king.” (Shakespeare I.ii. 85-86). Secondly, Brutus has an undying moral compass that navigates him on his integrity driven choices. Brutus thinks long and hard before he joins the conspirators, and wonders whether or not it is the right choice and questions his choices, “Into what dangers would you lead me…/ That you would have me seek into myself/ For which is not in me?” (Shakespeare I.ii. 69-71). His strong beliefs are what ultimately convince him to join the conspirators, for the good of Rome. Also, Brutus believes in equality and respect. He gives a speech to the public because he feels they deserve to know the reason why Caesar dies, ‘And, waving our red weapons o’er our heads,/ Let’s all cry “Peace, freedom, and liberty!”’. (Shakespeare III.i. 121-122). This heroic quality is one of the things that drives him to be a good leader, and a good person as well. As much as these traits lead us to believe