Brutus was not right to join the conspiracy with Cassius to kill Caesar. When Julius Caesar returned to Rome, he was known as a hero. Other citizens of Rome were afraid that Caesar was going to be dictator for life and have too much power. Brutus was very close to Caesar and had to choose between his friendship with Caesar and to prevent Caesar’s goal to undermine the Roman Republic. Cassius had also convinced Brutus that Caesar was going to make himself a monarch and turned him against his own friend by manipulating him and making Brutus the one to kill Caesar. His reason for killing Caesar was he saw his power as tyrannical and he thought the Roman Republic Government was in danger. Brutus’ reasons are not valid because there was no need to kill Caesar. Brutus supported the republic with good intentions but bad character flaws. When planning the conspiracy, Brutus had to choose between his friendship with Caesar and prevent Caesar’s …show more content…
Brutus’ flaws that he has as a character made it easy for Cassius to convince Brutus. Since Cassius knows Brutus will not believe him right away and join the conspiracy, he decided to write fake letters and forge other citizens names to trick Brutus into thinking that this is what the people of Rome wanted. "Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world like a Colossus, and we petty men walk under his huge legs and peep about to find outselves dishonorable graves. Men at some point are masters of their fates. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars but in ourselves, that we are underlings (Act 1 scene 2).” Cassius is making Brutus seem like they are Caesar's slaves when in reality they are two well respected and wealthy Senators in
As John Acton once said, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Many people always tend to get a tunnel vision to get power, however a small percentage of them realize what tragedy may happen when the power is given to them. Brutus has a variety of reasons to join the conspiracy, and he has made them known throughout this tragedy. First, Brutus has made it clear that he wants to join the conspiracy for what he thinks is the good of the general public. Secondly, Brutus wants to follow his family's past and keep the republic in working order. Thirdly, Brutus knows how power can corrupt people.
Brutus was very naive and got influenced by Cassius very easily. Cassius was very smart and manipulated Brutus to make him agree with him. Cassius said, “If I were Brutus now, and he were Cassius, He should not humour me.” (Shakespeare, p.13). Brutus believed that his friend, Caesar had a negative impact on Rome decided to join the conspiracy to assassinate Caesar. Even though Caesar was his friend, Brutus always showed loyalty towards Rome. Brutus' tragic flaw is that he is not good at figuring out other’s intentions, and trusted Cassius. If Brutus never listened to Cassius in the first place, he would not have joined the conspiracy, and might not have had a tragic end.
Antony and Cassius, unlike Brutus, never separate their private affairs from their public actions while Brutus tries to prove himself by acting only with respect to honor and virtue, completely ignoring his personal concerns. For example, Cassius disliked the fact that Caesar became “godlike” in the eyes of the Romans, so he leads Brutus to believe that Caesar had become too powerful and must die by sending him forged letters claiming that the Roman people support the death of Caesar, ultimately converting Brutus to his cause. At last Brutus ends up murdering his good friend in an act he truly believed was honorable. Marc Antony, who also shares in Cassius’ selfish trait, persuaded the conspirators that he is on their side, therefore gaining their leniency. He proceeds to persuade the plebeians of the conspirators’ injustice and gains support of the masses.
Some people believe that Brutus joining the conspiracy was the right thing for him to do. They agree with the killing of Caesar because they believe if he became a ruler he would be a tyrant. They would rather have the Caesar be murdered than risk the slightest possibility that he would become a dictator. What the conspiracy doesn’t realize is that life is precious. They didn't even make an attempt to talk to Caesar, or even verify that if he did become ruler, he would cause chaos. The conspiracy just lashed out and didn't care who got hurt in the
He states that Brutus is just as noble and worthy as Caesar. (Act 1, scene ii). He says that Brutus cannot see what everyone else does and recognize his worthiness. Cassius and the other senators do not want Caesar to be king because they would lose all their power. Cassius is slowly luring Brutus in to do his dirty work. He builds Brutus’s confidence up to make him thing that killing Caesar is the right thing to do. Cassius is basically playing with Brutus’s head because he knows Brutus will listen. So, Brutus joins the conspirators in killing Caesar. Cassius tells Brutus that it is for the good of Rome, and that he is saving them from a dictatorship. Cassius is going for Brutus’s weakest point, his care and concern for Rome. He knows that if Brutus believes the people distrust Caesar, then he will be convinced that Caesar must be thwarted. Brutus knew that if Caesar was crowned, he would never have a chance, and he was power hungry. This is what ultimately leads to the tragedy of Julius Caesar. After Brutus kills Caesar off, he starts to feel guilty for killing his friend, thus creating an internal conflict. Brutus was so confident that the plan would go exactly as planned that he fell apart when they encountered problems. If Brutus and the other conspirators had taken more time to think things through, they probably would have been more prepared for the situation that was handed to them.
Tricking him into doing “what's good for the people” . The next way they try to manipulate Brutus is by flattering him. In the play Brutus is a very self conscious character. He might be the same as Caesar but he doesn't see this. “I have heard Where many of the best respect in Rome, Except Immortal Caesar speaking of Brutus and groaning underneath his age’s yoke Have wish'd that noble Brutus had his eyes” (I.ii.60). Cassius is convincing Brutus into believing he really is a brave and noble man. By doing this Brutus will be more offended by Caesar's remarks and want to join the conspiracy. To wrap up, Brutus is in fact manipulated into killing Caesar.
He compares Caesar to a serpent in an egg which he must kill before it hatches. Brutus knows that Caesar is gaining too much power too quickly and it must come to an end. He shows his belief in a republic government by saying, “We all stand up against the spirit of Caesar / And in the spirit of men there is no blood" (II.i. 180-181). Cassius is a character who is jealous of Caesar’s power and also wants it to end. He forms a group of conspirators who are against Julius Caesar. He persuades Brutus to help him and the other conspirators to kill Caesar during the ides of March. Brutus joins but only due to his love for Rome and its people. He proves this by saying "Let us be sacrificers, but not butchers, Caius." (II.i. 179). This also proves his love for Caesar because he wants to kill him with some sort of honor. Brutus wants the citizens to look at him not as a murderer but for someone who cares for his country. He expresses his ideas toward the stabbing by saying , “If then that friend demand why Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer-not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more" (III, ii, 17-19).
Caesar once said “Men in general are quick to believe that which they wish to be true.” This quote is relevant because Brutus was so quick to believe that everything Cassius said was true. Brutus shouldn’t join the conspiracy with Cassius and the others. Everything Brutus was told was a lie, Caesar was his best friend, and he might have been a good leader is why Brutus shouldn’t join the conspiracy.
When it is time to kill Caesar, all the conspirators want Brutus on their side because all the countrymen respect him. Cassius wants to kill Caesar because he does not want Caesar to be higher than him in status, but he himself does not wish to be king. Cassius asks Brutus if he can help the conspirators and him to kill Caesar and Brutus answers them, “If it aught toward the general good” (1.2.93). The only reason Brutus helps the conspirators to kill Caesar, if it is good for the people. He only cares about the people and does not kill Caesar for personal reasons.
But Brutus was manipulated by Cassius to kill Caesar. He loved Caesar but did not want him to become king, because he was afraid of Caesar ruling Rome through a dictatorship. Unlike Cassius, Brutus wanted to kill Caesar because of fear. He killed and betrayed Caesar “for the good of Rome.” He was an insurgent trying to do what he thought was best, unknowingly his thoughts were fettered and manipulated by Cassius.
In act 1 scene 2 Cassius says “well Brutus thou art noble, get I see. Thy honorable mettle may be brought from that it is disposed there…” Here he has manipulated Brutus to help murder Caesar. He does this by saying Caesar isn't worthy of being crowned emperor anymore than Brutus is. He's making it appear as if Caesar has bad intentions for Rome and the people of Rome which is why he told those lies about Caesar because he knows they
Many people wonder whether Brutus should or should not join the conspiracy. In William Shakespeare's “Julius Caesar” play, Brutus is conflicted by joining the conspiracy, which helps Rome, but hurts his best friend Caesar in the process. Brutus did the right thing by joining the conspiracy for the better of Rome. He is able to use Logos, Ethos, and Pathos to justify the reasons for his actions against Caesar. Brutus’s main reason for killing Caesar is to stop him before he gets too powerful. As Brutus says in the story, “And therefore we think of him as a serpent’s egg which hatched, would as his kind grow mischievous, and kill him in the shell.” (II, i, 32-34). Not only does Brutus want to stop him before he gets to powerful, but he also
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
Throughout the play, Cassius finds ways to manipulate people into doing the things he wants. He persuades Brutus to join the conspirators. Brutus was on the fence about joining the conspirators when Cassius asks him. So, Cassius slips Brutus letters from “citizens” saying, “Brutus, thou sleep’st… Shall Rome, etc. Speak, strike, redress!” (II.i.48-49). This gets Brutus on board. This uses pathos to get Brutus convinced. The letters from Cassius are saying that they do not want Rome to be under one ruler. Brutus needs to fix it. Cassius uses Brutus’s raw love of Rome against him. He makes Brutus think that the people do not want Caesar, so he must do something. Cassius also uses persuasion to manipulate Casca into joining the conspirators. Casca
Marcus Brutus was a good friend to Julius Caesar, but not good enough. He had moral values dealing with Rome and its people. Brutus' values then made him join a conspiracy against Caesar put together by Cassius. Brutus joined mainly because he didn't want Caesar to turn his back on Rome so there would be a reasonable reason for killing Caesar.