Kelton Cudjoe Miss Walters AP Language and Composition 2/5/15 In William Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar, the main character, Marcus Brutus, is faced with the dilemma of a morally ambiguous situation and the discrepancy between a personal desire and a public duty. Like most literature, in general, the protagonist has to deal with an internal conflict and external conflict. This is a cliché situation because Brutus ends up undergoing a dramatic change, with the plot going from order to chaos, as in a tragedy, with a reversal of fortune bringing about the downfall of the protagonist, usually an exceptional individual, as a result of a tragic flaw in his personality. He has to choose between if it is cold-blooded murder of his best friend because of the jealousy of another man or the death of a tyrant for the greater good of a society. Brutus initially starts the play as a noble prominent figure of Rome. Even though he remains a powerful figure of Rome, He ends the play dark and cynical. He is portrayed as honest and patriotic, which the conspirators use to draw him into the plot of killing Caesar, Making him feel that it is necessary to the public. The first instance in his change is in Act 1, Scene 2 when Brutus and Cassius are talking in private. “turn the trouble of my countenance, Merely upon myself. Vexèd I am, Of late with passions of some difference, Conceptions only proper to myself, Which give some soil perhaps to my behaviors…Into what dangers would you lead me,
In tragedy plays, there is always a tragic hero who has a tragic flaw in his personality may it be excessive pride, poor judgement, or both which eventually leads to the hero’s downfall where the hero can perform no action to prevent it. In Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, Marcus Brutus is the tragic hero of the play due to his tragic flaw which is his naïve and over-trusting personality, which he eventually realizes too late and performs an action to prevent his loss of dignity.
To start off, the character Brutus alienates from his indecisive, good hearted nature into a more powerful corrupted character who easily makes decisions that may not always be based off morality. For example, in the beginning of the play Brutus shows his good-hearted character when he states, "Nor construe any further [his] neglect than that poor Brutus with himself at war forgets the show of love to other men"(Shakespeare, 1.2.45-48). Clearly, before Brutus gained power he was unsure of himself, and still wasn’t against Caesar because his heart still pushed for moral choices. Furthermore, without power Brutus did not appear to be corrupted in anyway, and rather seems to want to do everything he can for the good of Rome. While it is true, that Brutus began as an innocent it is clear that further on in the play he began to be corrupted by power and this is seen when he states, "Our course will seem too bloody, Caius Cassius, To cut the head off and then hack the limbs, Like wrath in death and envy afterwards; For Antony is but a limb of Caesar" (Shakespeare, 2.1.162-165). Obviously, Brutus quickly becomes more confident and decisive in his decisions, and is even willing to tell the other conspirators what courses of action they must take. Therefore, further proving that as Brutus gains power his arrogance, and sense of control also increase.
In the play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar the main character, Brutus, experiences many things that lead him to become a tragic hero. From the interactions between Cassius and Brutus, the two characters contract each other, Brutus’s character develops into a tragic hero, and the plot advances and a theme is also created.
In the play Julius Caesar, Shakespeare uses Characterization and miscalculation to prove show the depth of his character Brutus. He also displays many well thought-out themes in his play. An example would be ambition and conflict. Caesar is a great man, and an ambitious man. His ambition is what worries Brutus, and ultimately leads to Brutus joining the conspiracy to murder Caesar. Throughout the play, Shakespeare shows that Brutus is becoming every aspect that he feared to see in Caesar. During the play Brutus remains pure which is surprising considering that he was tricked to kill his friend and mentor Caesar.
“Julius Caesar is a play about people who make mistakes-costly ones, for themselves and their country” (Julius Caesar, Introduction line 1). This quote is from the first line of the introduction to the play of “Julius Caesar” and I think that this line is the best way to start off this essay. If we took a look at each main character in this play, except for Antony, we can see how their mistakes usually would lead to their downfalls. For example, Caesar mistake of not listening to the warnings, the omens, or even his wife telling him to stay home because she had a nightmare about him, led to his death at the Senate. Another example would be Cassius. His mistake of listening to Brutus when it came to marching down to Philippi to face Antony and Octavius’s army led to the defeat of his army and Cassius committing suicide. Now we come to the main focus of this essay which is Brutus. Some people argue that Brutus is a tragic hero and a sympathetic figure. Others argue the opposite. I believe that Brutus noble qualities led to his ignoble downfall which included failure, loss, and shame. While we read through this play we can see many examples of Brutus failures. Different occasions where he was manipulated by people he called his friends, Brutus being too trusting of others, and his sense of honor blocking his common sense. It’s safe to say that he is simple minded and in a way a coward. In this essay I am going to first do an inspection of Brutus, a breakdown his
As the play opens, Brutus is known as a Roman nobleman and a member of one of the most illustrious families in Rome. He is first seen in Act I, scene ii, as one of Caesar’s “close friends” who is part of his entourage. But while alone with Cassius he is persuaded into taking a part in the assassination of Caesar. He is weary at first, and it seems as though it took Cassius some time to talk him into agreeing, yet Brutus looked at Caesar as some type of threat as well.
Brutus’s character goes from a well respected and honored man to a traitor in a few short acts. Brutus is introduced to the audience with a bang, quite literally, as the city of Rome celebrates Caesar’s triumphs. This dramatic entrance fits Brutus’s personality and growth over the play. Brutus struggles with a love for country and a love for a man in Scene 2, “I know no personal cause to spurn at [Caesar], / But for the general. He would be crown’d: / How that might change his nature, there’s the question” (JC 2.1.11-13). Brutus is more afraid of what might happen if Caesar is crowned King to realize that Caesar is still the man that Brutus knows. In the end, Brutus chooses his fear of the future and Caesar falls, knowing the man he considered a son had betrayed him. Brutus’s lack of empathy with Caesar causes much of the tension in the later half of the play. Brutus acknowledges his choice to kill his paternal figure here, “Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome / more” (JC 3.2.23-24). Brutus sees himself as connected to the people of Rome through his love for them but fails to see how the plebeians loved noble Caesar. He also fails to see the implications of his actions on his loved ones.
For several centuries, tragedy is one of the many popular genres of literature. In every tragedy, there is a tragic hero who makes an error that leads to their own downfall. William Shakespeare is known to have written many tragedies, which includes Julius Caesar. Due to the many downfalls of numerous characters during the play, it consequently led to arguments about who the tragic hero is. Some critics argued that Julius Caesar, who the play is named after, is the tragic hero while others reason that Marcus Brutus is the tragic hero. However, through the analysis of two essays “Julius Caesar- A Tragic Hero” and Toby Le’s “The Tragic Hero of Julius Caesar”, it became evident that Marcus Brutus is the tragic hero of the play because he demonstrates several characteristics: a tragic dilemma, tragic flaw, downfall, and an epiphany. Considering the main points explained in both of these essays, I am also persuaded that Brutus’s character best fits the standards of a tragic hero.
In the beginning of the play, we meet Brutus, a highly respected, much loved, senator of Rome. He loved Rome as a republic and he has a good life until he is led astray by Cassius. When he becomes embroiled in the assassination of Caesar, he is very reluctant to do so. In the way he acted, you could tell he has sleepless nights over what he should do. He decided to kill Caesar for
In the play of Julius Caesar Brutus is the most sympathetic character because he murders Caesar for the good of Rome. Brutus is persuaded by Cassius to kill Caesar and Brutus was a noble Roman. In the final scene Mark antony describes Brutus as the noblest Roman of them all, for this he is the only conspirator who acted for the good of Rome. Brutus think if he kill Caesar Rome will be safe, he did not kill caesar because of ambition he murder Caesar of loyalty to Rome.
Brutus is the most beloved and noble character in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. Whether you see him as good or bad is based solely upon the way you interpret what he does in this play. He plays a role in killing Caesar, yes, but in his eyes he was doing it for the good of Rome. Still, is that good enough of a reason to turn against your friend? In this play, Brutus shows incredible character development as he transforms from this honorable man into one of the leaders of the conspirators; a change for the best and the worst.
Marcus Brutus function in the play is to kill Caesar and win over the people of Rome. He believes that Caesar will become a tyrant and enslave the people. When he says, “Than that poor Brutus, with himself at war, Forgets the shows of love to other men,” we start to realize his decision to stab Caesar in the back wasn’t an easy one (1.2.51-53). As the reader, we get to know him through his soliloquies that his motives that drove him to action. Brutus had an internal conflict between his loyalty to Rome and to his friend, who seems to care for power rather the people.
Every character in Julius Caesar serves a purpose. While some characters are not featured heavily in the main plot, they serve as a means by which the author can illuminate aspects of the main characters, which are important to the plot development and overall depth of the story. Some of the more prominent characters that do this are Calpurnia, Caesar’s wife; Portia, Brutus’ wife; and Lucius, Brutus’ young servant. Lucius highlights Brutus’ affectionate side, Portia illuminates the issues growing in Brutus’ personal life and Calpurnia brings out Caesar’s pride.
In a play, there are always heroes and villains. A hero is someone who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievement, and has noble qualities. In Julius Caesar, Brutus is an example of this. Despite the death of Caesar, Brutus is a hero. This shows when he is noble, honest, and admired by other characters in the play.
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