William Shakespeare 's ' The Band Of Brotherhood '

Cassius’s thinking is that when Caesar falls, Antony is not to be trusted and will most likely seek revenge. However, Brutus once again disagrees with Cassius’s opinion thinking that Antony is an honorable man who, without Caesar, is too weak to actually take revenge against them. Brutus and Cassius’s contradicting thoughts on Antony are shown when Brutus says,

Unlike Cassius, Brutus is always doing what he feels is best for the Romans. In addition, Cassius feels inferior to Brutus. Brutus has much power from the people and is friends with the soon-to-be king, which is why Cassius is so desperate to have Brutus on his side. Once he persuades Brutus to join him, he shifts from being the leader of the conspirators to the subordinate of Brutus. For instance, Brutus gives Antony permission to speak at the funeral, even though this went against Cassius’ own will. Lastly, Cassius is quick to make decisions but Brutus analyzes things before coming to a final decision. It takes Brutus many days of agony to finally agree that joining Cassius was the right thing to do. In contrast, Cassius spends only a few seconds to decide on committing suicide. Directly after Pindarus says, “Now they are almost on him… And hark they shout for joy,” Cassius kills himself. (Act V Scene III Lines 31, 34) He is quick minded, not realizing that Brutus has actually not been captured.

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.

In Act I, Scene 2, the purpose of Cassis’ speech is to persuade Brutus to distrust Caesar, and to join him in a conspiracy against Caesar. In his speech to Brutus, Cassius uses a variety of persuasive and rhetorical devices to persuade Brutus to join his cause against Caesar. Cassius is desperate to have Brutus on his side because of his close relation to Caesar and great respect and trust from the people of Rome. The tone of Cassius’ speech to Brutus is introduced with Cassius appealing to Brutus’ sense of responsibility towards Rome. Cassius tells Brutus that he has, “Heard where many of the best respect in Rome, except immortal Caesar, speaking of Brutus and groaning underneath this age’s yoke, have wished that noble Brutus had his eyes” (I.ii.64-68). Cassius tells Brutus that he is admired by Rome, appealing to Brutus’ value of putting Rome ahead of himself. Cassius uses knowledge of this value to his advantage in his speech, insisting that killing Caesar will be for the good of Rome. Cassius also introduces his speech by persuading Brutus that he is honorable and can be trusted. Cassius tells Brutus that, “Honor is the subject of my story”(I.ii.99). This appeals to the speaker Cassius’ credibility and has an ethical appeal on Brutus, or ethos. This appeal is effective because it connects with something that Brutus values, honor. In Cassius’ speech to Brutus, he uses a comparison comparing Caesar to a Colossus saying, “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 ourselves dishonorable graves”(I.ii.142-144). Cassius is using an analogy comparing Caesar to Colossus, which was a large statue. Cassius again uses Brutus’ value of honor to persuade when he tells Brutus that if Caesar is in power, he and Brutus will die dishonorable deaths. During the time period, an honorable death was very important to noble Romans, especially Brutus. When Cassius is comparing the two names Brutus and Caesar, he uses the strategy of asking rhetorical questions. “Brutus and Caesar: what should be in that ‘Caesar?’ Why should that name be sounded more than yours?(I.ii.149-151).” Cassius also asks, “Upon what meat doth this our Caesar feed that he

Cassius contrasts Brutus by being power hungry. It shows just how trustworthy Brutus is. The text states, “You yourself are much condemned to have an itching palm to sell and mart your offices for gold to under servers.” This shows how Cassius was taking bribes. The text also states, “That struck the foremost man of all this world but for supporting robbers.” This shows how Brutus is upset with Cassius taking bribes.

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.

Once Cassius gets what he wants, Brutus to be on his side, they and some others begin to plan how they will get to Caesar and kill him. Then when Brutus agrees to join the conspiracy to annihilate Caesar, it is the beginning of him becoming the villain. He is still the hero though; he only joined the conspiracy for the good of Rome. "This was the noblest Roman of them all. All the conspirators save only he / Did that they did in envy of great Caesar. He only in a general honest thought / And common good to all, made one of them".. This quote is said by Antony at the end of the play. In that scene, he and Caesar's adopted son, Octavius have seen Brutus's dead body. They have seen the good in Brutus and have noticed that he has acted out of his love for Rome." ...not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more" . That was part of the speech Brutus gave to the citizens after he and the other conspirators killed Caesar. This was the last act Brutus did before he started becoming more of a villain. This quote and the quote Antony says at the end of the play are the same. They both are saying how Brutus didn't really want to kill Caesar. He just felt like he had no choice, he saw that what Caesar was doing was changing Rome.

To begin with, Brutus is too trusting of those around him. Brutus’s friend Cassius recognizes that Brutus is driven by what is best for Rome. Because of this Cassius devises a plan to plant a fake petition from the people of Rome stating that Caesar needs to be executed. Brutus never even questions that the petition is real. After reading the petition Brutus’ response is:

They both share long conversation together that shows Brutus’ gullibility. Brutus is gullible for having a strong stance to be on Caesar’s side in the beginning of their conversation; however, throughout of the process of them talking, he falls into Cassius’ trap of plotting against Caesar. This first starts off with Brutus stating “I love him well” when is asked by Cassius how he feels about Caesar (I, ii, 82). Here Brutus is clearing taking a stand for Caesar in front of Cassius. This is only at the beginning of the speech where one will find Brutus being on the side of Caesar since after this Cassius will sway him adrift. Cassius is first able to do this by saying “ ‘Brutus,’ and ‘Caesar.’ What should be in that ‘Caesar’/Why should that name be sounded more than yours” (I, ii,142). Here Cassius is comparing their names. He trying to get Brutus to see himself has the same as Caesar by also following with “write them together; your is as fair a name” (I, ii,143). This gets Brutus listening to Cassius and considering why he is not as valued as Caesar. Consequently, Brutus’ walls are being taken down on how he originally felt on Caesar. Yet, Cassius takes it a step forward into trapping Brutus with his words by bringing up his ancestors. Cassius builds confidence in him by saying “There was a Brutus once that would have brooked/ the eternal devil to keep his state in Rome/ As easily as a king” (I, ii, 195-161). Here he states a story of Brutus’ ancestor who took care of and protected Rome. At this point in their conversation, Brutus as goon from being on Caesars side to being on plan to take Ceasar down; nevertheless, Brutus’ change has been sparked by Cassius comparing them along with boosting his confidence. This showing how gullibly Brutus is. This gullibility then translates to a bad potential leader since it often puts much pressure on others that

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).

This also utilizes Cassius’ sullen behavior to accentuate Brutus’ unbiased and unprejudiced opinions. It supports the idea that Brutus is a fantastic decision maker because it reveals his apathetic nature. In addition to this, an example of the differences in the emotions of Brutus and Cassius is displayed when Brutus attempts to bury the death of Portia in his mind, “Speak no more of her.—Give me a bowl of wine.—/ In this I bury all unkindness, Cassius” (4.3.163-164). This asserts Brutus’ progressive nature because he wishes to move forward from Portia’s death. This sharply contrasts the pessimistic nature of Cassius. It juxtaposes the two to increase Brutus’ credibility as a leader. Likewise, Cassius is displayed as a foil to Brutus when he declares to Brutus what would happen if he was in charge: “Flatterers! Now, Brutus, you have only yourself to thank. / Antony wouldn’t be here to offend us today if you’d listened to me earlier” (5.1.47-49). This represents the violence and hatred inside Cassius’ heart. It contrasts this vengeful personality to Brutus’ forgiving and considerate nature. This portrays Brutus as an even more noble and honorable man because it points out his benevolence and affection for the people of Rome. Cassius and Brutus are on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to their motivations and personalities, but they still manage to bring out the best in each other in various

Julius Caesar Act I Graphic Organizer Name Character Notes Important Quotes Evidence of Loyalty (to whom?) Flavius Annoyed with the crowd because they are too fickle. “Let no images be hung with Caesar’s loyalty. I’ll about and drive away the vulgar from the streets.”

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

At the start of the timelessly classic play, Julius Caesar was in the final stages of parlaying his military prowess and growing cult of personality into enthronement as the long absent autocrat of Rome. His brother-in-arms, Marcus Brutus, after fighting at Caesar’s side for so long, was forced to weigh his loyalty to Caesar against his loyalty to Rome, setting the stage for the troubling events to come. As Caesar’s divine right to rule and infallibility were trumpeted throughout Rome, others were not so convinced of his purity and worthiness. Cassius, a dissident Senator, opened Brutus’ eyes to the circumstances unfolding before them and to what could be lost should Caesar take the throne. Cassius voiced his opposition strongly, saying: