Brutus Betraying Caesar Rhetorical Analysis

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).

In Act One Scene 1, Cassius had created a secret club of people to over-run Julius Caesar. Cassius did this because he wasn’t fond of Caesar’s actions. Cassius, Cinna, and Casca want Brutus to join because he is very popular and wealthy. Many people look up to Brutus. It’s possible that if Brutus joins the club, his followers would support him and help over-run Caesar, they’re going to need as much support as they can get. “Three parts of him ours already, and the man entire upon the next encounter, yield him ours.” Act 1, Scene 3, PG.30)

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 The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare’s characters Brutus and Mark Antony present eulogy speeches to the Roman masses. Brutus attempts to comfort the people by using logos and explaining that Caesar deserved his death as he became a tyrant. Antony, on the other hand, employs pathos when pointing out that Caesar was a just man and ruler who did not deserve death. Both of the men use ethos in their speeches to appeal to their listeners but Antony is far more successful in his application of this rhetorical strategy which sets the pace for what happens following the two speeches.

Brutus is torn between is love for his friend Caesar and what his friend Cassius feels is best for the country. It isn’t fate that is keeping them from acting but from their own weaknesses.

“It’s easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.” -Mark Twain. Brutus would of never believed that he has been manipulated into his actions. Brutus was always blinded at the fact that his actions towards people were wrong. Brutus was one of Caesar's good and trusted friends. Cassius, not a huge fan of Caesar, did not like the idea of Caesar as king, for his weaknesses and had a plan to assassinate Caesar. As the leader, he believed Brutus would be a good member for the group for being respected and well-liked by the citizens of Rome. Cassius was able to manipulate him into joining the conspirators. After the assassination of Caesar all his respect from the citizens started to fade away. Antony, a very good friend of Caesar, was able to turn Rome against Brutus. Due to all the hatred from the citizens, he had to flee town and fight a war against Antony and Rome. After losing the war, his wife , and everything he once had, he committed suicide to avoid being killed by an enemy. In William Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar, Brutus tragic flaw of being gullible and patriotic caused him to murder a devoted friend and betrayed Rome's trust.

Brutus is a betrayer,because he did not think of another way of helping his friend other than killing him and he did not do it fully for Rome.You can say that these are untrue because he was doing it for Rome and because he loved Caesar but I can prove these wrong.As I said before,it was true he did say"I don’t, Cassius, though I love Caesar very much."But if he truly did love Caesar,murder would have not been the first answer.If he really did worry about his friend letting the power go to his head.He would have found a way to prevent that,and keep his friend steady.This would have allowed him to watch over and keep his precious Rome safe,while keeping his friend.If he was truly,Caesar's friend he would have done anything to help keep his friend out of the danger and in the right frame of mind.He also states that"-it’s not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more"If you had a friend,who you truly and dearly loved,wouldn't you have put their friendship and them before a huge amount of strangers,that do nothing for you?Yes,it's fine that he loved Rome,but that is not worth putting your friendship over.This shows that Brutus never truly loved Caesar,and those are not the standards of a patriot but instead a

His conflict between his loyalty to his friend and his country is shown throughout the play. Brutus says, “Since Cassius first did whet me against Caesar, I have not slept.” (Shakespeare 801, 1.2.61-63) which demonstrates that he could not and would not kill Caesar without having good cause for doing so. A look at Brutus’s selfless reasons for turning against his friend Caesar shows that he is a patriot and not a traitor.

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.

Brutus also frequently demonstrated many acts of affection toward others. In Act 1, Scene 2, he is reluctant to join Cassius's conspiracy because he did not want to betray Caesar. He had to weigh his choices and in Act 3, Scene 2, Brutus kills Caesar only because he is afraid of what will happen to Rome if Caesar remains ruler. He knew the commoners’

In the play, Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare uses rhetorical devices antithesis, rhetorical question, and anaphora, in Brutus’ speech to Plebeians to convince them that killing Caesar was the right choice. Brutus uses antithesis to justify the conspirators’ actions towards Caesar to the Plebeians. Using antithesis, Brutus convinces the Plebeians that keeping the Roman Empire is more important. Brutus declares, “Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more” (3.2.23). This example of antithesis helps to justify their actions by conveying the idea that Brutus cares more about Rome.

Heather Brewer said, “The worst pain in the world goes beyond the physical. Even further

Some may call Brutus a betrayer just do to the fact that he joined the conspiracy, but it was the way he joined that says a lot about his character. Originally when Cassius asked Brutus to join him and the conspiracy Brutus turned him down and said that killing Cesar would be too harsh. Cassius was trying to kill Caesar out of hate and jealousy but fooled Brutus into thinking it was for the good of Rome. Cassius had Cinna put notes in Brutus’ chair, on Brutus’ window, and also on the statues of Brutus’ ancestors. After reading the notes Brutus is convinced that Caesar must be killed because he wants to be crowned, and if Caesar is crowned he will have the power to do bad things to the Roman people and he can’t

In act 2, scene 1, Brutus is finally introduced to the group of conspirators; in this act we notice the first mistake Brutus makes. "Alas good Cassius do not think of him. If he loves Caesar, all that he can is to himself, take thought, and die for Caesar. And that were much he should, for he is given to sports, to wilderness, and much company." Brutus believes he has only to explain his reasons for killing Caesar and everyone will accept them.

Cassius wants to kill Antony but Brutus is an honorable man who wants to do what is best for Rome. Brutus’ intention was to help the Republic, but it starts to fail when Caesar is killed. Brutus kills Caesar to help Rome and does not kill Antony because he does not want to be viewed as bloody butchers. “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: Let’s be sacrificers, but not butchers, Caius.” (61) If Brutus had killed Antony, Antony would not have become a tyrant and turn the people against the conspirators. The fall of the conspirators began when Brutus lets Antony speak at the