Brutus Is Julius Caesar Tragic Hero

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.

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is one of the better known, yet lesser understood theater installments by William Shakespeare in the Sixteenth Century. The play was first performed September 21, 1599 in the Globe Theatre in London, England. In the play there are many different and unique characters, some complex, some simple. Marcus Junius Brutus the Younger, better known as Brutus, is one of the characters in the play and the protagonist of the play. Brutus is introduced fairly early in the play, Act I, Scene II to be specific. Brutus is one of the characters on the more complex side. Shakespeare developed the character of

In Brutus’ speech he uses many kinds of rhetorical strategies to convince the audience of Rome he did it for them. One of the types of rhetorical strategies he uses is ethos. Brutus states that if Caesar was still alive, they would have lost their freedom. Brutus states, “believe me for mine honor, have respect for my honor, that you may believe” then after he admits that he was one of the killers and the did it for Rome and the citizens. He also talks about how Caesar was becoming a king like figure and how he killed Caesar for Rome and if his death is needed he to is willing to die for Rome.Another strategie Brutus uses is pathos to touch the angry emotion of the citizen by stating, ¨Mark Antony,who thought he had no hand in his death, shall receive the benefits”and “a place in the commonwealth; as which you shall not.”

Brutus's poor decision-making and faults bring about his downfall, though they alone are not totally responsible. Brutus' decision to exempt Antony and let him make a speech in Caesar's funeral incites the crowd to go against the conspirators. This brings Antony to great power, which he then uses to pursue all the conspirators. Brutus's dire decisions bring about many misfortunes for Brutus. The first tragedy Brutus encounters is the disturbing death of his beloved wife, Portia,

Brutus and Caesar were once best friends but had differing views on the best future for Rome. This not only drove them apart, but led Brutus to participate in Caesar’s assassination. Caesar was going to be crowned dictator for life and Brutus knew that he would “rather be a villager/ Than to repute himself a son of Rome/Under these hard conditions at this time /Is like to lay upon us” (I.ii.180-184). Brutus knows that if Caesar receives that amount of political power that comes with being a dictator, he will become even more power-hungry and egotistical. This causes Brutus to make the very difficult decision to join in the conspiracy of Senators that were planning to kill Caesar. His decision also marks a point of no return, Brutus would

In 1599 Shakespeare wrote the play Julius caesar. The main character of the play Brutus as he represents a tragic hero. being a tragic hero means. He is above us but human And he falls from a high place, He struggles against his own fate, he is guilty of a fatal flaw (honor), he has an epiphany, and by the end of the play, he is dead

Brutus argues that swearing an oath would “stain the even virtue of our enterprise” (2.1.137). Brutus invokes the idea that if they swear an oath they may resemble cowards, and as noble Romans, which Brutus claims they are, they should not swear an oath. In this speech, Brutus displays a certain confidence that what the conspirators are doing is noble and good. However, after Metellus suggests recruiting Cicero to the conspiracy in order to give the murder of Caesar a better chance of being approved of by the people after the act, Brutus says, “let us not break with him, for he will never follow anything that other men begin”(2.1.156). Brutus’s decision to exclude Cicero is alarming, either he feels that Cicero will not follow the conspiracy as Brutus has laid it out, or he (Cicero) will himself claim leadership of the conspiracy, and speak in its favor after the murder.

This could mean he knows what he has done, however thinks it will better Rome. The significance of this is that Brutus would not have killed Caesar for personal reasons. The text refers to Brutus saying, “For let the gods so speed me as I love the name of honor more than I fear death” (Shakespeare 6). This explains that Brutus is honest in saying honor is the most important thing to him. The quote is significant because without honesty, the people would not believe his reason for killing

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.

“You shall not in your funeral speech blame us, but speak all good you can devise of Caesar” (Act III Scene I Line 245-246), by relenting and allowing Mark Antony to speak with a set of rules, Brutus trusts the plebeians will side with the conspirators. However when Antony delivers a heartfelt speech, using his clever wording and tone of voice to convey his message, the common people rise up against the conspirators. This causes Brutus to leave Rome where he makes his final fatal fault.

The play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, has two main tragic heroes. Set in Rome and spanning from forty- four to forty-two B.C., the play tells of Brutus and Caesar whom both fall from the highest positions to the lowest of misfortune and then are enlightened on their mistakes. Brutus is the stronger example of a tragic hero in this story. Throughout this play, Brutus commits many faults, falls more drastically than all other characters, and regrets his previous actions by the end of the play.

In the play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar written by William Shakespeare, Marcus Brutus is proven to be the most noble tragic hero there is. A tragic hero is someone who is born of noble birth and who suffers a catastrophe, which definitely defines Brutus. “Caesar you can rest now. I didn’t kill you half as willingly” (Shakespeare 5.5.56-57) is one of the most important quotes said by Brutus to end the tragedy of the play.

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

Throughout the play Julius Caesar, Shakespeare examines themes of power throughout, as well as letting your true colors show. Towards the end of the play, Brutus is able to show this theme perfectly while in the beginning, Brutus is thought as someone who is unsure and insecure. He is also an exception to this ongoing theme. But as the play progresses and Brutus becomes true to himself, giving in to the tempting power that appears to be reachable, he becomes the epitome of this theme. It becomes clear to Brutus that Caesar is not what’s best for Rome, in fact, he is the reason that it is falling apart. However, because it is already embedded into his mind by his good friend Cassius, he believes that the only way to fix this situation is to kill Caesar. This pivot into a more narcissistic version of himself is gradual, while him agreeing with killing Caesar is sudden. In the beginning of Julius Caesar, Brutus is insecure, but as the play progresses and he gives in to Cassius’ manipulation and his own hidden thirst for power, Brutus

Right after refusing the oath Brutus makes another mistake, he ignores Cassius suggestion of including Cicero out of the group. Cicero was a well-known public speaker and Senator, allegedly he would have been able to bring his mature manor to help the conspirators make decisions. After ruling Cicero out, Cassius continues to plan. When Mark Antony is brought up Cassius suggest killing him because he is loyal to Caesar, and that if Caesar dies Mark Antony would potentially be dangerous. Brutus is opposed to the idea of killing Antony because it would seem cruel to kill them both.