Tragic Hero
The play Julius Caesar was written by William Shakespeare around 1599. The play is about the actual events of the death of Julius Caesar and the conspiracy around it. The play revolves around the Caesar's death and the men who killed him. The main characters are Julius Caesar, Marcus Antonius (Mark Antony), Cassius, and Marcus Brutus. Although the play is titled Julius Caesar, it is really about the most honorable Brutus, who is the tragic hero. A tragic hero is a person that is honorable and is born of noble birth or has a noble upbringing. Like everyone, they have a flaw that makes them who they are, even though they are a hero. The flaw will tend to be the downfall of the hero, thus the tragedy part of his heroism. Brutus
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He thought Antony would not speak out against Brutus since Caesar is dead, so he lets him live. Brutus said Antony “ For Antony is but a limb of Caesar….for he can do no more than Caesar's arm when Caesar's head is off.” (2.1.165-182). He believed that they should only kill Caesar for justice and there would be no reason to kill Antony also. “He insisted in the first place that they should act only with strict justice.” (Simmons, 64). Brutus also made a massive mistake when he let Antony speak at Caesar's funeral. Brutus convinced all the plebeians that Caesar's assassination would benefit them and Rome, but he let Antony speak. Antony was able to convince them that Brutus and the conspirators were wrong and no more than low down bloody backstabbers. Brutus and the conspirators had to flee, because Antony was so effective at convincing the crowd they were evil. The third choice Brutus made that lead to his demise was his declaration of victory before the battle was won. His troops quit fighting and started to plunder and raid the countryside before the battle was really over. Also Cassius was losing his battle, but Brutus did not go help him. Brutus wanted to kill Caesar for the Republic. He believed if Caesar was assassinated Rome would not have to fall under the oppression of another tyrannical ruler and have to fight against him to restore order. He believed that the means of protecting Rome justified the cause. Brutus plan was overturned though by Antony's speech and the uprising of the people against Brutus. He was killed and the Republic
Clearly, Brutus thinks that by killing Antony alongside Caesar, the conspirators will be seen as butchers. Brutus’s idealism backfires against him as Antony later takes revenge against the conspirators for killing Caesar.
“And you shall speak/ in the same pulpit whereto I am going. / After my speech is ended” (945). This is a bad decision on his part because by allowing Antony to speak last, he has allowed Antony to use his words against him. As seen in the text, it is much easier to persuade when speaking last than when speaking first. After being chased out of Rome alongside Cassius, another misfortune is his fight with him over money problems. Brutus claims that Cassius has become greedy. He is furious that Cassius is not helping him even though they are allies. However, the money that Brutus wants is actually the money that Cassius is taking from the soldiers who buy their ranks. While he could just as easily do the same, he defines himself as too noble a person to do such a thing. “Let me tell you, Cassius, you yourself/ Are much condemned to have an itching palm” (966). Cassius is offended, and tells Brutus that he should be glad that they are allies. Brutus’ enlightenment occurs around the time he commits suicide. Right before his demise, with his final dying breath, he mentions Caesar to put him at ease. “Farewell, good Strato – Caesar, now be still; / I killed thee with half so good a will” (997).
The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare is a tale not completely focused on Julius Caesar himself. But is instead focused more on the conspirators that surrounded him. Julius Caesar is unwilling to believe several warnings that could have saved his life, Julius Caesar ends up being murdered after ignoring all of the warnings, everyone has a different view of Julius Caesar. A tragic hero is a character of high standing in society that has a flaw that leads to their downfall and must feel enlightened in the end. Julius Caesar is a tragic hero.
Brutus did not want to kill Caesar at first, but through the persuasion of Cassius and the conspirators, he eventually decides to fall into the group's views. Brutus is easily persuaded by the thoughts of the conspiracy. Consequently, he determines to unite with the association wanting the death of Caesar quickly. Brutus
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.
As Brutus explains as to why he killed Caesar the citizens start to be on brutus's side because he said “if I had not kill him they all would rather have caeser living and they all die slaves”-Logic. Even though it was a hard decision for him to make he made the right one and it was because he loved him that he killed him Brutus loved Caesar more than anyone else, but he love rome more and was willing to make the sacrifice to save the people of rome from
He finally stood up and took it upon himself to murder Caesar because Caesar was leading Rome to its destruction. He didn’t feel good after killing his best friend. He actually had guilt after killing him. Brutus believed that the only way to “save” Rome was to kill and get rid of Caesar. He didn’t have another option and thought rationally when making this decision.
Brutus is a friend of Caesar who is torn about what he must do. Caesar is ambitious and wanting the crown so as to rule Rome. However, Cassius, a friend of Brutus, plants seeds of discord into Brutus and Brutus, through his own reasoning, realizes that there is only one thing he can do. Kill Caesar and know he saved Rome by doing so. “What means this shouting?
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
Centuries after the murder of a rising dictator, students, historians, and linguists alike continue to study the death of Julius Caesar as immortalized by William Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. In this tragedy, Shakespeare examines the days preceding Caesar’s downfall, and the aftermath that ensues. The tragedy describes Marcus Brutus, a character with noble and honorable intentions, influenced by Cassius to support a conspiracy against an ambitious politician, Julius Caesar. Brutus, Cassius, and other conspirators succeed in ending Caesar’s life, but are forced to flee when Rome turns against them. Much controversy has arisen over who is the tragic hero of the play. A tragic hero is a noble character who, despite his greatness, is led to destruction by his own fatal flaw. Although many argue Brutus is the tragic hero due to his prominent role in the play and his heroic, yet flawed, character, Shakespeare remains justified in the naming of his play. In Shakespeare’s accurately titled tragedy, Julius Caesar, rather than Brutus, remains the tragic hero of the play due to his heroic qualities, his fatal flaw, and Brutus’ ineligibility as the tragic hero.
Cassius reminds him, “Oh, you and I have heard our fathers say there was a Brutus once that would have brooked the eternal devil to keep his state in Rome as easily as a king” (Shakespeare 787, 1.2.158-161). It is important to Brutus that the Roman people see him as a protector of the republic like they saw his ancestors, not as a murderer without cause. Brutus explains to Cassius that they must kill Caesar to save Rome, but they must not kill Antony too, “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 us be sacrificers, but not butchers, Caius.” (Shakespeare 805,
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.
All things considered, Brutus made the right decision to join the conspirators against Caesar. Throughout his speech Brutus gives valid points and explanations for why Caesar must never become king. The fate of the Roman Empire can not rest in the hands of Caesar alone, therefore Brutus and the other Conspirators plan to be sure of that. They confirm that Caesar will never get a chance to be king by killing him. Brutus Provides adequate information on the assassination of Julius Caesar, and as to why it is the right thing for him to
Julius Caesar is a work of art by William Shakespeare in 1599. Within this play Julius Caesar is portrayed as a tragic hero. A tragic hero is defined as “the main character of a tragedy [who is] usually dignified, courageous, and high ranking” (novel study guide). Also vital to defining a tragic hero is that, “the hero’s downfall is caused by a tragic flaw” ( novel study guide). It is very evident that Julius Caesar in William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar is a tragic hero given that he is of noble stature, has a fatal flaw and comes to an unhappy end.
Brutus made an overwhelming amount of decisions based on the good of Rome, not contemplating how it could affect or hurt himself or those around him. One example of this is after Brutus and the conspirators killed Brutus he gave a speech. In this speech he said, “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.” (3.2.20-22). This quote is saying that the reason Brutus killed Caesar was not because he disliked him, but because he thought it was for the good of Rome. Brutus made this decision solely based on patriotism. He never thought about the effects or consequences it