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Comparing characters julius caesar essay
Comparing characters julius caesar essay
Comparing characters julius caesar essay
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William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Julius Caesar, is based on the plot against and the assassination of the ancient Roman general, Julius Caesar. After being stabbed twenty-three times by Roman senators for conspiring against Rome, Caesar is buried and at his funeral, two of his closest associates, Brutus and Marc Antony, present speeches which provide their perspectives on Caesar’s death. Brutus justifies his role in Caesar’s assassination and Antony counters Brutus’s allegations. Although both delivered strong, well-constructed speeches, Brutus’s use of pathos, ethos, and rhetorical questions is far more effective than Antony’s. Brutus’s appeal to the audience’s emotions of guilt is much more convincing, compared to Antony’s. “Had you rather Caesar were living, and die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live all free men?” (113). Brutus claims that if Caesar would’ve lived he would’ve deprived the people of their freedom and ruled with an iron fist. He appeals to the audience’s feelings of guilt AND fear by making those who supported Caesar feel as if …show more content…
“With this I depart, that, as I slew my best lover for the good of Rome. I have the same dagger for myself, when it shall please my country to need my death” (113). Brutus declares that he would be willing to kill himself if he were to ever threaten the good of Rome. By declaring his own sacrifice, he establishes his credibility as a true protector and patriot of Rome. Whereas, Antony’s credibility is weakened by his own argument. “Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest, come I to speak in Caesar’s funeral. He was my friend, faithful, and just to me” (114). Antony builds on his credibility by saying that although he was below Caesar, he was still his friend and he was still treated fairly. Nonetheless, being Caesar’s friend would lead to some amount of bias, therefore diminishing Antony’s credibility, rather than strengthen
Shakespeare’s complex play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar contains several tragic heroes; a tragic hero holds high political or social esteem yet possesses an obvious character flaw. This discernible hubris undoubtedly causes the character’s demise or a severe forfeiture, which forces the character to undergo an unfeigned moment of enlightenment and shear reconciliation. Brutus, one of these tragic heroes, is a devout friend of the great Julius Caesar, that is, until he makes many execrable decisions he will soon regret; he becomes involved in a plot to kill the omniscient ruler of Rome during 44 B.C. After committing the crime, Mark Antony, an avid, passionate follower of Caesar, is left alive under Brutus’s orders to take his revenge on the villains who killed his beloved Caesar. After Antony turns a rioting Rome on him and wages war against him and the conspirators, Brutus falls by his own hand, turning the very sword he slaughtered Caesar with against himself. Brutus is unquestionably the tragic hero in this play because he has an innumerable amount of character flaws, he falls because of these flaws, and then comes to grips with them as he bleeds on the planes of Philippi.
In the Shakespearean play Julius Caesar, the speech recited by Mark Anthony for Caesar’s death was far superior to Brutus’s because it appealed to the audience's primal emotion while simultaneously relating
Brutus emerges as the most ambiguous and complex character in Julius Caesar and is also the play’s tragic hero. In his soliloquies the audience gains insight into the complexities of his motives. In Brutus’s first soliloquy he states “It must be by his death and for my part I know no personal cause to spurn at him But for the general”(Act 2,scene 1, Julius Caesar). This highlights the internal struggle brutus is going through. He loved Caesar as a friend but yet he loved Rome more, he had to make a decision to kill his best friend for the good of the Roman empire.
Since the people knew Caesar because of his friendliness and how nice he was to people he was able to get sympathy for his death. When the people remembered how good he was at one point they wanted to get vengeance on the conspirators,Antony had used persuasion and reverse psychology with the crowd to get mad at the conspirators. Brutus had not connected to the people as well because he did not give as much sympathy about Caesar's Death , and what he will give in return. Antony had touched the people when he sad said that he had money and land for the people of rome but he did not want to read it because it would make them made. Once that had hit there was no way Brutus could fight back against Antony's
Brutus was like a brother to Caesar and Caesar loved him. The day of the murder came as a complete shock to Caesar, but when he saw Brutus sulk in with a dagger Caesar’s heart was shattered; Caesar wept, “Eh tu, Bruté?-Then falls Caesar” (3.1.79). Brutus had slain a friend of whom had done nothing wrong to him. The connection they had once held had been abolished forever. Brutus’s justification for his harsh actions was, “[...]not that I/ loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more” (3.2.20-21). Nevertheless, this justification would not be enough for the ghost of Caesar who returned in act 4 and went into Brutus’s tent to warn, “ [...] thou shalt see me at Philipi” (4.3.287). Caesar would not conceal the betrayal he felt from Brutus. When the day at Philipi came, the ghost upheld his promise. Loyal Antony and Octavius overroad the conspirators’ troops and Brutus was left to fall on his sword. Brutus had broken Caesar’s trust when Brutus turned against his emperor. Brutus’s final words are, “Caesar, now be still,/ I killed not thee with half so good a will” (5.5.51-52). This noble Roman ended up dead with the guilt that he had betrayed a dear friend all because he disregarded the power of
Caesar is dead, Brutus’ army is marching to certain death, and Antony is ready take over all of Rome with an iron fist. Around 2 months ago, normally completely unacceptable idea was about to become a reality. Cassius convinces Brutus that Julius Caesar, his best friend, needs to be killed for the better of Rome. One decision, strewn by ego and arrogance, led to the total destruction of Rome and the death of so many people. Although, there were many signs that predicted this calamity, but to none was any attention given because of the receiver’s arrogance. Despite many seemingly unmistakable forewarnings of impending disaster, the inconceivable arrogance, displayed by key conspirators, Julius Caesar, and his supporters, hindered their ability to perceive and respond to those signs in Julius Caesar.
By nature, the crowd of Romans will be more concerned with their personal safety than the death of their ruler. Antony appeals to his personal experiences and friendship with Caesar in a touching, personal, primarily pathetic argument; on the other hand, Brutus appeals to the Roman citizens directly by presenting himself as their protector against Caesar, a threat to their safety and liberty. Therefore, in terms of effectiveness, Brutus reaches his audience on a much more personal and convincing level with his argument than Antony was able to with his account of his friendship and life with
Written one year apart from the other, one cannot fail to recognize the parallels between William Shakespeare's tragedies Julius Caesar and Hamlet. To begin, they are both stories of assassinations gone horribly wrong. Although the details of the plays are different, the two assassins (Brutus and Hamlet) provide interesting comparison. Through these two killers, Shakespeare reveals the different levels of justice; one’s personal sense of justice; others’ perception of justice; the justice of the monarchy that supports Shakespeare’s craft. Through this, the audience realizes that a just person is not always a humble one, a condition that may turn out to be a fatal flaw in the end. When a man decides to play God by taking justice into his own hands, the world can unravel much more quickly than he had ever imagined.
Brutus made his speech effective in persuading the people by using tone and rhetorical devices. Brutus was compassionate when referring to how he loved Caesar as much as Caesar`s friends of his speech. Brutus was showing compassion on lines18 - 20 when he said, "If there be any in this assembly, any dear friend of Caesar's, to him I say that Brutus's love to Caesar was no less than his." Brutus said this to help the people understand the sorrow he felt for the loss of Caesar, but he felt he killed Caesar for the good of Rome. Brutus anticipated an objection by the people when he said he loved Caesar , so he went on to say on lines 20 - 23, "If then that friend demand why Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer: Not that I love Caesar less, but Rome more."Brutus manipulated the people with rhetorical questions. He asks them on lines 29 - 33, " who is so base, that they would be a bondman, who is so rude, that they would not be a Roman, and who is so vile, that will not love his country," the people do not want to be against their country nor do they want to be so base to be a slave....
In conclusion, William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar is the quintessence of a tragic hero. He is highly respected in society and holds a position of authority, yet is corrupted by his pride and arrogance. He ignores warnings of assassination, but once he is attacked by his confidant Brutus he realizes his flaws. Unfortunately, he can never repent of his prideful ways, as his life is extinguished. Because he is murdered by one of his greatest friends and did so much to aid the destitute, he is a sympathetic character. Julius Caesar is a complex and multi-faceted man, but the tragedy of his life strikes a chord of sympathy that resonates throughout not only his subjects, but the readers of his downfall for centuries past, present, and future.
Firstly, Antony says a general statement that, “the evil that men do lives after them” (III.ii.74), when in fact he is subtly and sneeringly referring to the conspirators actions. The Roman commoners don’t realize that this general statement is swaying them, but the rest of Antony’s speech further convinces them of the evil the conspirators have done. Later, Antony talks about Brutus says that “sure, [he] is an honourable man” (III.ii.98), emphasis on the sure. Because he uses a scornful tone while sarcastically saying this statement, he is really beginning to show the audience his true feelings on the situation. Knowing that even Antony bitterly disagrees with the choices of the conspirators, it further persuades the common people of Rome to turn against Brutus and the rest of Caesar’s murderers. These occasions show Antony’s sour tone, especially towards the conspirators, and Antony’s tone also riles up the Roman citizens. His tone helps to exasperate the commoners with Caesar’s murder, and therefore assists Antony in achieving his purpose to manipulate the audience to turn against
As a “speculative man of high motives and refined sensibility”(Catherine C. Dominic) Brutus does have his confusion of motives. Act I, scene ii, is the first we see his weakness, “his concern with reputation and appearance, his subtle vanity and pride”(Gayle Green). Yet the main bases of Brutus’s bewilderment of motives takes place in Act II, scene I, with his famous soliloquy beginning with “It must be by his death”. This speech may be the turning point in which Brutus feels better about the assassination of his once called friend.
Brutus is primarily motivated by his utilitarian ideals, causing him to have a weak, uncertain approach relative to Antony. Antony’s counter-conspiracy is driven by his emotional attachment to Caesar and desire to avenge him, giving him a powerful, instinctual base to operate from. As Brutus is considering an assassination of Caesar, he states, “It must be by his death; and for my part,/ I know no personal cause to spurn at him,/ But for the general” (Shakespeare II.i.10-12). By considering the absence of personal incentives for the planned attack on Caesar, Brutus reveals fickleness in his motives by giving himself a second option. He is inspired to participate in the conspiracy by his utilitarian ideals, while concurrently, he doubts himself by considering his lack of personal conflict with Caesar. This weakness is further exposed following the planning of Caesar’s as...
Julius Caesar - A Comparison of Brutus and Cassius In the play Julius Caesar, written and performed by William Shakespeare, there are many characters, but two, Brutus and Cassius, stood out. The play begins in Rome, where a celebration of Julius Caesar's victory over the former ruler of Rome, Pompeii. The victory leads to Caesar's betrayal by his jealous companions. Senators and other high status figures are jealous of Caesar's new and growing power, while others, like Brutus, fear the tyrannical rule Caesar could enforce.
Julius Caesar is a play written by William Shakespeare. The play tells the tragedy of Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar was one of the greatest leader of Roman history. Caesar had many victorious moments in history and continued to grow more and more powerful. When he had started to govern Rome hatred by some people had grew. He had liberally gave many a spot to hold an important position. Even though he helped the nobility, they had betrayed him. They secretly were planning a way to cause Caesar’s death. Then plan was portrayed by Cassius and he had convinced Brutus to join along with his plan also. On March 15th they had circled around Caesar and stabbed him numerous of times thus, Caesar had fallen to the ground by his last stab by Brutus. Throughout the entire play Caesar and Brutus are notably different. Caesar is very egoistic, while Brutus is very considerate and is mannerly to others. Caesar is an extrovert, while Brutus is an introvert. Caesar is ambitious and Brutus is not ambitious.