Brutus Caesar Research Paper

432 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Brutus as a ruler

Topic: Post-Caesar, which character would be a better leader for Rome: Cassius or Brutus? Analyze each character's strengths and weaknesses and support with ample evidence from the text.

Introduction paragraph: The people of Rome need a new, responsible leader that can replace Caesar; that leader should be Brutus so the citizens can live in a safe city that has a stable government, and an honorable leader.

Concrete Detail: Brutus demonstrates his leadership abilities when he decides to live by honor and not live by emotion; when the conspirators come to Brutus to convince him to kill Caesar, he agrees to “kill him boldly, but not wrathfully/ let’s carve him as a dish fit for the gods/ not hew him as a carcass fit for hounds” (Shakespeare II .i. 172-174). Commentary: Other men would have killed Caesar in gruesome ways, but …show more content…

33-34) and decides to kill Caesar before he can flourish.

Commentary: Brutus is Caesar’s loyal friend, so instead of killing him out of jealousy and pride, Brutus agrees to kill Caesar so the Roman citizens can live in a good, safe city.

Commentary: All though Brutus still feels shame and guilt in his decision to murder his close friend, he knows that killing Caesar before he is crowned king will be best for the present and future citizens of Rome.

Concrete detail: Brutus lives by honor in every aspect of his life, including his marriage; Portia, his wife, treats Brutus with respect and love, so Brutus honors his wife by respecting her, and trying to be “worthy of this noble wife!” (Shakespeare II.i.304).

Commentary: In this period of time, women aren’t treated equal to men; Brutus defies this and treats his wife with love, respect, honor, and

Show More
Related

  • Brutus: A True Tragic Hero

    978 Words  | 2 Pages

    A tragic hero must be a person of importance at the opening of any story. The story must then ultimately end in their demise. Brutus is a mighty man of Rome who is used to living in opulence at the opening of the play. He is not only well beloved by the Roman people, but he is also well loved by Julius Caesar himself. The Brutus is portrayed as an honorable man who is held in highly extolled among the people of Rome. He is even compared to the greatness of Caesar. “Brutus and Caesar—what should be in that “Caesar”? Why should that name be sounded more than yours? Write them together, yo...

    Read More

  • The Tragedy of Marcus Brutus

    874 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout Julius Caesar Brutus acts in accordance with his morals, which makes his eventual fall all the more tragic as Brutus genuinely believed his actions benefitted the future of Rome. Unlike most of the self-interested people around him, Brutus genuinely cares for the continued well-being of the Roman republic. Brutus sees Caesar's rise to power and imminent crowning as a danger to the freedom of the people in Rome since, "crown [Caesar] that, and then I grant we put a sting in him that at his will he may do danger with. Th' abuse of greatness is when it disjoins remorse from power" (2.1.15-19). Brutus knows that many past rulers have turned into tyrants and oppressed their people after gaining substantial authority, and fears that the same tragedy will befall Rome if the Senate crowns Caesar. And although Brutus conspires to kill Caesar rather than finding a peaceful solution to this disagreement, he tells the other conspirators to limit their violence as "this shall make our purpose necessary and not envious, which so appearing to the common eyes, we shall be called purgers, not murderers" (2.1.175-178). Brutus' constant requests to preform the assassination quickly and honorably reveal his concern about the fate of the Romans acts as the motivation behind his actions (unlike the other conspirators who "did that they did in envy of great Caesar") (5.5.71).

    Read More

  • Brutus the Tragic Hero

    1058 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ation and well being of a country, people, and republic. “‘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’”(998). Although a seemingly menacing traitor to his country at first, Brutus makes the journey to a sympathetic and noble tragic hero in the end.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Honor In Julius Caesar

    910 Words  | 2 Pages

    Brutus also places his faith in the honor of others, refusing to take a group oath assuming the honor of the individual is the strongest thing there is. Brutus lives his life based almost entirely on the idea of honor, yet he somehow fails to see the dishonor in killing his close friend to prevent him from rising to power.

    Read More

  • Who Is Brutus A Foil In Julius Caesar

    749 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Cassius and Brutus are two main characters who act against Julius Caesar. Cassius functions as a foil to Brutus because Cassius is rather cunning and dishonorable while Brutus is honorable and wants to do what he believes is best for the Roman society.

    Read More

  • Julius Caesar Quotes

    925 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.” (3.2.24) This quote reflects the motive of Brutus for the assassination of his friend, Caesar. I believe Brutus killed him not out of disrespect, but in a selfless act to protect Rome from the decree of Caesar yet to come. I also believe that he did this out of force from the manipulation from his “friend” Cassius. In Shakespeare's “Julius Caesar”, Brutus’ two most significant characteristics are virtue and unconscious hypocrisy. In order to fully understand these characteristics, it is necessary to analyze all other contributing characteristics, the manipulation of friendship that Cassius uses against him, and the motivations for

    Read More

  • Julius Caesar Traitor

    572 Words  | 2 Pages

    Brutus turned on his best friend and stabbed him in the back. In Julius Caesar’s final moments he noticed his best friend as a traitor. “Et tu, Brute! Then fall, Caesar”, these are Caesars last words as he is stabbed in the back by his friend. Since Brutus thought what he did was for Rome, he did not kill his best friend out of spite or hate he killed his best friend Julius Caesar so that Rome could live. Brutus was tricked into believing that Caesar would not be fit to be king, and would destroy the place Brutus loves, Brutus killed Caesar to protect Rome. Despite what Brutus did, he did only what he thought was the only thing he could do to save Rome. He thought not about his position he thought about the people. Yet he killed Caesar off

    Read More

  • The Honorable Brutus in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

    428 Words  | 1 Pages

    his honor in many ways. Brutus is obsequious when he is needed to abet his

    Read More

  • Marcus Brutus and His Fellow Bruti

    1942 Words  | 4 Pages

    Marcus Brutus was born from the blood of a long line of valiant and noble men. Many noble men at the time of Brutus merely did what they had to do to be the mediocre senator, rich man, or another various profession to keep the flow of everyday life going unobstructed. They were nails holding a sinking ship together but ignored the fact because they would rather protect their reputation than raise their heads. Brutus rose above the rest and d...

    Read More

  • Brutus Tragic Hero Quotes

    685 Words  | 2 Pages

    He has two opposing desires that he has to choose between. These are killing Caesar to preserve democracy in Rome and to save Caesar, since he is a friend of Brutus. A quote from J.L. Simmons that summarizes this well is, “Certainly the material lends itself to a conflict between private and public affections” (Simmons 64). Brutus wants to kill Caesar for Rome because the citizens of Rome want to preserve democracy and Caesar is preventing that by being dictator for life. A quote that puts this in other words is, “The ultimate factor in persuading Brutus to join the conspiracy is his belief that his countrymen wish him to act on their behalf” (Shalvi 71). Killing Caesar would be a choice made for not himself, but the citizens of Rome while saving him would be for himself and to preserve his friendship with Caesar. Saving Caesar would be a deed for himself and would strengthen his relationship with Caesar. He could have warned Caesar of the conspirators’ plans and put a stop to them. Brutus ultimately makes the choice of following through and assassinating Caesar. His plan was for this to be a honorable action, but it ended up negative on his behalf. The majority of the citizens in Rome did not take this lightly and wanted revenge for his actions. This is the main mistake made by Brutus that lead to his own

    Read More

  • Why Is Brutus A Good Hero In Julius Caesar

    1141 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Not that I loved Caesar less/but that I loved Rome more” (3.2.23-24). The play, Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare tells the story about a group of senators that conspire to assassinate Rome’s beloved leader, Julius Caesar. Caesar’s closest friend, Marcus Brutus, joins the senators and leads them as they get ready to attack. Brutus makes an excellent and effective leader because of his great leadership qualities such as patriotism, truthfulness, compassion and nobility.

    Read More

  • Brutus for Ruler in Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar"

    574 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the play Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare there are several people who would be good rulers of Rome. Out of them all Brutus would have been the best choice to lead Rome. Brutus would be the best chosen leader for Rome for several reasons. Brutus was a very smart man and smartness is a very good quality for a leader. Another feature Brutus had, was he had very little or maybe even no emotions, and if he did he did a very good job of hiding them. A further aspect of Brutus is that he was very well respected by everyone.

    Read More

  • Brutus Character Analysis Essay

    1080 Words  | 3 Pages

    Brutus recognizes that the “enemies have beat [Brutus and the conspirators].. to a pit” and believes it is honorable “to leap in” themselves “than tarry till” the enemies force them (5.5.23-25). Hence, Brutus requests his servant to assist him in committing suicide and finally utters “Caesar, now be still / I kill’d not thee with half so good a will” (5.5.50-51). Brutus’s action exhibits his understanding of the killing of Caesar, and now views it as irreparable. Furthermore, Brutus takes notice of the fights and unending deaths around him all due to his naivety and failure to judge people’s evil side. As a result, Brutus views suicide as the most appropriate “method” to retain his honor and dignity; otherwise, he would have to encounter the Roman citizens’ criticization and would be humiliated for his actions. In addition, Brutus requests Caesar to be done with his vengeance and to forgive him as he acts solely for the best of Rome, displaying Brutus to be a tragic hero who failed doing his best for good. Furthermore, the play ends with Antony’s summary of Brutus’s character leaving the audience to characterize Brutus to be the one who suffered the most and died in a tragic way. Antony describes Brutus to be “the noblest Roman of them all…/ [and have acted] only in a general

    Read More

  • Brutus: A Tragic Hero in Shakespeare´s Julius Caesar

    1445 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Julius Caesar Leadership Essay

    1068 Words  | 3 Pages

    Two powerful leaders, one power hungry whose ambitious ideas lead to his downfall, the other mindful of people who deserve their higher positions. A true leader is someone who has a vision, a drive and commitment to achieve what's best. In the play written by William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Brutus and Caesar are one of the main characters. They demonstrate leadership qualities that are still relevant to today. They are both very ambitious characters; however, they do so for different reasons and differ in their openness to others. There are many similarities and differences that lie between them. Both are noble and great men with loyal followers and neither man questions the rightness of his own path. Both made crucial mistakes that resulted in their death. However, Caesar acts out of love for for himself, his country, and to retain his power as ruler of Rome. Brutus on the other hand acts out of love for freedom of Rome. This essay will discuss and compare their qualities as leaders as well as their styles and how they are effective/ineffective in the play.

    Read More

More about Brutus Caesar Research Paper

Open Document