“...and Brutus is an honorable man...” As Antony said in his speech Brutus has a sense of honor that he seems to be willing to do anything to uphold. Honor is a prevailing theme that effects everyone throughout Julius Caesar and especially Brutus. Webster's dictionary defines honor as “good quality or character as judged by other people; high moral standards of behavior” Throughout the play we see Brutus faced with many situations that cause him to compromise his good character. Thus he must lie and twist the truth to keep himself in the eye of the Roman people as an honorable man, further diluting his true honor. Is Brutus's honor just based on how the Roman people see him, or is he only as honorable as his true character when no one is around? …show more content…
And according to Websters dictionary, Brutus fits the first half of the definition perfectly. Through well told lies, Brutus continuously convinces the Roman people that he is honorable. After killing Caesar, an act that would seem to be dishonorable, Brutus convinces the crowd that the murder was actually honorable because he did it “not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.” (Act 3,scene2, ll.23-24) Unfortunately for Brutus Webster's definition of honor does not end there. Although he killed Caesar because he loved Rome more, this does not take away the fact that Brutus compromises the good standard of behavior, found in the second part of Webster's definition, by committing murder. The fact that the people in Shakespeare’s play are easily swayed works initially in Brutus's favor and his outward picture of honor seems to remain in tact. Although Brutus maintains his honor on the outside, his lack of true honor behind the conceit reveals him as a liar to the Roman people ultimately becoming his demise. Brutus does maintain the appearance of an honorable man but that honor is only skin …show more content…
Cassius recognizes Brutus’s shallow yearning for honor in the eyes of the people, and he is able to manipulate him into joining the somewhat questionable conspiracy, providing him with flattery by admiring his honorable figure saying “Well, Brutus, thou art noble” (1.2.313). Many characters in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar do maintain true honor, but Brutus is the main focus because he is the one that is most concerned with how honor makes him look in the eyes of the people. This concern thus makes him weak and easily manipulated. With Mark Antony, honor comes easily to him. His character and commitment to Caesar are never questioned because he is not concerned with the appearance of honor but the actual virtue. Antony's honor is not manipulated like Brutus's because his has a solid foundation. According to Shakespeare, when faced with evil, true honor like that of Mark Antony's stands strong. But the shallow honor of Brutus that is only withheld when under the eyes of the people, has no foundation to stand firm on when met with evil. Brutus can't see beyond his desire to appear honorable. And it is Brutus's shallow approach to honor which in the end becomes his own
Brutus, Honorable Man Brutus, an honorable conspirator? Honorable is defined as genuine, truthful and displaying integrity, while a conspirator is defined as one that engages in an agreement to commit an illegal or wrongful act. Anyone can clearly see that these two words do not belong together. There are also other reasons why Brutus should not be considered honorable. In the play, three distinct acts can be recalled.
William Shakespeare's play, Julius Caesar, has a heavy focus on honor. The characters in the play have a tendency to refer back to honor and the honor of Rome, but are they really as honorable as they say? Honor is a very abstract concept that is widely applicable in many situations, but what is it? To honor someone is to show them respect, and to be honorable is to act in a way that deserves respect and admiration. The characters of Julius Caesar, for the most part, are all seeking some form of honor, but do they achieve it? Three of the best examples of honor in Julius Caesar are Brutus, Cassius, and Portia. With varying levels of honor, these characters display the spectrum well.
Throughout the entire play, Brutus proves to have Rome’s best interest in mind and strives to be honorable. In the beginning of the play, Brutus is talking to Cassius and he remarks, “set honor in one eye and death i' th' other, and I will look on both indifferently, for let the gods so speed me as I love the name of honor more than I fear death” (1.2.88-91). Brutus feels very strongly about having a humble mindset. Brutus is so humble that he worries more about
Honor: “Honesty fairness, or integrity in one 's beliefs and actions.” Honesty can be a good and bad trait to have, being too honest can affect a person greatly. In William shakespeare 's play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Caesar returns to Rome having defeated Pompey. The Romans wanted to crown him king. later caesar is killed by conspirators due to his ambition. After his murder common people are enraged and a civil war breaks out across Rome. Many characters die along the way. Throughout the historical play Shakespeare points out many personality traits as characters struggle to gain or remain in power. A closer examination of two main characters reveals the results of human nature. Two main leaders, Caesar and Brutus share similar and
his honor in many ways. Brutus is obsequious when he is needed to abet his
Just look down deep into his heart and that person's real personality can be seen. Honorable is a good thing, and Brutus is not.
For example, when he addresses the crowd in his funeral speech, Brutus states, “Believe me/for mine honor and have respect to mine honor/that you may believe” (3.2.15-17). Brutus appeals to ethos and establishes his credibility by repeating “honor”. The public now believes that he does indeed have “honor”. He also convinces the public that he is trustworthy by appealing to ethos. Similarly after Brutus’ death Antony states, “This was the noblest Roman…/All of the conspirators, save only he/did that they did in envy of great Caesar” (5.5.74-76). Antony is the enemy of Brutus and yet he still refers to Brutus as the “noblest Roman”, which verifies that Brutus is actually honorable. Antony is stating that while all the other senators kill Caesar out of “envy”, Brutus’ intentions to kill Caesar was for the good of Rome and its citizens. This reveals that Brutus has no other hidden agenda for wanting to execute Caesar, and therefore Brutus has the most purest intentions out of all the other conspirators. This confirms that he is the most noble Roman because he is not thinking about what he wants. Instead, he is thinking about the people and how they would feel if Caesar becomes a dictator. Brutus possesses nobility and honor. Those two qualities are vital to being an effective leader because the people can then
Brutus, the Noblest Roman of them All. By definition, noble is having moral character, courage, generosity, honor and bravery to do what is right. It is finding the truth and reason in everything that happens around you. Many of the characters in Julius Caesar have a selfish goal: to gain more power and wealth.
Brutus was a man of noble birth. He had multiple servants and was often referred to as “Lord”, which indicates a certain level of respect for him. He was a very highly thought of person in Rome. At no point did he ever betray anyone, although he did kill Caesar, he did it to better Rome, not to mislead him. Everything he did was for the advantage of someone else. Even after Brutus dies, Marc Antony says “This was the noblest roman of them all; all the conspirators, save only he, did that they did in the envy of Caesar; he only in a general honest thought and common good to all...” This shows that regardless of brutus killing Caesar, he is still considered noble because he had good intentions. Brutus was also the best friend of Julius Caesar, the most powerful man in Rome. Had he been a commoner, Caesar most likely would not have associated with him or trusted him as a friend.
What is honor? Honor coins an individual’s nature. A principle that exists on the purpose of perception, a martyr willing to conform and accomplish. In the case of Shakespeare's play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Brutus was the most honorable of men. A brother to Caesar, but a father to Rome, he persist and perish for the future of his child. The idea of ignorance, and the belief of a false faith, turns this noble man toward a vulgar grave, with virtuous notions.
An honorable person can be defined as someone who rarely commits a sin and someone who is right and just throughout their whole entire life. There is a dispute going on about whether Marcus Brutus is an honorable man or not an honorable man. Most of the people that form the conspirators kill Caesar because of jealousy. However, Brutus kills him because of what is the best for Rome. Marcus Brutus is the hero in the play Julius Caesar because he is loyal to Rome, he is respectful to his people, and humble to those who are less fortunate than him.
On the other hand some people may believe that he is honorable. Some may say that Brutus had the best interest of Rome in mind while he murdered Caesar. Also, some might try and argue that Brutus would have made a better ruler and that is why is chose to do this act. What these arguments fail to consider is the fact that Brutus failed to stand up for his morals, agrees to take the life of a dear friend, and he goes to kill himself because he is too afraid to face the consequences. Brutus is a dishonorable man because he allows Cassius to make him go against his morals. Another thing is that he shows his weakness by going and not facing the consequences that came with his
This characteristic is shown in Brutus when he is talking to Cassius. He says, “I would not, Cassius, yet I love him well./But wherefore do you hold me here so long?/What is it that you would impart to me?/If it be aught toward the general good,/Set honor in one eye and death i’ the other,/And I will look on both indifferently;/For let the gods so speed me as I love/The name of honor more than I fear death/”(I.ii.82-89). This conversation shows that Brutus wants to be honorable more than he fears death. He also is shown to be noble (honorable) when Antony is speaking at the very end of the play. He said “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./His life was gentle, and the elements/So mixed in him that Nature might stand up/And say to all the world, ‘This was a man!”(VI.vi.68-75). Brutus, being a man of principle, is highly respected for his
Both Cassius and Brutus conspire against Caesar, yet Shakespeare depicts Brutus as doing a noble job compared to Cassius as doing a greedy and envious task. Cassius believes that he is stronger than Caesar. Therefore, Cassius does not understand why Caesar is in power and he is not. Cassius is also envious of Caesar. In Act I Scene II, Cassius describes to Brutus the time he had to save Caesar in a swimming race. Since then, Cassius feels superior to Caesar. In Cassius’ mind, kings’ right to rule should be based off of strength, not intelligence or virtue. On the other hand, Brutus knows that although a king should be strong, he must also be virtuous. Brutus always elaborates on the topic of honor. In fact, his first priority is to keep his own honor intact and Brutus fears that Caesar will change when he is crowned. Brutus says, “He would be crowned: How that might change his nature, there’s the question.” (Act II, Scene I, Page 49, lines 12-14) He senses Caesar’s greed for power, and ...
The play Julius Caesar depicts Brutus to be an extremely noble being who is well respected and honored by all Romans, even his enemies. Brutus was a loving friend of Julius Caesar and wished anything but death on his comrade, but his love and dedication to the majestic city of Rome would force him to commit anything. He fights a war to defend Rome from a king or emperor's tyrannical rule. When the war was finished, even his enemies saw that he was the most respectable Roman of them all.