The Loyalties of Antony and Brutus
Antony and Brutus are both loyal, noble men and their loyalties shape their characters, drives their actions, and decides the very future of Rome. Brutus loves Caesar, but he loves Rome more. Antony has no need to choose between his country and best friend. Before Caesar's death both men are guarded and somewhat a secret to the reader. After Caesar's murder, however, their true personalities emerge. Antony and Brutus may seem the same, and that was they are in theory, from their positions, character traits, to the very friend's they keep they are alike almost to a point of absurdity. In practice, though, you will find them rather different due to the mistakes and decisions made by both parties.
Was Julius Caesar truly ambitious? For if he wasn?t, then Brutus betrayed a man he loved in vain. He held that he was saving Rome form a tyrant when he plunged the knife into Caesar?s back, literally.
It must be by his death: and for my part,
I know no personal cause to spurn at him,
But for the general. He would be crown'd:
How that might change his nature, there's the question.
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And then, I grant, we put a sting in him,
That at his will he may do danger with.
The abuse of greatness is, when it disjoins
Remorse from power: and, to speak truth of Caesar,
I have not known when his affections sway'd
More than his reason
(II.i.10-21).
Brutus used his knowledge of Caesar to convince himself that it was the right choice he was making. He knew that the power would go to his friend?s head eclipsing his reason and putting his beloved Rome into the hands of a tyrant. Brutus had a choice to make, Rome or Caesar? In the end, his loyalty to Rome exceeded his faithfulness to his close friend. Which poses the question, if Antony truly believed that Caesar would be a horrible dictator, would he have joined the conspirators? From his actions and behavior in the play, he probably would have stood by his friend. When he says, "I shall remember.
When Caesar says, ?do this,? it is performed" (I. i. 10-11 ). This sentence proves his devotion to Caesar, for if he did not love him he would not do his bidding with such enthusiasm. It is not inaccurate to say he most definitely would not join the conspirators. Another question is, if Brutus did not truly believe that Caesar was ambitious, would he have joined in plotting his death?
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).
Brutus states," Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more." III:2:20-21. Brutus says that he is doing his all for the sake of Rome and that Caesar's ambition scares him. Antony, on the other hand, proves that Caesar did not have much ambition, and that he loved his people. Antony says," You all did see that on Lupercal I thrice presented him a kingly crown, which he did thrice refuse.
Brutus appears to be a selfless, thoughtful man who only wants the best for Rome, and is tormented by his fears towards Caesar ruling Rome.
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
Brutus was a devious man, even though what he thought he was doing was right. Brutus told his fellow conspirators to kill Caesar “boldly, but not angerly.”(3.1.256-257) Brutus was one of Caesars right hand men, and yet Brutus kills his own friend. When Antony asks to speak at Caesars funeral, Cassius says no, but Brutus tell him that Antony will speak, but only what Brutus tells him to say. Brutus also embraces the fact that he just killed his friend, and also tells the senators who had just witnessed it to not be afraid, but to stay because ambition has paid its debt.
Julius Caesar is the leader of Rome and is seeking to become king in a matter of time. Though he is a good military strategist, he lacks knowledge in running government and is too greedy to have any concern for the peasants when he is alive. Caesar is all about conquering and power and he is afraid of nothing. Before he is murdered, he says “The things that threatened me ne’er looked but on my back. When they shall see the face of Caesar, they are vanished” (II, ii, 575). Th...
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
Throughout most of the play Brutus is constantly internally conflicted. Does he do what he believes is best for Rome or stay loyal to his friend and leader? Should he assist in the murder of one person to benefit many? Although killing Caesar was in the end a bad choice, Brutus always tries to do what is best for Rome and for the people. However even though all of Brutus’ motives are good he still has the tragic flaw of pride, which ultimately leads to his downfall. The reason that Brutus gets caught up in the conspiracy is because Cassias appeals to his pride and flatters him with forged letters from the Roman people saying he is a greater leader then Caesar.
First of all, Marcus Brutus has the character flaw of poor judge of character. He cannot discern a person’s character or true motivation. He, however, acts on his judgments, regardless of whether they are true or not. Brutus feels that Caesar is too ambitious for power, and that he, along with the other eight men plotting the demise of Caesar, must prevent it, “And therefore think him as a serpent’s egg— / Which, hatched, would as his kind grow mischievous— / And kill him in the shell” (911). Brutus decides that Caesar must die because he ambitious. Ambition is not necessarily an evil and virulent thing. Ambition causes men and women to strive towards reaching an attainment. Brutus assumes that Caesar will turn his back on his supporters due to this ambition. One of the most famous lines in Julius Caesar is the dying words of Caesar: “Et tu, Bruté?—Then fall, Caesar” (938). If Caesar had truly turned h...
Some might argue that Brutus was not a patriot, but a betrayer, Brutus claimed to have a deep love for Caesar, but he conspired with traitors and assassinated Caesar by stabbing him in the back. I can’t argue that Brutus did not betray his friendship with Caesar, but when looking closely at the evidence it became apparent to me that Brutus was acting in what he felt was in the best interest of Rome. Brutus struggled with the idea of betraying his friend. He did love Caesar, but was concerned that his ambition would destroy Rome. Brutus made the final decision to be part of Caesars assassination after Cassius deceived him by planting fake letters convincing him that Caesar was up to no good. Brutus felt that he must act and act quickly before Caesar was crowned king. Brutus had no personal vendetta against Caesar, he was only concerned with the future of Rome. In Act 2 Scene 1 Brutus is struggling with how he will handle Caesar when he comes to the conclusion that his only choice is to kill him: “It must be by his death, and for my part I know no personal cause to spurn at him but for
Brutus was one of many Romans with noble bloodlines. Although Brutus was noble, he never used it to get ahead. There are many times when Brutus could have used the fact that he is truly noble but he didn’t. Many people argue that a noble man wouldn’t have killed Caesar. In some ways that is true, but Brutus’ case was different. A noble man would only for the good of others and that is what Brutus did. He killed Caesar because 7he was afraid of how powerful he could become. Even then he had a hard time doing it, and that is what separates Brutus from the other conspirators. Every other conspirator had little or no reason to kill Caesar. Brutus was willing to do anything for Rome. During his speech about Caesar’s murder Brutus stated “I have the same dagger for myself when it shall please my country to need my death” (III.ii.45-46). This shows how Caesar, this is my answer: not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more” (III.ii.20-22). He was too passionate about his country to let Caesar turn it into a dictatorship. Mark Antony and Octavius recognized that Brutus was the one noble roman. In his final speech mark Antony said “This was the noblest roman of them all. / All the conspirators save only he/ Did that they did i...
If then that friend demands why Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer: not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more." (3.2.19-24). His concentration on honor and nobility ends up being used against him by Cassius, who instigates him to kill his best friend. Cassius knows how naive and how moral Brutus is and he uses this information into making him help kill Caesar. Being naive and over trusting causes his first mistake and helps with his downfall when he refuses to listen to Cassius, who wants Antony to be also killed because he knows that he will seek revenge for Caesar. However, Brutus code of honor won 't let him approve the killing of Antony "Our plan will seem too bloody, Caius Cassius. We cut off the head and then hack the limbs, seem to kill Caesar in anger and then vent malice on his friends, for Antony is only a branch of Caesar."(2.1.169-172), he doesn 't want to be seen by the Roman people as a killer, but someone who 's doing what 's right for the people of
Greed, ambition, and the possibility of self-gain are always constant in their efforts to influence people’s actions. In Julius Caesar, Marcus Brutus, a venerable politician, becomes a victim of the perpetual conflict between power-hungry politicians and ignorant commoners. He is a man of honor and good intentions who sacrifices his own happiness for the benefit of others. Unfortunately, his honor is strung into a fine balance between oblivion and belief and it is ultimately the cause of his downfall. His apparent obliviousness leads him to his grave as his merciful sparing of Mark Antony’s life, much like Julius Caesar’s ghost, comes back to haunt him. Overall, Brutus is an honest, sincere man who holds the lives of others in high regard while he himself acts as a servant to Rome.
Caesar is always looking forward to succeed and gain power. As they parade through the streets of Rome Casca tells Brutus how Caesar was offered a crown by Marc Antony. Although Caesar did not accept it and pushed it away he would have really wanted it. “Then he offered it to him again; then he put it by again; but to my thinking, he was very loath to lay his fingers off it” (I.ii.243-245). On the other hand, Brutus was not ambitious. Brutus joined the conspiracy because he was afraid that Caesar’s ambition will over power Rome. “Shall Rome, &c.' Thus must I piece it out: Shall Rome stand under one man's awe? What, Rome?” (II.i.656). He explains how Rome should not be ruled by one person, as agreeing to the conspirators and thus, joining them
Caesar would have killed many people, and all for what? More power. Brutus would have done anything for the sake of his city. Even if that meant killing his friend. “Nor that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.” (III.ii.23-24) A good leader would put his city/empires problems and demands before himself. Sometimes to fix a problem you need to fix it at the roots. This came from his heart and was honest. If Brutus actually hated Caesar, he would have struck him first. However, Brutus was one of the last people to stab Caesar and one of the last to agree to the conspiracy. It took a lot of convincing from Cassius who admired Brutus a great deal. He would always keep telling Brutus how he was the better leader than Caesar and how his plan would truly