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Brutus As A Tragic Hero
The analysis of Brutus as a tragic hero
The analysis of Brutus as a tragic hero
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Well, first of all Antony was Caesar’s best friend, so there’s two choices for Antony. First, if he goes on to the Brutus side they all are safe, but if Antony doesn’t join them then there is going to trouble. How, Antony pretended to join them but when they left he really showed his feelings. Making him talk at Caesars funeral was a mistake for Brutus because now Antony can really say what happened to Caesar When Portia walks in on Brutus, she like kneels, so she has a lot of respect toward Brutus. She wants to help out, she says that the wife should share her husband’s troubles. She knows that Brutus is keeping a secret from her and that he is troubled. This tells me that she cares for him. She made him recognize that in marriage there are
no secrets in between them. In Julius Caesar, we see how Brutus cause a conflict in the story. One of the conflicts, MAN VS MAN is that in the book in page 27 he has “decided to join the conspirators who plan to kill Caesar for the good of Rome.” That was a hard decision for Brutus. Because he does like Caesar. But in page 24 it mentions that “needed Brutus to join the conspirators to make them look respectable.” He had to choose either he kills Caesar, or stays friends with Caesar. He chose to kill him. Another conflict has to be MAN VS SELF. Brutus was really confused on killing Caesar. He wasn’t 100% sure what he was doing. He wanted to satisfy both sides. Kill Caesar and be Caesar’s friend. I think they will listen to Caesars “ghost”. Because Brutus got like scared when he saw that. I think brutus will change because, he knows that Caesar is watching.
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
In act III, scene ii, Antony proves to himself and the conspiracy, that he has the power to turn Rome against Brutus. He deceived the conspirators with his speech during Caesar’s funeral. In this speech, Antony pulls at the heartstrings of the countryman by showing emotions and turning them against their beloved leader, Brutus. The scene takes place the day of Caesar's death. Leading up to this point the people loved Brutus because, reasonably he explains of them about Caesar's death and told them it was necessary. In Antony's speech he showed signs of hatred towards Brutus and the conspirators. He thinks for himself and deceives the people, when he explains how Brutus lied to the people . The plot depends on Antony’s speech.
Summary Opinion: Brutus is guilty with the collaboration of assassinating Julius Caesar. When Caesar is crowned the new Emperor of Rome, Brutus was very envious of the power he possessed. Due to this jealousy and ambition for power, Brutus betrayed his closest friend. Although Caesar intended to better the conditions of Rome both economically and politically, Brutus believed them to be lies. He is guilty of killing Caesar since there was no reason to, and it also directly violates the law.
Since the Elizabethan era, society has been familiar with William Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. Throughout the play, Brutus struggles to confront his internal conflict, which later leads him to join the conspiracy to assassin Caesar. After the assassination of Caesar, Brutus does not realize the fact that the Romans despise him for his actions taken. When he finally realizes his tragic flaw of gullibility, he tells Strato to kill him, so he would not have to witness him getting defeated in the war against Marc Antony in front of the Romans. Shakespeare wrote the play so that the audience visualizes that Caesar along with Brutus are the tragic heroes of the play, but he does not recognize Portia as a tragic hero; therefore, the audience fails to realize that Portia has the characteristics of a tragic hero as well. In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Shakespeare uses Portia to present to the audience the tragic flaw of the struggle to become manlier. In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Shakespeare uses Portia to demonstrate that manliness is the highest virtue in society.
Brutus put his trust in Antony to not turn on him at the funeral. He was lead to believe that Antony would only speak good of the conspirators and defend them for the actions they have made. He trusted Antony when he told him he would not express such hate and talk of the bad they did and then later turned against them for the vengeance of Caesar. Brutus told Antony, “You shall not in your funeral speech blame us, But speak all good you can devise of Caesar” (III.i.245-246). He told him that the only way he is going to be able to speak at Caesar’s funeral is if he speaks good of the conspirators. After Antony said his speech, the whole crowd immediately switched and sided with him against them. They wanted nothing more than for Brutus, Cassius and the other contributors to be dead. This reveals that Brutus is shameful for putting his trust in someone who was so close to Caesar. Brutus trusted that Antony wouldn't do anything and just imagined he would be to scared to step up and speak out. This leads to Brutus losing the trust he had for Antony and starting a war between the people and the conspirators. As the war was about to proceed, they all prepped for what was about to happen. Antony and his army completely dominated Brutus’ and lead to many of them fleeing for their lives. Many people died by genocide while other committed suicide. Brutus was among the ones of suicide. He no longer wanted to be alive and felt that he had lived and fulfill what he had wanted. People were dead and he knew he was going to be one of them. Brutus’ last words were, “Caesar, now be still; I killed not thee with half so good a will” (V.v.50-51). He wanted Caesar to know that he can now be at rest because the vengeance he was looking for has been given. Because of all the trust he put in the people that were taking advantage of him, he ended up finishing his life. This reveals that Brutus really did
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.
Character Analysis Antony- What Cassius says about Antony: "You know not what…that which he will utter?" Pg. 582 lines 233-236. This shows that the conspirators are afraid of what Antony will say in his oration to the mob. Cassius is trying to make Brutus see what Antony is really up to, but Brutus is too caught up in honor to notice. What Antony does: He speaks to the crowd making them feel sorry for him, ashamed of themselves, and hate the conspirators. He causes them to go into an angry rage in scene 3. What Antony feels: "O pardon me thou…gentle with these butchers." Pg. 582 lines 254-236. Antony has made a deal with the conspirators that have killed his best friend. This quote is after the conspirators have left, and he is talking to the corpse of Caesar. He spills his true intentions and gives word of his counter conspiracy. He feels that even though the men are honorable, that they have butchered a man that could have been reasoned with and brought out of what it was he did wrong. What Antony says: "Let each man render me his bloody hand…My credit now stands on such slippery ground that one of two bad ways you must conceit me…." Pg. 580 lines 184-194 He leads the conspirators on to trust him, when in fact, he wants to be able to speak to the mob. He uses a vicious pun so that he knows what he is talking about, but the conspirators think that he is simply talking about the blood on the ground being slippery. Caesar- What Caesar says: "Et tù Brute? Then fall Caesar!" Pg. 577 line 77 Caesar is shocked that Brutus, his most loyal friend would do this. His mask comes off at this point and shows his personal face. Throughout the play, he has put himself as an arrogant official, and only when he is around his friends does he show his true identity. This is so important because marks the point when Caesar’s spirit enters Antony’s revenge. The play comes to its climax in this line. What Caesar does: Caesar refuses to let Publius Cimber back into Rome. He, in a way, kills himself by the way he responds. He puts himself up as a god-like man and almost says he is in control of his own destiny. This gives the conspirators final reason to kill him, and they do.
The tragedy “Julius Caesar” by William Shakespeare should be renamed “Brutus” because Caesar is not the tragic hero. He is only in a small portion of the play and does not possess a major tragic flaw; however Marcus Brutus fits the description of tragic hero much better than Julius Caesar. Typically, tragedies are named after the tragic hero, which Aristotle describes as: a person of noble birth with a tragic flaw that leads to his or her downfall because of that flaw. Brutus exhibits all of these qualities, therefore rightfully naming him a tragic hero.
Brutus is considered an honorable man by all those who live in Rome. He is a close friend of Caesar, husband of Portia, and is also a Senator. Brutus is drawn into killing Caesar by Cassius, who was jealous of Caesar's degree of power. Brutus was pulled into the scheme by letters brought to his house by Decius to make him think that the people of Rome wanted him to replace Caesar. Brutus also feels that Caesar is being given too much power and will destroy Rome's democracy. Brutus' reason for killing Caesar is to benefit Rome, he proves this when he states"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." After losing to Mark Antony and Octavious, Brutus runs onto his own sword. He sticks to his beliefs, not altering them for others.
Because of Shakespeare's popularity among scholars and literary critics, his plays have been studied time after time. In the four hundred or so years since they were written, Shakespeare's plays and other literary masterpieces have been categorized. Many of them, including Shakespeare's portrayal of Julius Caesar's murder and the resulting events for Rome and for Caesar's conspirators, have been put into the "tragedies" category. According to the specifications and qualifications for a Shakespearean tragedy, Brutus, one of the men who conspired against Julius Caesar, can be considered a tragic hero. Despite the fact that Brutus can be considered a tragic hero, I don't feel that he has the qualities and traits of a true hero.
Because he does for others more than himself he makes a fatal mistake, he lets Antony live. Brutus says to the conspirators, "For Antony is but a limb of Caesar"(Act II scene I line 165) meaning that if Caesar is killed Antony will die off too. Brutus clearly does not regard Antony as being a threat, but little does Brutus know that Antony will stir up the town to seek revenge after the assassination of Caesar. This mistake will cost him his own life. When he dies he becomes a prime example of tragedy because not only did he bring about his own death he dies by his own hand.
Since Portia is a Roman woman she must be very careful on choosing what she’s going to say to Brutus. You must take into account that being Roman women puts you at a disadvantage because men would never take orders from their wives. But Portia successfully persuaded her husband, Brutus, to her what is going on, by appealing to pathos by using strong dialect and creating imagery to show strength, logos by using her superiority, their marriage bonds, and definition of a harlot, and finally ethos by showing expertise in being his wife, by kneeling and showing her nobility.
In William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Brutus is presented as an honourable and loyal servant to Rome. In the opening Act of the play, the audience learns that Brutus is devoted to both Rome and Caesar. As the play continues to progress into Act II, his intentions are slowly corrupted by a band of conspirators and Brutus turns against Caesar. This process of corruption in the opening couple of Acts shows that Brutus is an honourable Roman who is taken advantage of to suit the needs of others.
To begin with, Brutus can be considered a main character. He is introduced early on and is present through the entirety of the play. He will act an essential role in the plot. However, Brutus has a character flaw, which is the amount of trust he places in others. There are many times that Brutus displays this limitation, both by originally trusting the conspirators and then trusting Antony. One such time where Brutus expressed his weakness was when he allowed Antony to be an orator at Caesar’s funeral. Cassius, knowing it was very risky to put so much trust in one of Caesar’s biggest supporters and closest friends, pulled Brutus aside and told him, “You know not what you do; do not consent / That Antony speak in his funeral. / Know you how much the people may be moved / By that which he will utter?” (III, 1, 232-235) Brutus placed his trust in one of his greatest enemies. Cassius understood this, but Brutus could not because he was blinded by his trust in Antony’s words. If Brutus were more conservative with whom he trusted, his future and the future of Rome would have been substantially different from what is presented in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar.
In the play Julius Caesar written by William Shakespeare, Brutus who is one of the main characters has a consistent inner conflict within himself. Illustrated by the cartoon throughout the entire play he is always at conflict with himself. His two sides are to help kill Julius Caesar or to not help kill him. At first Brutus isn’t one hundred percent behind the idea of killing Caesar, but on the other hand Brutus and his fellow senators thought that Caesar would end up having too much power and needs to be stopped. Also Brutus and Caesar were most definitely great friends to one another except Brutus did not want Caesar to become king of Rome.