Character Analysis Of Marcus Brutus In 'Julius Caesar'

My character analysis is on Marcus Brutus. In the story, “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar” by William Shakespeare, Brutus was one of the leaders of the conspiracy to kill Julius Caesar. I chose the character Brutus to prove that he was not manipulated by his friend Cassius and the other conspirators, but that he made the decision on his own even though in the end it may not have been the right one. Brutus made the decision to join the conspiracy to kill Caesar on his own, without any evidence that he was truly ambitious or a tyrant.

Brutus chose to be part of the conspiracy because he had greater respect for his country, than he did love for his friend. “The chief reason why Brutus was part of the conspiracy was due to his commitment to the principles of the republic. Brutus believed in the republic and wanted to pledge his loyalty to it. So his love for the republic was greater than his loyalty to his friend.” “Ellie Clare.” As stated by this article, although the others definitely fueled Brutus’s fire, they were not the ones who lit the fire to begin with. His decision was solely based on his own Love for his country, not by the persuasion of the conspirators. It also

states that Brutus is the tragic hero, which means that although he seems to be and believes that he is doing right every decision he makes seems to lead to his own destruction and the destruction of everything he cares for.

Brutus definitely struggled over whether to kill Caesar or not, it was in no sense an easy choice for him.

“After many sleepless nights, Brutus decides that Rome will suffer if it has a dictator and emperor. He fears Caesar’s lust for power and his ambition; therefore he associates himself with the conspirators, thinking that they have the same feelings.” “Carol Davis.” So basically, Brutus joined the conspiracy without knowing the true intensions and motives of the others. Furthermore, Brutus made his decision without any evidence to show that Caesar was a tyrant, if anything he had evidence supporting his innocence. Brutus had never seen or heard of Caesar doing anything but good for the Roman people, and he watched Caesar turn down the crown three times showing, if anything, a lack of

ambition.

Brutus had come to the conclusion that it was the best option for everyone to kill Caesar. “Brutus tells the audience that he loves Caesar. This does not stop him from making the choice to kill him. Brutus struggles with the decision to join the conspiracy; however, in the end he believes that Caesar must be deposed for the good of Rome and its citizens.” ”Carol Davis.” Brutus is a practicer of stoicism. Stoics believe in the use of logic and reasoning, not emotion to make their own decisions. Looking at the story, Brutus sticks to his philosophy pretty well. Even when his wife Portia kills herself, he shows little emotion. The only emotion we see him show is anger toward Cassius for “manipulating him” into killing Caesar which ultimately leads to his wife’s death. Brutus eventually comes to his senses and realizes that it was his own choices that led him to where he is and he who caused his wife to commit suicide by not speaking to her. Brutus does listen to Cassius as an advisory, but chooses his own path, sticking to his philosophy

The following quote from the book, will help support that Brutus made his own decisions, and show his thought process on the conspiracy. Brutus: “The only way is to kill Caesar. I have no personal reason to strike at him—only the best interest of the people. He wants to be crowned.

The question is how would being king change him? Evil can come from good just as poisonous snakes tend to come out into the open on bright sunny days—which means we have to walk carefully if we crown him, I have to admit we’d be giving him the power to do damage.” “The tragedy of Julius Caesar. Sparknotes.” This quote from Act 2 Scene 1 shows the impression that Brutus is under after joining the conspiracy and before the assassination.

As for an antithesis on my stance, which would be the common viewpoint of most people who have read the story, that Brutus was taken advantage of, and manipulated by the others within the conspiracy especially Cassius. I have provided this quote: “To his credit, it was not an easy decision for Brutus to join in with the others; to his discredit, his self-deliberations were not enough and he was to easily swayed. Brutus finally joins the conspirators because he allows himself to be convinced that Caesar was going to do nothing but grow in his ambition, something that would eventually become detrimental to his country.” “Lori Steinbach.”

In conclusion, I have provided evidence for my thesis that Brutus made his own decisions within the story, and that ultimately every decision especially the one to join the conspiracy and kill Caesar, was wrong. The outcome of the story also supports my thesis based on the ending and the way both Brutus and Cassius commit suicide. Since Brutus has lost everything and sees no more reason to live, he and Cassius have someone each hold out a spear for them and they run into it so that they may at least die with one thing left. Honor.