Examples Of Honor In Julius Caesar

Chase W-D

Caesar Final Essay

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.

First is Brutus, the conflicted

friend and murderer of Caesar himself. Brutus cares about honor, it is practically the only thing he speaks of. Even when deep into a conspiratorial murder plot to kill his friend he states:
“Let’s 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” (2.184-187)
This is a wonderful example of Brutus’s honor, he plans to murder his friend, but in a way that would be honorable for both Caesar and himself.

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.

Although Brutus attempts to act with honor, and despite the fact that he places all of his trust into the honor of others, there are times when Brutus fails to see the most simple and obvious things, such as clear manipulation by Cassius, and this simple flaw leads him to betray his friend and his honor.

The next character is Cassius. Cassius has an interesting relationship with honor, based on all outward appearances, Cassius is as far away from honor as one can venture, he manipulates others, such as when he tricks Brutus into joining the conspirators by using verbal manipulation and false letters. By doing this he fools Brutus and based on lies and half-truths trick Brutus into becoming a murderer. He also plots a murder out of fear for himself and he betrays the trust of his friend and goes as far as killing him. However, in the eyes of the world, he does all of this for Rome and its

people
“Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world
Like a Colossus, and we petty men
Walk under his huge legs and peep about
To find ourselves dishonorable graves.” (1.142-145)
This displays some sort of honor, in trying to protect his people and save them from “dishonorable graves” he shows honor, but in an extremely twisted sense. Cassius may indeed be honorable in his own eyes, but his view of the world is so twisted, that he ends up being a monster to those around him.
Finally, there is Portia, who is the wife of Brutus and spends the beginning of the play concerned for her husband. Portia speaks mostly of her husband, expressing worry for his health, she stresses about him to the point where she is willing to hurt or even kill herself for him
“Dear my lord,
Make me acquainted with your cause of grief.
[...]
Within the bond of marriage, tell me, Brutus,
Is it excepted I should know no secrets
That appertain to you?” (2.275-276; 302-305)
Most of her dialog throughout the play is similar to this, and that demonstrates the incredible dedication she has to her husband, the dedication that could be seen as very honorable, however, this dedication goes too far, when all attempts to get Brutus to speak to her fail. Portia, resorts to suicide, at the time, it may have been honorable to die for one’s husband, but today suicide is seen as one of the most dishonorable deaths. Also of note when discussing Portia’s honor is the fact that she is a woman, throughout the play, Portia states that she has honor despite her sex
“I grant I am a woman, but withal
A woman well-reputed, Cato's daughter.

Think you I am no stronger than my sex,

Being so father'd and so husbanded?” (2.1.215-218)

This plays into the belief at the time that women were not as strong as men, and as a result, would not be as honorable. This is an incorrect belief of course, but does this belief actually have an effect on Portia’s honor, or just the perception of her honor?

In the end, the characters of Julius Caesar all have more complicated relationships with honor than they appear at first glance. Brutus, while well intentioned and seemingly honorable, cannot see the line that separates honor from murder, Cassius who appears dishonorable in every way aims, at least in part, to protect rome and its people and Portia who appears dedicated loyal and honorable, commits suicide and believes the lies she is told about her self, beneath the surface of these characters, lies complex motives and twisted logic, which makes singling them out as honorable or dishonorable, nearly impossible, as they are very human, and humans are rarely one or the

other.