Examples Of Manipulation In Julius Caesar

The theme of manipulation is one seen throughout time. Man continues to pit one another against each other in hopes of achieving a selfish goal. Julius Caesar, a play written by Shakespeare, is characterized as a tragedy when the conflict between Brutus’s heroic qualities and his major flaw label him as a tragic hero, when his repeated and flawed behavior causes his downfall and the downfall of others, and when his actions culminate into the theme of manipulation.

Brutus is revealed as a tragic hero because he has heroic qualities of nobility and strength that are foiled with his major flaw of being naive, leading to his downfall. Starting early on in the play, Brutus falls into Cassius’ trap of flattery and commits to the philosophy that

“if it’s for the good of the Romans, [he should do it], even if it mean[s] death” (I.ii.85-90) which exposes his naivety. Through this, Brutus’s heroic quality of being noble is revealed as he is willing to stand and sacrifice himself in order to protect Rome as a whole. While this reveals his nobility, Brutus, believing the lies exposed in Cassius’s flattery, exposes his flaw because the logic he uses defending Caesar just moments before is abandoned as he accepts the new philosophies spoken by Cassius. Later on, after the murder of Caesar, Brutus confronts Cassius and defends himself by questioning Cassius about “[who struck] down the most powerful man in the world in order to support robbers” (IV.iii.15) which shows that Brutus is noble and strong. By presenting himself as a noble person who takes action, he reveals his heroic characteristics that partially define him. With this alone, he would be a hero, but his naivety is also revealed because Brutus fails to see that Cassius played him throughout the conspiracy to commit the crime Cassius wasn’t strong enough to do. The constant conflict between Brutus’s heroic qualities of nobility and strength and his major flaw of naivety characterize him as a tragic hero and lead to his downfall.

Not only does Brutus have a major flaw of being naive, but his failure to recognize it causes him to continue to repeat the same mistakes over and over, leading to not only his downfall, but to the tragedy of the play. Brutus’s flaw of being naive is originally revealed when Cassius convinces him to murder Caesar despite the feelings of affection Brutus had for Caesar. After murdering Caesar, Brutus fails to sleep at night and hallucinates Caesar’s ghost having a conversation with him about the ghost being “the evil spirit [of] Brutus” (IV.iii.286) which reveals the guilt Brutus feels. While seeing his friends die, Brutus believes that “[Caesar’s] ghost walks the earth and turns [the] swords toward [his] stomach” (V. iii.100) which again shows that Brutus is feeling the effects of his actions. When Brutus decides it is time for him to die also, he gives his last words to Caesar, and in an attempt to redeem his actions, tells Caesar “[he] can rest now [because Brutus] didn’t kill him half as willingly,” (V.v.55) which reinforces the guilt that Brutus feels. With this repetition of Brutus’s flaws “coming to haunt him,” the repetition of mistakes by Brutus, caused by his flaw of being naive, leads to his downfall and the tragedy. Since Brutus’s flaw and repetition of mistakes continued to reveal itself and lead to his downfall, the play can be classified as a tragedy. Brutus’s major flaw of being naive cause him to repeat tragic mistakes which lead to his downfall and also characterize the play as a tragedy.

As Brutus’s actions lead to both him and other characters being tricked into following the goals of others, the theme of manipulation is seen throughout the entire tragedy.

This is first revealed when Cassius manipulates Brutus through flattery as he appeals to his ego and expresses his pity for Brutus since he “do[esn’t] have any mirrors that could display [his] hidden excellence” (I.ii.60). Brutus sees through the flattery in the first moment and questions Cassius, but his flaw of being naive allows him to see past it and trust that Cassius has the proper intentions and will guide him in the right direction. Brutus’s willingness to be manipulated by Cassius leads to Caesar also being tricked by Decius to come into the Senate. After Calpurnia warns Caesar about his death, Decius coerces Caesar into believing “the dream has been interpreted wrong…[and it really means that Caesar] will provide Rome with sustaining blood, and that great men will strive to get some token of approval from [his] holy blood” (II.ii.85-90). As Caesar is manipulated by Decius into ignoring the advice of his wife, the theme of manipulation is further revealed. As Brutus and Caesar are tricked into ignoring their logical responses, the theme of manipulation is seen throughout the

play.

Due to Brutus being a tragic hero because his heroic qualities conflict with his major flaw, his repeated mistakes leading to his downfall, and the theme of manipulation throughout the play, Julius Caesar is a tragedy. Brutus’s good intentions and heroic qualities fail to compensate for his major flaw of being naive. Since Brutus is unable to overcome his flaw, it guides him throughout the play, leading him to be played by Cassius and repeat his mistakes despite guilt he feels and his logical response. Brutus’s naivety, evidenced by Brutus being tricked into the conspiracy by Cassius, lead to the theme of manipulation.