Examples Of Nobility In Julius Caesar

In Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, Antony remarks at the end of the play as he reflects on the play's events, ‘“All the conspirators save only he / Did that they did in envy of great Caesar; / He only, in a general honest thought”. A main theme throughout the play is nobility, as a Roman strived to be noble and honorable. Antony’s quote explains how Brutus became the most honorable man, while still reflecting on the play's events. Brutus struggles with this decision to murder Caesar, even if it is to end tyranny, and his emotion and conflict allow us to connect with him on a human level.

In the duration of Julius Caesar, honor/nobility is a common theme often revealed as doing everything in your power to do the right thing. For Brutus,

the choice to murder Caesar to end tyranny is a heavy decision, one in which honor plays a large role. Throughout the play, Brutus transitions from an indecisive man, to a confident, nobleman as a result of committing murder. His main shift in opinion is when he has his soliloquy in 2.1. He says “I know no personal cause to spurn at him / But for the general. He would be crown'd: / How might that change his nature, there's the question (2.1.12-13)". Brutus justifies his actions by doing it for the Rome as a whole and not acting selfishly. Another turning point is in the same soliloquy is when Brutus starts off by saying, "It must be by his death… (2.1.10)" and finishing with, "And kill him in the shell". The word ‘death’ depicts a gentler image and throughout the soliloquy, his tone continues to grow darker until he finished with the word ‘kill’. His intention and struggle throughout the play were trying to save Rome, but it is in this soliloquy where he decides to join the conspirators. The idea of honor and being honorable in Roman society is what drove Brutus to act against Caesar, consequently, nobility is the idea that caused all of this grief for Brutus.
Brutus is very sensitive on the subject of being noble. Cassius, aware of this, begins to provoke Brutus by saying,
"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 (1.2.135-138)".
By saying this, Cassius begins to push Brutus in the direction of believing he isn't honorable and needs to prove himself. Cassius knows Brutus will join him if he believes he is doing it for the good of Rome. Cassius' manipulation is what causes Brutus to join the conspirators and kill Caesar.
The weight of killing Caesar bears guilt on Brutus leading to him being illustrated as having many layers to him, making him the most human.

The lines, “His life was gentle, and the elements / So mix'd in him that Nature might stand up / And say to all the world 'This was a man! (5.5.73-75)" said by Antony show how this quality was seen by others too. In European Medieval times, a male who consisted of all the elements was a true man. Brutus's character, shown to have more layers to his personality: caring, kind and gentle, but at the same time noble, confident and fierce. Antony refers to him as a man as he possessed all of the traits that were deemed important. When Portia dies Brutus is heartbroken and not afraid to show his sadness to Cassius. Brutus says, 'No man bears sorrow better. Portia is dead (4.3.147). Brutus also shows he has a confident side where he displays leadership skills. He orders, 'No, Caesar, we will answer on their charge. / Make forth, the generals would have some words (5.1.24-25). The reason he is considered a man is that he doesn't bury his emotions in the same way Caesar and Cassius do, he lets his 'weaker' side show. Brutus is the most honorable man as he has the most emotional intelligence and wasn't afraid to act for his country when Rome needed him the

most.
At the beginning of the play, Brutus, portrayed as a follower with little self-confidence, grew into a self-assured and honorable man. He learned how hard it was to kill someone and the weight that his actions brought on him. Brutus' personality changed and strengthened in 2.1 when he was deciding whether or not to join the conspirators. His soliloquy started off with him using the words death to describe Caesar's coming murder, "It must be by his death… (2.1.10)" and finishing with, "And kill him in the shell". The atmosphere given by the word death is much gentler, as supposed to the word kill which depicts a violent and harsh image. His transition throughout the play was evident in his change in action and demeanor, but he remained loyal to the morals he believed in.