Exploring the Way Shakespeare Presents the Motives for Brutus Killing Caesar

618 Words2 Pages

Exploring the Way Shakespeare Presents the Motives for Brutus Killing

Caesar

Shakespeare has presented Brutus as a brave courageous man who is very

loyal and patriotic to Rome. Brutus even claims he would rather die

and lose his honour that see Rome collapse. “If it ought to be for

general good, I’d set honour in one eye and death I’th other I will

look on both indifferently”. Shakespeare presents him as a man so

loyal to Rome he would kill a man he loves, Caesar, for it.

Cassius tries to convince Brutus that Caesar is not physically strong

enough, and is weaker than Cassius and Brutus. Brutus replies “What

you have said I will consider”. Cassius has manipulated Brutus but not

by a lot because Brutus was already thinking this for himself and

Cassius was merely pushing his thoughts further along.

Shakespeare makes sure that Brutus is not there to see Caesar be

offered the crown. This means that Casca has to tell him what

happened. We believed that Casca twists the story of Caesar refusing

crown, although we have no proof that Casca has twisted it we believe

he does because he say Caesar would “ fain have had it” but we think

Caesar truly didn’t want the crown.

In act two; scene one Brutus is presented a man with a conscience. We

believe this because he cannot sleep, ‘Since Cassius did whet me

against Caesar, I have not slept’. Because he is thinking about Caesar

to much showing he has conscience and won’t just kill Caesar because

he can. Shakespeare presents this scene in the dark alone in Brutus’s

garden to create an eerie effect making it tense too. Shakespeare

presents it in the garden so it is a bit like the Garden of Eden with

the temptation of killing Caesar.

Portia describes Brutus as being physically sick “Is Brutus sick?”.

Shakespeare presents this in this way to show how it is personally

affecting Brutus. When Brutus is talking to Ligarius, the imagery of

sickness is used as a metaphor “a piece of work that will make sick

Open Document