In the play Julius Caesar, Brutus reveals his internal struggle and his decision to join the conspiracy against Caesar. Sharing his struggle sheds light on his motivations and the conflict between his loyalty to Rome and his relationship with Caesar. Brutus’ presents his reasons for joining the conspiracy, specifically his concerns about Caesar’s ambition and the potential threat that he poses to the Roman Republic. Going deeper into the moment, it is simple to explore the complexities he is going through. First, Brutus uses logical reasoning to justify his decision to join the conspiracy against Caesar. He compares Caesar to a serpent's egg, stating, “And therefore think of him as a serpent's egg, which, hatched, would as his kind grow mischievous, …show more content…
He uses logical reasoning to suggest that immediate action is necessary to prevent any potential harm that Caesar's ambition may bring. By tempting the audience's senses of logic, Brutus aims to convince them that his actions are in the best interest of the Roman Republic. Second, he reveals his deep sense of honor and leadership. In his own words, he portrays himself as a man of noble character, driven by his love for Rome. One powerful line that showcases the internal struggle is when he says, “it must be by his death; and for my part, I know no personal cause to spurn at him.” (II, i, 10-11) He acknowledges that he has no personal reason to hate Caesar but believes his ambition could be a turning point for Rome. This demonstrates Brutus’ willingness to make decisions based on greater good rather than personal gain. In his other reasoning, he mentions the concept of climbing a ladder. “That lowliness is a young ambition's ladder, where the climber upwards turns his face.” (II, i, 22-23) Caesar's ladder is ambition. Brutus fears that if Caesar becomes too powerful, he will continue on climbing this ladder and become a
His tragic flaw is that he trusts people too much and is easily manipulated. The real reason for him joining the conspiracy was because he “loved Caesar but loved Rome more. Marcus Brutus joins the conspiracy because he thought that he is preventing Caesar’s tyranny. He also thinks that by joining the conspiracy he is saving the people of Rome. He also trusts . After entering the conspiracy, he became responsible for Caesar’s death, which led to a civil war, which led to Brutus’s death. Brutus’ downfall is caused by his tragic
Cassius needed a reason to motivate Brutus to join the conspiracy so that the plan would develop. “Brutus, I do observe you now of late: I have not from your eyes that gentleness…” (1.2.34) Cassius is saying that Brutus hasn’t been as affectionate toward him as he typically is. Maybe he suspects something is wrong with Brutus and he thinks it has something to do with Caesar. But I think he didn’t really care about how Brutus was treating him, he was just “buttering him up” so to say. Brutus thinks that Cassius is just being his friend and trying to help, when in reality Cassius is manipulating him. This manipulation of friendship is what drives the rest of the play. Brutus has a hard time seeing through this manipulation of Cassius and it ends up driving him to assassinating his friend, Caesar. Cassius fabricated letters to make them seen like they were from the people of Rome saying that they wanted Brutus as their leader. These letters were really the controlling factor of the assassination because they gave Brutus another reason to assassinate Caesar. Cassius then realized how easy it was to manipulate Brutus. “Well, Brutus, thou art noble. Yet I see thy honorable mettle may be wrought from that it is disposed. Therefore it is meet that noble minds keep ever with their likes; for who so firm that cannot be seduced?” (1.2.320-324) Cassius is saying that even
Throughout most of the play Brutus is constantly internally conflicted. Does he do what he believes is best for Rome or stay loyal to his friend and leader? Should he assist in the murder of one person to benefit many? Although killing Caesar was in the end a bad choice, Brutus always tries to do what is best for Rome and for the people. However even though all of Brutus’ motives are good he still has the tragic flaw of pride, which ultimately leads to his downfall. The reason that Brutus gets caught up in the conspiracy is because Cassias appeals to his pride and flatters him with forged letters from the Roman people saying he is a greater leader then Caesar.
He has two opposing desires that he has to choose between. These are killing Caesar to preserve democracy in Rome and to save Caesar, since he is a friend of Brutus. A quote from J.L. Simmons that summarizes this well is, “Certainly the material lends itself to a conflict between private and public affections” (Simmons 64). Brutus wants to kill Caesar for Rome because the citizens of Rome want to preserve democracy and Caesar is preventing that by being dictator for life. A quote that puts this in other words is, “The ultimate factor in persuading Brutus to join the conspiracy is his belief that his countrymen wish him to act on their behalf” (Shalvi 71). Killing Caesar would be a choice made for not himself, but the citizens of Rome while saving him would be for himself and to preserve his friendship with Caesar. Saving Caesar would be a deed for himself and would strengthen his relationship with Caesar. He could have warned Caesar of the conspirators’ plans and put a stop to them. Brutus ultimately makes the choice of following through and assassinating Caesar. His plan was for this to be a honorable action, but it ended up negative on his behalf. The majority of the citizens in Rome did not take this lightly and wanted revenge for his actions. This is the main mistake made by Brutus that lead to his own
Brutus’ leadership and compassion for others make him a popular figure amongst the Roman people, and it is his reputation that establishes him as an influential individual. For example, despite the fact that Brutus loves Caesar like a brother, he warily joins the conspiracy to assassinate him. He does this because he believes that Caesar’s ambition would become tyranny and that Caesar’s death is a necessary evil in order to preserve the liberties of the Roman people. In his own words Brutus claims, “It must be by his death; and for my part, I know no personal cause to spurn at him, but for the general.”(Act 2, Scene 1, Page 1116). In addition, Brutus takes the reins of authority from Cassius and becomes the leader of the conspiracy. He gains this prerogative because of his convincing tongue and powerful influence. His leadership is evidenced when he begins to challenge Cassius’ ideas. When Cassius asks the conspirators to “swear our resolution”(Act 2...
First, Cassius and the conspirators used his honor for Rome to convince him to join them. Their fake letters from the citizens that they sent Brutus assisted in making his decision. Brutus said, “It must be by his death. And for my part/I know no personal cause to spurn at him, /But for the general.”(II.i.10-12) His extreme honorability to Rome had blinded him from the real reasons why the other conspirators wanted him to join. Cassius only wanted Caesar dead because of his jealousy and Brutus would have been a great asset. Brutus did not have any personal reasons for Caesar’s assassination. However, it was his assumptions on what may happen to Rome that caused him to join the conspiracy.
In the play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, Marcus Junius Brutus, as the main character, develops extensively as a character throughout the play. From where he is first introduced to us until his last words, Brutus is shown consistently as a well-meaning individual who acts in what he believes is the best way possible. However, due to the role he plays in the assassination of Julius Caesar and the events surrounding it, Brutus is shown to have a changing personality although the core principles he is guided by remain sturdy. At the beginning of Julius Caesar, Brutus is framed as a loyal and honorable person, whose loyalty lies first and foremost with the citizens and city of Rome. As a consequence of this, Brutus is also able to be manipulated easily to do otherwise undesirable actions if the manipulator can persuade Brutus that his actions are for the good of Rome and his citizens.
First of all, Marcus Brutus has the character flaw of poor judge of character. He cannot discern a person’s character or true motivation. He, however, acts on his judgments, regardless of whether they are true or not. Brutus feels that Caesar is too ambitious for power, and that he, along with the other eight men plotting the demise of Caesar, must prevent it, “And therefore think him as a serpent’s egg— / Which, hatched, would as his kind grow mischievous— / And kill him in the shell” (911). Brutus decides that Caesar must die because he ambitious. Ambition is not necessarily an evil and virulent thing. Ambition causes men and women to strive towards reaching an attainment. Brutus assumes that Caesar will turn his back on his supporters due to this ambition. One of the most famous lines in Julius Caesar is the dying words of Caesar: “Et tu, Bruté?—Then fall, Caesar” (938). If Caesar had truly turned h...
The moment Brutus started to question if he should be in the conspiracy it was no good but when he decided to actually join it to kill Caesar it was a bad choice and a choice that in the end lead to his death. “And therefore think him as a serpent's egg/ Which hatched, which as his kind grow mischievous,/ And kill him in the shell.” (2.1.32-34). Brutus is saying that Caesar would be a dangerous man once he gets power and once he gets the crown and hatches from his shell he will be poison, so they need to kill him before he gains power. That moment is when Brutus decides to join the conspiracy. Does he say those things thinking they are actually true? Or does he say those things because it is being fed to him and the people feeding it to him he trusts so he starts believing it himself? He trusts those men in the conspiracy and wants to best for Rome so he joins and helps kill Caesar. When Brutus decides to join the conspiracy it is leading to his death because he starts to make all the decisions for the men in the conspiracy and does not listen to anyone else's ideas. He is trusting his own ideas so much that when someone else comes up with something he does not let them get there way and he gets his way. For example the men all believed that when they kill Caesar they should also kill Antony. They think that Antony will get the power after Caesar is dead so they also want him dead so
The senators believe that anything they do to Caesar will look bad in the eyes of the people, but Brutus, whom the plebeians love, will make their actions appear honorable. In order to achieve this, Cassius creates a plan in order to prod Brutus in favor of the assassination: In several hands, in at his windows throw, As if they came from several citizens, Writings all tending to the great opinion That Rome holds in his name, and wherein obscurely Caesar’s ambition shall be glanced at. (I,ii,312-316) By deceiving Brutus into believing that the Roman people, who respect him, think that Caesar is becoming too ambitious, Cassius is able to convince Brutus, a noble Roman, to join the plot against Caesar. Because he only wants to do what is best for the people, Brutus joins the conspiracy.
In William Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar was a tragedy that is mainly based on the assassination of Julius Caesar. The character that was in charge of the assassination was Marcus Brutus. Brutus was the most complex character in the play. He was one of the men who assassinate Caesar in the Senate. Brutus was an honorable man. He was a servant and close friend to Julius Caesar. In Roman times, the only way for someone to get close to a person of high rank is if he/she is close to him/her. The reason of his complexity was because he did not kill Caesar for greed, envy, nor to preserve his social position like so many of the other conspirators. What would cause a person to kill a close friend? He joined the conspiracy in order to help the Romans get rid of Caesar. Brutus would not allow Caesar to rise to power and then turn his back onto the people of Rome. Brutus had a strong relationship with Caesar but a stronger relationship with Rome and its people. Brutus loved Caesar but feared his powers. Brutus advocates peace, freedom, and liberty, for all Romans, which shows that Brutus is an altruistic as well as an honorable man. Not that Brutus loved Caesar Less but he loved Rome more. Brutus had honored Caesar but Brutus felt that Caesar was too ambitious. He also felt that Caesar made the Romans as slaves. Brutus joined the conspiracy because he had the desire to help the commoners.
Brutus frequently makes decisions slowly, and he’s internal conflicts are best exemplified through the course of his actions. He has conflicting attitudes toward the conspiracy and many other judgements. For example, “Cassius,/ Be not deceived. If I have veiled my look,/ I turn the trouble of my countenance/ Merely upon myself.
In response to the first prompt, I do think that Adichie’s Americanah has gotten me to think differently about the pressures associated with defining racial identity. Despite the wide breadth of our lectures, I do think that our discussions of black diaspora exist in an inescapable bubble. By that I mean that our attention is mainly focused towards the individual and their efforts and self-identification (or perhaps even a refusal to do as much, rather choosing to embrace fragmentation and ambiguity). I would argue that that is the strength of the class. A course about black diaspora obviously needs to be taught from the standpoint of black individuals. That being said, I think Dike’s story is a staunch reminder that there are times when others
Brutus is considered an honorable, noble man in Rome and it is important to Cassius that he becomes part of the conspiracy. In Act 1, Cassius and Brutus agree that Caesar becoming king would be detrimental to Rome. Cassius starts off persuading Brutus by describing how weak Caesar is. He states, “he had a fever when he was Spain, and when the fit was on him, I did mark how he did shake; ‘tis true, this god did shake” (I.ii.119-121). Cassius is trying to show Brutus that Caesar is not perfect or better than everyone else. In fact, he is weak and infirm. Next, Cassius makes the point that Caesar is too powerful and if he becomes king, he will rule over the people “like a Colossus” (I.ii.136). Brutus says he will consider joining the conspiracy if it is
Caesar is always looking forward to succeed and gain power. As they parade through the streets of Rome Casca tells Brutus how Caesar was offered a crown by Marc Antony. Although Caesar did not accept it and pushed it away he would have really wanted it. “Then he offered it to him again; then he put it by again; but to my thinking, he was very loath to lay his fingers off it” (I.ii.243-245). On the other hand, Brutus was not ambitious. Brutus joined the conspiracy because he was afraid that Caesar’s ambition will over power Rome. “Shall Rome, &c.' Thus must I piece it out: Shall Rome stand under one man's awe? What, Rome?” (II.i.656). He explains how Rome should not be ruled by one person, as agreeing to the conspirators and thus, joining them