“And I am Brutus, I? Brutus, my country’s friend; know me for Brutus!” (“V.iv.2638”). The Tragedy of Julius Caesar By William Shakespeare is about how characters react to different symbols in their lifetime, and what those actions lead to. Brutus is the tragic hero of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar because this character was manipulated, he was honorable, and he died a devastating death.
While the fact that there are other characters that could be the tragic hero, Brutus is actually the only noted character to be misdirected. Though Julius Caesar was manipulated, it was not to the point of him doing something that could completely ruin his reputation as well as it was not truly distinguished. This can be seen when Cassius decides to again use
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flattery to convince Brutus for the same objective, “... You have no such mirrors as will turn/Your hidden worthiness into your eye/That you might see your shadow.” (“I.ii.6”). It's obvious Cassius wants Brutus to join the conspiracy against Caesar, but instead of coming right out and asking him, he tries to stroke Brutus's ego. Additionally, Cassius deviously tells Casca his plan to get Brutus on his side for certain, “I will this night/In several hands, in at his windows throw/As if they came from several citizens,” (“I.ii.24”). He hopes that by planting the faux letters from “citizens”, urging Brutus to lead Rome, he will be won over to join the conspiracy against Julius Caesar. . Brutus is lied to by Cassius to ensure that he gets what he wants, and this happens in more than one occurrence. Not only is Brutus exploited, but he was one of the characters that were truly virtuous. Everything that Brutus did, was for the positive growth of Rome. For instance, Brutus is confused because Cassius is acting differently, “Remember March, the ides of March remember: /Did not great Julius bleed for justice' sake?...” (“IV.3.1997”). This displays that Brutus loved Caesar, and the only reason that he agreed to get together with the conspiracy was to try to restore peace and prosperity to Rome. Likewise, He tells Cassius that he is not joining the scheme against Caesar, not out of personal pettiness, but because he thinks that it is what is best for Rome, “It must be by his death: and for my part, /I know no personal cause to spurn at him, /But for the general. He would be crown'd: /How that might change his nature,” (“II.i.2”). Brutus was honorable, but he misinterpreted a lot of things, Ceasar could have, possibly, been a skillful leader, but Brutus did not give him the chance to prove if he was or not. Marcus Brutus was negatively influenced and noble, but he expired a brutal end also.
Caesar was killed for a purpose, Brutus killed himself, barbarically, and lost all of the credibility that he once had. After they go through with the conspiracy, people get upset. However, he assures the people that there was he had no personal dilemma against Caesar, and he feared that he would become a tyrant “--Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved /Rome more. Had you rather Caesar were living and /Die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live /All free men?” (“III.ii.3”). He believes that his motives were noble as he declares that in the drama in Rome that his function in the conspiracy was to save Rome. Moreover, As Antony looks at Brutus’s deceased body, he notes that he was a gentleman, and he was the only one who executed Caesar out of nobility, and for the common good of Rome, “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!” Surprisingly even his enemies note how he was a proficient, honest, noble person.. Everything that Brutus did in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar was not for him, it was for the constructive advancement of
Rome. “It must be by his death: and for me/I know no personal cause to spurn at Part, him,” (II.I.611). Brutus was a good person, but the manipulation and honorability led to his heartbreaking death. Other aspects in the theatrical, primarily Cassius, used Brutus in a bad manner. This led to many bad things, eventually he just could not admit to it, and he killed himself. A tragic hero is a person of noble birth with heroic or potentially heroic qualities, but they also experience bad things in the play such as manipulation, ego, or even death, but they still win over our admiration, for the most part. Brutus is the only character to experience all of the traits, which is why he, without a doubt, is the tragic hero of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar.
Brutus put his trust in Antony to not turn on him at the funeral. He was lead to believe that Antony would only speak good of the conspirators and defend them for the actions they have made. He trusted Antony when he told him he would not express such hate and talk of the bad they did and then later turned against them for the vengeance of Caesar. Brutus told Antony, “You shall not in your funeral speech blame us, But speak all good you can devise of Caesar” (III.i.245-246). He told him that the only way he is going to be able to speak at Caesar’s funeral is if he speaks good of the conspirators. After Antony said his speech, the whole crowd immediately switched and sided with him against them. They wanted nothing more than for Brutus, Cassius and the other contributors to be dead. This reveals that Brutus is shameful for putting his trust in someone who was so close to Caesar. Brutus trusted that Antony wouldn't do anything and just imagined he would be to scared to step up and speak out. This leads to Brutus losing the trust he had for Antony and starting a war between the people and the conspirators. As the war was about to proceed, they all prepped for what was about to happen. Antony and his army completely dominated Brutus’ and lead to many of them fleeing for their lives. Many people died by genocide while other committed suicide. Brutus was among the ones of suicide. He no longer wanted to be alive and felt that he had lived and fulfill what he had wanted. People were dead and he knew he was going to be one of them. Brutus’ last words were, “Caesar, now be still; I killed not thee with half so good a will” (V.v.50-51). He wanted Caesar to know that he can now be at rest because the vengeance he was looking for has been given. Because of all the trust he put in the people that were taking advantage of him, he ended up finishing his life. This reveals that Brutus really did
Brutus’s tragic flaw is that he is very easily manipulated and persuaded. He is very naïve and allows others to swindle him because he feels that no one would ever lie or deceive him since he didn’t do that to anyone. His first mistake is believing the forged letters from the conspirators. This was all ...
In the play the Life and Death of Julius Caesar (just as in all of Shakespeare’s tragedies) there is much death, much tragedy, and of course, a tragic hero. However unlike most of Shakespeare’s plays this time the tragic hero is not particularly obvious. Throughout the play a few main characters present themselves as possibilities for being the tragic hero. But as being a tragic hero is not only having a tragic flaw but also entails much more, there really is only one person to fit the mold. The character Brutus is born into power and is higher/better then we are. He has a tragic flaw that causes his downfall and at the end he realizes his mistake (a trait none of the other characters can really claim).
In William Shakespeare’s play “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar,” the character Marcus Brutus fits the role of Shakespeare’s tragic hero. In this play, Brutus is a perfect example of a tragic hero. He fits all of Shakespeare’s characteristics of a tragic hero entirely. Brutus could easily be used as an example of a tragic hero in a lesson or a written work.
The second reason why Brutus should not be a tragic hero is because he has a tragic flaw and this flaw leads to his ultimate downfall. The tragic Flaw for Brutus is his idealistic view of the world. He contracts this view about Caesar after Cassius persuades him by saying that Caesar will be a tyrant. Because of this, Brutus joins the conspirators and kills Caesar. This shows that Brutus, like other tragic heroes uses his tragic flaw and thus will cause his eventual defeat. Later in the play Brutus directs, as any ideological man would, to charge rather than wait for the enemy to attack. This is an excellent exemplar of the Brutus’s tragic flaw since Brutus did this so that he would not lose support in Rome.
“Brutus, a Tragic Hero” Tragic heroes are composed of the following characteristics: nobleness/wisdom by birth, a tragic flaw, reversal of fortune by the tragic flaw, and anagnorisis. Being excessively honorable can be a person’s tragic flaw. In Julius Caesar, written by William Shakespeare, Brutus is shown to be a tragic hero. Born a nobleman, Brutus was Caesar’s close friend. However, he betrayed and murdered Caesar, which eventually led to Brutus’s death.
The tragic hero is one of literatures most used (and sometimes abused) characters. The classical definition of a tragic hero is, “a person with heroic or potentially heroic qualities. The person is doomed by the Gods or some other supernatural force to destruction or suffering. The hero struggles against the fate, but due to a personal flaw, ultimately fails in the battle against fate. It is my personal opinion that Brutus,as he is portrayed in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, is a tragic hero by this definition. I came to this conclusion due to the fact that Brutus shares many similarities with other tragic heroes in literature such as Oedipus, Hamlet, and Ralph from Lord of the Flies. All four characters share the two critical traits that are needed to be tragic heroes: a tragic flaw that eventually leads to a tragic downfall. The tragic hero was defined by Aristotle, yet the “invention” of the tragic hero goes to Sophocles.
In the play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, I saw two main characters as tragic heroes. First, I saw Julius Caesar as a tragic hero because his will to gain power was so strong that he ended up losing his life for it. The fact that he could have been such a strong leader was destroyed when he was killed by conspirators. I saw Marcus Brutus as a second tragic hero in this play. Brutus was such a noble character that did not deserve to die. The main reason why he did die, however, was because he had led a conspiracy against Caesar and eventually killed him. These two characters were the tragic heroes of the play in my opinion.
The William Shakespeare play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar tells the story of the assassination of Julius Caesar and the eight conspirators behind it. The play takes place in 44 B.C. in Rome. Marcus Brutus is the protagonist and face-man of the insidious conspiracy. He is also the tragic hero in this classic work of literature. Aristotle’s definition of the tragic hero is a character that has a character flaw, also known as hubris, and experiences a downfall from a high position in society due to this flaw. After this downfall, a tragic hero experiences an enlightenment. Brutus fits Aristotle’s description perfectly. Brutus has a severe character flaw and experiences a downfall from a high position in society. However, he is an honorable character that truly provokes sympathy from the audience.
The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare is the story about the men who conspired and followed through with the assassination of the great Julius Caesar. These men fear that Caesar will take the crown and become the next king of Rome. The roman people had a true averse feeling toward the idea of monarchy. So in order to prevent this they come up with a plan to end Caesars life, which is duly followed through on March 15, 44 B.C. Out of these conspirators there is one man that stands out to be a tragic hero, and that is a man by the name of Brutus. He was a great friend of Caesar who ultimately became one of Caesars worst adversaries. He betrayed Caesars trust and friendship when he agreed to be part of the assassination plot. A tragic hero is someone who is in a place of high standings or a place of power. This leads to a huge fall from greatness to death. A tragic hero must have many deep complex character flaws that are revealed throughout the course of the story. They then must ultimately accept responsibility for their mistakes; along with being humbled and enlightened. Brutus demonstrates all of the attributes of a tragic hero.
Throughout many of Shakespeare's plays, a tragic hero is identified; a heroic figure that possesses a character flaw that leads to his defeat. In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, there has been controversies over who is actually the tragic hero. Many people agree that Marcus Brutus is the tragic hero. However, others argue and identify Julius Caesar as the tragic hero. After examining these two characters, a conclusion is easily drawn. Brutus is the tragic hero of this play because when a person who possesses such heroic qualities dies, it is a true tragedy.
Moreover, Brutus is considered a tragic hero first because of his numerous character flaws or hubrises. An example is Brutus’s flawed logic. By even deciding to kill Caesar for what he is ‘going’ to do, yet not by what he has done, Brutus sets himself up for failure. “‘And therefore think him as a serpent’s egg which hatched, would as his kind grow mischievous, and kill him in shell’”(911). Brutus’s reasoning for murdering Caesar in such cold blood is because he is afraid of what he could do or what he could become. However, this is clearly faulty logic, fo...
Tragic Hero in Julius Caesar A tragic hero is the character whose actions deeply affect the other characters and who creates a series of events that eventually lead to the character’s downfall and the downfall of his loved ones. Such a hero possesses a flaw in character that influences his actions and thinking and especially his judgments. In logically determining who the hero in Julius Caesar is, one simply must find the one character who fits the above guidelines. Marcus Brutus is the only one, and, thus, he is the tragic hero.
Brutus was one of many Romans with noble bloodlines. Although Brutus was noble, he never used it to get ahead. There are many times when Brutus could have used the fact that he is truly noble but he didn’t. Many people argue that a noble man wouldn’t have killed Caesar. In some ways that is true, but Brutus’ case was different. A noble man would only for the good of others and that is what Brutus did. He killed Caesar because 7he was afraid of how powerful he could become. Even then he had a hard time doing it, and that is what separates Brutus from the other conspirators. Every other conspirator had little or no reason to kill Caesar. Brutus was willing to do anything for Rome. During his speech about Caesar’s murder Brutus stated “I have the same dagger for myself when it shall please my country to need my death” (III.ii.45-46). This shows how Caesar, this is my answer: not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more” (III.ii.20-22). He was too passionate about his country to let Caesar turn it into a dictatorship. Mark Antony and Octavius recognized that Brutus was the one noble roman. In his final speech mark Antony said “This was the noblest roman of them all. / All the conspirators save only he/ Did that they did i...
Due to the errors Brutus makes throughout the play and the harm that befalls him as a result, he represent the true tragic hero of Julius Caesar. For despite holding one of the few sets of good intentions in the play, Brutus ultimately suffers and dies farther away from achieving his dreams than he started from.