Throughout the book, Brutus presents himself as honorable and noble by his personal morals and his status in the Roman society. In Act 2, Scene 1, he contemplates alone about joining the conspirators on killing Caesar, thinking, “I know no personal cause to spurn at him, But for the general.” This reveals how Brutus has nothing against Caesar for a valid reason to murder him except for the safety of the Roman citizens. From this soliloquy, Brutus shows that he is considerate when it comes to the lives of Romans, and is willing to do anything for their own good. The final speech given by Antony also shows that compared to the other conspirators, Brutus is the most honorable. Antony says, “He, only in a general honest thought and common good …show more content…
to all, made one of them.” When Antony made this statement, it shows how Brutus prioritized the people rather than Cassius and the others who killed Caesar because they envied him. Brutus is known for being a friend of Caesar which unveils his ranking in Rome. In Act 1, Scene 2, he says to Cassius, “I do fear the people do choose Caesar for their king...yet I love him well.” This remark indicates how Brutus was close to Caesar. A tragic hero of a story must have faults that lead to their downfall, and Brutus with his flaw of being easily manipulated and his inability to think things through eventually causes him his own death.
When Cassius attempts to persuade Brutus that killing Caesar is good for Rome, he flatters Brutus by mentioning, “Why should that name be sounded more than yours?” Cassius asks this to Brutus to convince him that Caesar is not a greater man in Act 2, Scene 1. He later tells Brutus how he has ancestors that would save Rome from someone who believes they could control all of Rome similar to Caesar. This is a flaw of Brutus as he then thinks about Cassius’ words afterwards in which he makes the final decision to follow the conspirators. After killing Caesar, Brutus makes the mistake of trusting Antony to make a funeral speech. In Antony’s speech that follows up after Brutus’, he says, “They who have done this deed is honorable” multiple times in order to get a repetition for the Romans to get the hint in Act 3, Scene 2. This demonstrate how Brutus did not think about how Antony is capable of making them look bad when he agreed to allow Antony to say something. This is a fault because the Romans see the conspirators as bad after …show more content…
all. From the mistakes that Brutus had made because of his flaws, there were consequences which involved his own death.
For example, the allowance of Antony’s speech had caused the Roman citizens to reflect on the conspirators’ actions in a negative perspective. Persuaded by Antony’s speech in Act 3, Scene 2, a citizen shouts, “We’ll burn the house of Brutus.” This reveals how Brutus’ plan had backfired as the citizens now think the death of Julius Caesar was unjustified which came from people that Brutus most valued. This is the beginning of his downfall as now the Romans think that they have lost their leader because of the conspirators, something Brutus did not want to happen. Furthermore, the deaths of his friends had contributed to his personal death. His own killing of Caesar affected him also because now knowing that the Romans are against him, he lost his friend for no reason. In Act 5, Cassius, kills himself after seeing Tintinius dead during the battle scene. This was the breaking point for Brutus as he realizes that his decicsion to kill Caesar had caused these deaths. In Act 5, Scene 5, Brutus’ final words are , “Caesar, now be still. I killed not thee with half so good a will.” This displays his regret of joining the conspirators as he would rather kill himself than Caesar. The final tragedy shows the lead up to his death because of his
deicison-making.
The second henious act Brutus commits is murder on his dear friend Caeser. After commiting the crime he said "If there be any in this assembly, any dear friend of Caeser’s, to him I say that Brutus’ love to Caeser was no less than his". Brutus killed his dear friend because of ambition. If only today’s leaders had some ambition! He said that he love Rome more than Caeser and that is why he commited one of the most dishonorable acts a humn being can commit. After the act, Antony appropriately and sarcastically called Brutus an honorable man. Unlike Brutus, Antony knew what honor was. Even though Brutus knew that Caeser had turned down the crown three times, he still felt he was to ambitious to rule over Rome. If only Brutus would have had a level head on his shoulders like Antony. If anyone can call a murderer honorable, let them be known.
Throughout the play many characters are not who they turn out to be. Julius Caesar is a very good judge of character, he does not ruts Cassius, he says “ He thinks too much man, such men are dangerous”( shakespeare,1.2.195). Caesar foreshadows now dangerous Cassius is, Cassius is one person who stabs Caesar. Unlike Caesar, Brutus trusts people too much to see who they are. After Caesar 's death, Brutus trusts Marc Antony to give his speech, but Cassius says “ You know not what you do. Do not consent./ that Antony speak in his funeral. I know you how much the people may be moved/ by that which he will utter.” (shakespeare,3.2.333-335). Caesar was an amazing military leader, Brutus was not. Before Caesar becomes king, he gained land back to Rome “ Julius Caesar has just returned to Rome after a long civil war in which he defeated the forces of pompey” (applebee) Caesar led his military to victory and has the chance to take full control of Rome. brutus is a humble military leader company to Caesar. After Brutus won his battle over Octavius’ army, he left his men begin looting. Instead of helping Cassius’ army “ O Cassius, Brutus gave the word too early,/ who, having some advantages on Octavius/ took it too eagerly. His soldiers fell to spoil/ whilst we by Antony are all enclosed .(Shakespeare,5.3.5-8) Brutus had a bad call when he did not send his army to help Cassius. With Caesars flaw being
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
Each ruler of Rome seemed to have made poor decisions, and this is exactly what occurred with Brutus. Brutus became very naïve. All of the conspirators confronted Brutus with the idea of killing Mark Antony. They believed he would continue Caesar’s legacy but Brutus thought differently. Brutus added, “And for Mark Antony, think not of him, for he can do no more than Caesar’s arm” (Shakespeare, 24). He proposed that Antony was too weak for them to worry about while this was actually what brought about his fall. When the murder of Caesar had concluded, Antony wished to speak in honor of Caesar. Brutus agreed with the idea but Cassius was hesitant. Cassius insulted, “You know not what you do. Do not consent that Antony speak in his funeral. Know you how much the people may be moved by that which he will utter” (Shakespeare, 44). Cassius feared that Antony’s persuasive speech would turn the citizens against the conspirators. Brutus continued to ignore Cassius’s warning, but was proven wrong immediately. The locals were influenced by Antony and led an angered march to end the conspirators. Brutus caused their arrangement to fail by lack of
Brutus was a man of noble birth. He had multiple servants and was often referred to as “Lord”, which indicates a certain level of respect for him. He was a very highly thought of person in Rome. At no point did he ever betray anyone, although he did kill Caesar, he did it to better Rome, not to mislead him. Everything he did was for the advantage of someone else. Even after Brutus dies, Marc Antony says “This was the noblest roman of them all; all the conspirators, save only he, did that they did in the envy of Caesar; he only in a general honest thought and common good to all...” This shows that regardless of brutus killing Caesar, he is still considered noble because he had good intentions. Brutus was also the best friend of Julius Caesar, the most powerful man in Rome. Had he been a commoner, Caesar most likely would not have associated with him or trusted him as a friend.
In conclusion, Brutus’ mistakes and flaws are overshadowed by his honorable intentions and genuine motives. In a society littered with dishonorable, deceitful people like Antony, Brutus, with his sense of honor and integrity, contrast them all. Brutus’ greatest weakness is his tendency to believe people who script words to purposely lie or misguide him. Due to his actions, he ends up dying an honorable death of a self-suicide. Having genuine compassion and sympathy towards others is not a bad thing. However, decisions should not be so heavily influenced by the opinions of others. The significance of planning things out before doing them is clearly illustrated, as it is a way to foresee possible complications or problems that may arise. Ironically, the conspirators’ cause is for naught as Antony becomes the tyrant that they fear Caesar would have become.
Brutus has a naive view of the world. He is unable to see through the roles being played by Cassius, Casca, and Antony. He does not even recognize the fake letters were sent from Cassius. Then Brutus says,“You shall not blame us Antony, in your funeral speech, but speak all the good you can of Caesar.
If then that friend demands why Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer: not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more." (3.2.19-24). His concentration on honor and nobility ends up being used against him by Cassius, who instigates him to kill his best friend. Cassius knows how naive and how moral Brutus is and he uses this information into making him help kill Caesar. Being naive and over trusting causes his first mistake and helps with his downfall when he refuses to listen to Cassius, who wants Antony to be also killed because he knows that he will seek revenge for Caesar. However, Brutus code of honor won 't let him approve the killing of Antony "Our plan will seem too bloody, Caius Cassius. We cut off the head and then hack the limbs, seem to kill Caesar in anger and then vent malice on his friends, for Antony is only a branch of Caesar."(2.1.169-172), he doesn 't want to be seen by the Roman people as a killer, but someone who 's doing what 's right for the people of
In the play Julius Caesar, written and preformed by William Shakespeare, there are many characters, but two, Brutus and Cassius, stood out. The play begins in Rome where a celebration of Julius Caesar's victory over the former ruler of Rome, Pompeii. The victory leads to Caesar's betrayal by his jealous companions. Senators and other high status figures are jealous of Caesar's new and growing power, while others, like Brutus, fear the tyrannical rule Caesar could enforce. The conspirators, Brutus and Cassius being the most important, assassinate Julius Caesar and Marcus Antonius, better known as Antony, and Octavius Caesar, Caesar's heir to the thrown, revenge Caesar's death. Antony convinces the Roman populous to destroy the conspirators and eventually begins a war with Cassius and Brutus' armies. Both Cassius and Brutus commit suicide to save their honor and Antony and Octavius win the war. The characterizations of Brutus and Cassius show a distinct contrast in their character traits and motives for the assassination of Julius Caesar.
You all are understandably anger at the conspirators. We just killed your leader, but we did it with good intentions. Caesar would have brought us down with him. With him as sole ruler of Rome, we would end up in flames. I know that many of you are angry with Caesar's death. I know many of you are angry with us for killing him. I know many of you seek revenge for Caesar (Condupitico). I can assure you, it was for the best. Caesar was dangerous, it was for the best that we got rid of him before he doomed Rome to destruction with his ambition. He was ambitious, he was foolish, he was arrogant (Asyndeton). Rome does not deserve to be ruled over a dictator. From the beginning I knew there were only two options if Caesar became king… to kill him or kill myself (aposiopesis).
Brutus’ idealism, compelling him to spare Antony, contributes significantly to his downfall, as Antony later seeks vengeance and prevails. Had Brutus not been blinded by his idealism, he would have seen the reality. Furthermore, Brutus is stubborn and does not take others’ opinions into account, leading him to doom. Despite Cassius’ pleading, Brutus did not sway in his decision to let Antony speak at Caesar’s funeral. When Antony speaks, he is able to gain the favor of the Romans, taking away what was essential to the conspirators: popular
Brutus recognizes that the “enemies have beat [Brutus and the conspirators].. to a pit” and believes it is honorable “to leap in” themselves “than tarry till” the enemies force them (5.5.23-25). Hence, Brutus requests his servant to assist him in committing suicide and finally utters “Caesar, now be still / I kill’d not thee with half so good a will” (5.5.50-51). Brutus’s action exhibits his understanding of the killing of Caesar, and now views it as irreparable. Furthermore, Brutus takes notice of the fights and unending deaths around him all due to his naivety and failure to judge people’s evil side. As a result, Brutus views suicide as the most appropriate “method” to retain his honor and dignity; otherwise, he would have to encounter the Roman citizens’ criticization and would be humiliated for his actions. In addition, Brutus requests Caesar to be done with his vengeance and to forgive him as he acts solely for the best of Rome, displaying Brutus to be a tragic hero who failed doing his best for good. Furthermore, the play ends with Antony’s summary of Brutus’s character leaving the audience to characterize Brutus to be the one who suffered the most and died in a tragic way. Antony describes Brutus to be “the noblest Roman of them all…/ [and have acted] only in a general
When plotting the assassination of Caesar, the idea is brought up of murdering Antony as well, as he posed a potential threat when working with Caesar. Brutus chooses not to kill Antony, for he believed “Antony [was] but a limb of Caesar” and would probably kill himself if Caesar was not by his side (Shakespeare Act 2, Scene 1, Line 165). This grave choice fueled Antony to fight back against the conspirators, which eventually caught up to Brutus and turned him to his own death. Even after the assassination, Brutus once again was far too trusting in allowing Antony to speak at Caesar’s funeral, against the orders of Cassius. After delivering his own speech to the crowd, Brutus leaves the ceremony, allowing Antony to speak his mind on the situation, and his speech greatly affects the views of the Roman citizens. By doing this, Brutus unknowingly turns the general public against him and the conspirators, which drives him to lose his will to
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...
William Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, he follows the men responsible for the assassination of the Roman dictator and how their action change the course of Roman history. During the first two acts, the piece’s main protagonist, Brutus, struggles with the idea of murdering a friend and ally in the name of peace, freedom, and liberty. He eventually realizes that it is the only option he and the conspirators had to save Rome. However, rather than a butchery, the act should be considered a sacrifice for the common good because of Brutus’ overall reluctance to resort to murder and the respect he and the conspirators show Caesar after his death.