“...and Brutus is an honorable man...” As Antony said in his speech Brutus has a sense of honor that he seems to be willing to do anything to uphold. Honor is a prevailing theme that effects everyone throughout Julius Caesar and especially Brutus. Webster's dictionary defines honor as “good quality or character as judged by other people; high moral standards of behavior” Throughout the play we see Brutus faced with many situations that cause him to compromise his good character. Thus he must lie and twist the truth to keep himself in the eye of the Roman people as an honorable man, further diluting his true honor. Is Brutus's honor just based on how the Roman people see him, or is he only as honorable as his true character when no one is around? …show more content…
Through Brutus is Shakespeare saying true honor is inherently weak in the face of evil? Throughout the entirety of the play Brutus does everything to ensure that the Roman people see him as an “honorable man”.
And according to Websters dictionary, Brutus fits the first half of the definition perfectly. Through well told lies, Brutus continuously convinces the Roman people that he is honorable. After killing Caesar, an act that would seem to be dishonorable, Brutus convinces the crowd that the murder was actually honorable because he did it “not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.” (Act 3,scene2, ll.23-24) Unfortunately for Brutus Webster's definition of honor does not end there. Although he killed Caesar because he loved Rome more, this does not take away the fact that Brutus compromises the good standard of behavior, found in the second part of Webster's definition, by committing murder. The fact that the people in Shakespeare’s play are easily swayed works initially in Brutus's favor and his outward picture of honor seems to remain in tact. Although Brutus maintains his honor on the outside, his lack of true honor behind the conceit reveals him as a liar to the Roman people ultimately becoming his demise. Brutus does maintain the appearance of an honorable man but that honor is only skin …show more content…
deep. Brutus's victory is short lived and his lack of true honor is quickly exposed. As Antony gives his speech at Caesars funeral, his words tear down the wall of lies that Brutus worked so hard to build, revealing his true character and his lack of true honor. Brutus does not have “high moral standards of behavior”. When faced with the opportunity of evil, Brutus is easily persuaded to commit the evil because he believes that in doing so his honor will be upheld. However by succumbing to this evil, Brutus does the opposite, and ends up diluting his honor. Brutus uses his unrealistic fear that Caesar will supposedly betray not only Brutus himself but also the Romans, as an excuse for the assassination. However on his death bed Brutus exclaims that “in all my life I found no man but he was true to me” (5.5.38-9) And with Brutus's belief in this statement that Caesar has been true to him, then Brutus has been untrue to Caesar and therefore his actions were dishonorable. Although Brutus upholds the appearance of honor, under scrutiny Brutus's honor does not hold up and it is quickly revealed to the Roman people that Brutus lacks true honor. After Antony's speech not only does Brutus lack true honor but he loses all honor including the skin deep appearance of it. Brutus lacks true honor but instead is only concerned with the appearance of honor.
Cassius recognizes Brutus’s shallow yearning for honor in the eyes of the people, and he is able to manipulate him into joining the somewhat questionable conspiracy, providing him with flattery by admiring his honorable figure saying “Well, Brutus, thou art noble” (1.2.313). Many characters in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar do maintain true honor, but Brutus is the main focus because he is the one that is most concerned with how honor makes him look in the eyes of the people. This concern thus makes him weak and easily manipulated. With Mark Antony, honor comes easily to him. His character and commitment to Caesar are never questioned because he is not concerned with the appearance of honor but the actual virtue. Antony's honor is not manipulated like Brutus's because his has a solid foundation. According to Shakespeare, when faced with evil, true honor like that of Mark Antony's stands strong. But the shallow honor of Brutus that is only withheld when under the eyes of the people, has no foundation to stand firm on when met with evil. Brutus can't see beyond his desire to appear honorable. And it is Brutus's shallow approach to honor which in the end becomes his own
downfall. Is Brutus's honor just based on how the Roman people see him, or is he only as honorable as his true character when no one is around? Through Brutus is Shakespeare saying true honor is inherently weak in the face of evil? Julius Caesar's character Brutus does not posses true honor but is more concerned with appearing to be honorable in the eyes of the Roman people. For awhile Brutus does maintain the appearance of an honorable man but that true honor is only skin deep. After a small amount of scrutiny by the Roman people under the guidance of Mark Antony, not only does Brutus lack true honor but he loses all honor including the skin deep appearance of it. This great ambition to be honorable in the eyes of the people, is the weakness that ultimately leads to his downfall. Through Brutus, Shakespeare does not say that true honor is inherently weak when met with temptation but rather the shallow honor of people like Brutus is what crumbles in the face of evil.
On the other hand some people may believe that he is honorable. Some may say that Brutus had the best interest of Rome in mind while he murdered Caesar. Also, some might try and argue that Brutus would have made a better ruler and that is why is chose to do this act. What these arguments fail to consider is the fact that Brutus failed to stand up for his morals, agrees to take the life of a dear friend, and he goes to kill himself because he is too afraid to face the consequences. Brutus is a dishonorable man because he allows Cassius to make him go against his morals. Another thing is that he shows his weakness by going and not facing the consequences that came with his
What is honor? Honor coins an individual’s nature. A principle that exists on the purpose of perception, a martyr willing to conform and accomplish. In the case of Shakespeare's play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Brutus was the most honorable of men. A brother to Caesar, but a father to Rome, he persist and perish for the future of his child. The idea of ignorance, and the belief of a false faith, turns this noble man toward a vulgar grave, with virtuous notions.
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.
Honor: “Honesty fairness, or integrity in one 's beliefs and actions.” Honesty can be a good and bad trait to have, being too honest can affect a person greatly. In William shakespeare 's play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Caesar returns to Rome having defeated Pompey. The Romans wanted to crown him king. later caesar is killed by conspirators due to his ambition. After his murder common people are enraged and a civil war breaks out across Rome. Many characters die along the way. Throughout the historical play Shakespeare points out many personality traits as characters struggle to gain or remain in power. A closer examination of two main characters reveals the results of human nature. Two main leaders, Caesar and Brutus share similar and
Brutus also places his faith in the honor of others, refusing to take a group oath assuming the honor of the individual is the strongest thing there is. Brutus lives his life based almost entirely on the idea of honor, yet he somehow fails to see the dishonor in killing his close friend to prevent him from rising to power.
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 Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, Brutus and Cassius are both considered honorable men by the public. But, like all traits, honor is in the eye of the beholder. Honor is defined as evidence or symbols of distinction. Those who are placed in power are often chosen because of their traits, which include being honorable. If those in power have any faults, it could diminish their position in the eyes of the public.
This characteristic is shown in Brutus when he is talking to Cassius. He says, “I would not, Cassius, yet I love him well./But wherefore do you hold me here so long?/What is it that you would impart to me?/If it be aught toward the general good,/Set honor in one eye and death i’ the other,/And I will look on both indifferently;/For let the gods so speed me as I love/The name of honor more than I fear death/”(I.ii.82-89). This conversation shows that Brutus wants to be honorable more than he fears death. He also is shown to be noble (honorable) when Antony is speaking at the very end of the play. He said “This was the noblest Roman of them all./All the conspirators save only he/Did that they did in envy of great Caesar;/He, only in a general honest thought/And common good to all, made one of them./His life was gentle, and the elements/So mixed in him that Nature might stand up/And say to all the world, ‘This was a man!”(VI.vi.68-75). Brutus, being a man of principle, is highly respected for his
He ruined an entire empire with his quick and stupid decisions. Many, many people died that did not need to. How can a person be considered honorable when they are responsible for so many lost lives and the loss of an empire? Brutus was not a very good military leader. His action when his army first arrived in Phillipi was to march down from the mountains.
During Caesar’s funeral, he is very respectful to those who mourn and sends his condolences to those who are very lost without their leader. In addition, Brutus knows how hurt Mark Antony is by Caesar’s death, so Brutus lets him speak at his funeral. Also,Cassius theorizes that Mark Antony may be dangerous and that they should kill him along with Caesar. However, Brutus declines his proposal because he thinks that Mark Antony is not a bad man and also thinks that he will have nothing left when his leader is dead. Casca says, “Oh, he sits high in all peoples hearts, and that which would appear offense in us, his countenance, like the richest alchemy, will change to virtue and to worthiness” (I.iii.159-162), this quote basically means that because of his honor, that he was very respected and loved by the people of Rome. Furthermore, Brutus’ honor and respect shows to all the citizens in Rome and he is mainly well known by these two traits. Overall, Brutus perfectly fits into all the categories that define a hero. Brutus is a true inspiration, not only to me, but to everyone who reads the
Throughout the play, Brutus speaks about honor and his loyalty to his country. These two concepts become major conflicts for him when it comes to his friendship and loyalty to Caesar. Brutus life is conducted by the concept of honor. He constantly throughout the play speaks of how honorable he is and how honorable men should live. He 's very proud of how Romans view him as a noble and honorable man, who fights for what is right and is always following the moral and ethical code. Brutus ends up using the concept of honor and loyalty to his country as a reason why Caesar must die. He 's convinced that his countrymen will thank him for saving them from a tyrant and that Rome would be much better off without Caesar, but it ends up being a big miscalculation
This is just how Brutus plays by the rules, is honest and wins a respectful burial, even though he loses the battle. Brutus was an honorable and noble man with great character. Shakespeare, in his play Julius Caesar, shows readers what it means to be noble using government, politics and Brutuss experience and constant effort to bring democracy to Rome. He reveals what makes Brutus noble from the rest of the Romans and how taking challenges, risks and being strong, honorable, and able to face sorrows and having moral character is what makes someone noble. Brutus faced many challenges and risks to make Rome a democracy and through it he faced his sorrows like a god and held a good reputation in society.
For example, when he addresses the crowd in his funeral speech, Brutus states, “Believe me/for mine honor and have respect to mine honor/that you may believe” (3.2.15-17). Brutus appeals to ethos and establishes his credibility by repeating “honor”. The public now believes that he does indeed have “honor”. He also convinces the public that he is trustworthy by appealing to ethos. Similarly after Brutus’ death Antony states, “This was the noblest Roman…/All of the conspirators, save only he/did that they did in envy of great Caesar” (5.5.74-76). Antony is the enemy of Brutus and yet he still refers to Brutus as the “noblest Roman”, which verifies that Brutus is actually honorable. Antony is stating that while all the other senators kill Caesar out of “envy”, Brutus’ intentions to kill Caesar was for the good of Rome and its citizens. This reveals that Brutus has no other hidden agenda for wanting to execute Caesar, and therefore Brutus has the most purest intentions out of all the other conspirators. This confirms that he is the most noble Roman because he is not thinking about what he wants. Instead, he is thinking about the people and how they would feel if Caesar becomes a dictator. Brutus possesses nobility and honor. Those two qualities are vital to being an effective leader because the people can then
The play Julius Caesar depicts Brutus to be an extremely noble being who is well respected and honored by all Romans, even his enemies. Brutus was a loving friend of Julius Caesar and wished anything but death on his comrade, but his love and dedication to the majestic city of Rome would force him to commit anything. He fights a war to defend Rome from a king or emperor's tyrannical rule. When the war was finished, even his enemies saw that he was the most respectable Roman of them all.
Both Cassius and Brutus conspire against Caesar, yet Shakespeare depicts Brutus as doing a noble job compared to Cassius as doing a greedy and envious task. Cassius believes that he is stronger than Caesar. Therefore, Cassius does not understand why Caesar is in power and he is not. Cassius is also envious of Caesar. In Act I Scene II, Cassius describes to Brutus the time he had to save Caesar in a swimming race. Since then, Cassius feels superior to Caesar. In Cassius’ mind, kings’ right to rule should be based off of strength, not intelligence or virtue. On the other hand, Brutus knows that although a king should be strong, he must also be virtuous. Brutus always elaborates on the topic of honor. In fact, his first priority is to keep his own honor intact and Brutus fears that Caesar will change when he is crowned. Brutus says, “He would be crowned: How that might change his nature, there’s the question.” (Act II, Scene I, Page 49, lines 12-14) He senses Caesar’s greed for power, and ...