Not a True Friend
Honor has always been a desirable trait since humans have walked on the earth. Men and women alike have spent their entire lives trying to earn a reputation of respect and trust. On the contrary, people who are dishonorable tend to have a reputation of disloyalty and distrust. These unwanted traits can be seen in Marcus Brutus, the main character in William Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar. Brutus’s actions in the play prove that Brutus is not an honorable man.
Disloyalty is an undesirable trait that can be recognized many times throughout the play in Brutus’s actions toward Julius Caesar. When Brutus decides to join the conspiracy against Caesar, he states:
It must be by his death:and for my part,
I know no personal cause
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to spurn at him, But for the general. He would be crown’d: How that might change his nature, there’s the question. (II. i. 21-22) Brutus knows that he does not have any reason to join the conspiracy against his friend, Julius Caesar.
These actions clearly show his disloyalty. He decides to enter the conspiracy against Caesar just because Caesar might change if he becomes the king. Instead of considering other options to prevent Caesar’s possible change, like talking to Caesar, Brutus right away thinks Caesar must be killed. This rash decision proves Brutus is not honorable. Later in the play, Caesar follows through on this decision to kill his friend. After Brutus stabs Caesar, Caesar’s last words are, “Et tu, Brute! Then fall, Caesar” (III. i. 45). This quote made by the dying Caesar implies that Brutus’s disloyalty to him is what killed him, not the stabbing by the conspirators. Caesar trusted Brutus, but Brutus turned on Caesar and stabbed him in the back - figuratively and literally. Brutus’s disloyalty to Caesar in the play shows the qualities of an unhonorable …show more content…
man. Many times in the play Brutus ignores the wishes of his close friends or relatives. Brutus initially refuses to tell his wife, Portia, about the conspiracy and his plans to kill Caesar. She states: And when I ask’d you what the matter was, You stared upon me with ungentle looks; I urged you further; then you scratch’d your head, And too impatiently stamp’d with you foot; Yet I insisted, yet you answer’d not, (II.
i. 30)
By refusing to tell his wife about his intention, he shows that he is unreliable and unhonorable. Brutus is unreliable because if he refuses to tell his wife something, why would he be willing to tell others his intentions? Cassius, another conspirator, suggested killing Antony as well as Caesar, but Brutus refused his request, “Let us be sacrificers, but not butchers, Caius” (II. i. 27). Brutus thinks that it would be a bad idea to kill Antony as well as Caesar; therefore, he does not even consider Cassius’s suggestion. Later in the play, Brutus once again does not listen to Cassius’s warning:
You know not what you do: don not consent
That Antony speak in his funeral:
Know you how much the people may be moved
By that which he will utter? (III. i. 51)
Brutus did not take time to think about Cassius’s suggestion before deciding against it. This decision will hurt the conspirators later, but Brutus did not think about what could happen. These decisions to not listen to his friends prove Brutus is disrespectful and therefore
dishonorable. Because Brutus was disloyal to one of his best friends and refused to listen to his other close friends, Brutus is a dishonorable man. By joining the conspiracy and going through with the plan, he betrayed one of his best friends. Also, he decided not to take his other friend’s advice or listen to his wife. His actions prove that Brutus is not an honorable man.
Brutus’ ignorance creates an expectation that develops a path which leads him awry. When Brutus mentions,“ I would not Cassius; yet I love him well” (1.2.81-88 ), he portrays his internal conflict. Brutus depicts the rendering struggle between Cassius’ acquisitions and Caesar’s actions. His oblivion toward the truth and goodwill concerning the greater health of Rome prompt him astray. He acts with the innocence of a child, deceive and swindle by Cassius, Brutus is an
Throughout the play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, the audience constantly sees Brutus, an honorable man, go against his own beliefs because of men filled with hatred and jealousy. Brutus
Brutus, Honorable Man Brutus, an honorable conspirator? Honorable is defined as genuine, truthful and displaying integrity, while a conspirator is defined as one that engages in an agreement to commit an illegal or wrongful act. Anyone can clearly see that these two words do not belong together. There are also other reasons why Brutus should not be considered honorable. In the play, three distinct acts can be recalled.
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
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.
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.
Greed, ambition, and the possibility of self-gain are always constant in their efforts to influence people’s actions. In Julius Caesar, Marcus Brutus, a venerable politician, becomes a victim of the perpetual conflict between power-hungry politicians and ignorant commoners. He is a man of honor and good intentions who sacrifices his own happiness for the benefit of others. Unfortunately, his honor is strung into a fine balance between oblivion and belief and it is ultimately the cause of his downfall. His apparent obliviousness leads him to his grave as his merciful sparing of Mark Antony’s life, much like Julius Caesar’s ghost, comes back to haunt him. Overall, Brutus is an honest, sincere man who holds the lives of others in high regard while he himself acts as a servant to Rome.
An honorable person can be defined as someone who rarely commits a sin and someone who is right and just throughout their whole entire life. There is a dispute going on about whether Marcus Brutus is an honorable man or not an honorable man. Most of the people that form the conspirators kill Caesar because of jealousy. However, Brutus kills him because of what is the best for Rome. Marcus Brutus is the hero in the play Julius Caesar because he is loyal to Rome, he is respectful to his people, and humble to those who are less fortunate than him.
Brutus was a devious man, even though what he thought he was doing was right. Brutus told his fellow conspirators to kill Caesar “boldly, but not angerly.”(3.1.256-257) Brutus was one of Caesars right hand men, and yet Brutus kills his own friend. When Antony asks to speak at Caesars funeral, Cassius says no, but Brutus tell him that Antony will speak, but only what Brutus tells him to say. Brutus also embraces the fact that he just killed his friend, and also tells the senators who had just witnessed it to not be afraid, but to stay because ambition has paid its debt.
At the beginning, Brutus is tricked by Cassius into believing that killing Julius Caesar would be for the better of Rome (1, 2, ll. 32-321). Cassius is able to deviously influence Brutus into thinking that Caesar is no different from Brutus. He says, “Brutus and Caesar: what should be in that Caesar?/ Why should that name be sounded more than yours?” (1, 2, ll. 142-143) Cassius also uses many other examples to manipulate Brutus.
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 based on the concept of honor. He constantly throughout the play speaks of how honorable he is and how honorable men should live. He is 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’ tragic flaw was his perception that all men were identical to him in their motives. This factored allowed his decisions to be easily influenced by others whose motives were devious. Cassius was able to convince Brutus to join the conspiracy because Brutus thought the only reason behind the conspiracy was to prevent one man from becoming “Rex.” He allowed Antony’s speech to occur because he was sure that Antony was motivated by the same “honor” which motivated himself.
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
Brutus is not dumb, but his public self makes him make poor decisions. The tragedy here is that Brutus ends up siding with Cassius. How Brutus treats and responds to his wife in public and in private is different. In private he is caring and he trusts her, so much so that he tells her about the conspiracy. Yet, in public when he finds out that she has committed suicide he does not display any emotion. Almost as if he does not
He will obey to whatever the Romans convey to him. Brutus also understands that he is putting it all on the line for his Romans. Brutus said that if the conspirators do not join for a common cause, then there is no need for an oath because the conspirators are self-righteous, and they are serving the Romans. He was a follower of idealism, where the Romans would possess peace, liberty and freedom. Brutus was a good friend to Julius Caesar, but not good enough. He had moral values dealing with Rome and its people. Brutus’s values then made him join a conspiracy against Caesar put together by Cassius. Brutus is in fact a dear friend of Caesar’s but kills his beloved friend not for who he is, but what he could become as a King. It is for this reason that when Brutus dies by suicide Mark Anthony describes Brutus as the noblest Roman of them all.