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Sometimes in life we need to betray our own friends for the greater good. Through out time, we have been shown time and time again about betrayal of friends. Even in ancient Roman times. In the historical fiction, Julius Caesar, by Shakespeare, the motif of betrayal is heavily said. Julius Caesar is a victim of murder of his friends and colleagues, Cassius, and Brutus. These two Roman men, both killed Caesar for vastly different reasons, one for personal reasons and one for political reasons.
Cassius, a brave Roman noble who killed Caesar for personal reasons and not for the greater good. Cassius says how envious he is of Caesar’s power when he says, “Is now become a god, and Cassius is a wretched creature and must bend his body If Caesar
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carelessly, but nod on him” (21),. Cassius is stubborn and headstrong man. People are seeing Caesar as a higher God and Cassius wants in on his power. He wants to own and rule the land as well and Cassius sees Caesar, having the possibility to rule all of Rome, he hates it. Caesar sees Cassius as a subject more than a true loyal friend like Brutus. So, Cassius is lower on the food chain than his friends. Cassius starts to show his true anger when he says, “As a sick girl. Ye gods, it doth amaze me A man of such a feeble temper should So get the start of the majestic world And bear the palm alone” (21). Cassius thinks the ‘great and mighty’ Julius Caesar is just another Roman like he is. Cassius is caught up on how Godlike he seems and how he gets all this land for himself. He does not see that he is just another man. They both have the same rights, Cassius is just envious of him and that makes him angry. Cassius did not kill indomitable Julius Caesar for the greater good of the people but for himself. But Brutus did. Brutus, Caesar’s best friend, was the second main contributor to the massacre of Caesar.
His motivation was completely different from Cassius’ reason, Brutus killed for the good of his Roman people. In his Eulogy, Brutus showed his true feelings after Caesar’s death when he says, “Not that I loved Caesar less, I loved Rome more” (111). Brutus said over and over throughout the entire book that he loved Caesar and cared about him, but he could not bare too see Rome become a dictatorship. Brutus did not care for any other reason to kill Caesar, but to save the fate of Rome from a dictator. He truly believed that he was not doing this for himself or for glory, but for everyone. He did not want any credit for his victory but to save them. Antony expresses, at the end of the novel, how brave and noble Brutus was to all (Even though he is on the opposing side) when he says, “This was the noblest Roman of them all. All the rest of the conspirators acted out of jealousy of great Caesar. Only he acted from honesty and for the general good. His life was gentle, and the elements mixed so well in him that Nature might stand up and say to all the world, “This was a man” (197). Not just Cassius, but even Antony and Augustus finally realized his true motive to the murder. Brutus was a friend to all. Friend and foe. He did not want to inflict pain on anyone except for Caesar. He did not kill for glory or fame, but to help every Roman there was. Brutus was a true Roman that wanted to help
the good people than for himself. In Julius Caesar you see the theme of betrayal often. Brutus betrays his good friend Caesar. Cassius for envy and glory. You see the backstabbing behavior even in today's world. Weather is between friends, reality tv, or even the government we see it in our everyday lives. Backstabbing behavior is just some people's second nature. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. Julius Caesar. McDougal Littell, 1997.
The book Julius Caesar is full of happiness, conspiracy, power, and betrayal. The people of Rome deeply loved julius Caesar and wished to make him their king. A group of senators however were not so fond of this idea and formed a conspiracy. The leader of this group was a man by the name of Cassius. In order to make sure that his scheme of killing Caesar would work and would look honorable he had to convince a senator by the name of Brutus to help. After being convinced that they had to kill Caesar to protect Rome from a tyrant Brutus joined the conspiracy and soon became the principal conspirator.On the day in which Caesar was to be crowned king he was on the way to the senate when he was stabbed by all the conspirators panic ensued and to convince Rome of their honorable intentions Brutus gave a funeral speech. Mark Antony, a very close friend of Caesar, gave his speech after Brutus had given his. Mark Antony’s speech is more persuasive to the Roman people because of his outstanding use of pathos, sarcasm, and logos.
“Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.” (3.2.24) This quote reflects the motive of Brutus for the assassination of his friend, Caesar. I believe Brutus killed him not out of disrespect, but in a selfless act to protect Rome from the decree of Caesar yet to come. I also believe that he did this out of force from the manipulation from his “friend” Cassius. In Shakespeare's “Julius Caesar”, Brutus’ two most significant characteristics are virtue and unconscious hypocrisy. In order to fully understand these characteristics, it is necessary to analyze all other contributing characteristics, the manipulation of friendship that Cassius uses against him, and the motivations for
His intentions were not motivated by his own ambition rather he acted to ensure that Rome would not be taken over by a dictatorship. When the other conspirators wanted to go after Marc Antony as well, Brutus stood up to the others stating that their cause would be lost if they went after Antony. "Our course will seem too bloody, Caius Cassius to cut the head off then hack the limbs. Like wrath in death and envy afterward. For Anthony is but a limb of Caesar. Let us be sacrifiers, but not butchers, Caius." Brutus could have just run off and hid when the townspeople turned against him, however fought The Battle of Philippi because he believed so strongly in his cause. Before the battle he begins to realize that he had put too much trust in Cassius as he disagrees with Cassius methods. Brutus refuses to bully the peasants into supporting him as Cassius has. “You have done that you should be sorry for. There is no terror, Cassius, in your threats, for I am armed so strong in honesty that they pass by me as the idle wind, which I respect not. I did send to you for certain sums of gold, which you denied me, for I can raise no money by vile means. By heaven, I had rather coin my heart And drop my blood for drachmas than to wring From the hard hands of peasants” Although he regrets having killed Caesar and can now see that Cassius did not have the same honorable
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.
Brutus turned on his best friend and stabbed him in the back. In Julius Caesar’s final moments he noticed his best friend as a traitor. “Et tu, Brute! Then fall, Caesar”, these are Caesars last words as he is stabbed in the back by his friend. Since Brutus thought what he did was for Rome, he did not kill his best friend out of spite or hate he killed his best friend Julius Caesar so that Rome could live.
Cassius is the leader of the conspirators. He is jealous of the power that Caesar holds and wants for himself. Caesar says that Cassius"...Cassius has a lean and hungry look. He thinks to much. Such men are dangerous.", meaning that he looks sneaky and is not to be trusted. The whole idea to kill Caesar begins with Cassius, he convinces the other Senators to do as he wishes. Cassius commits suicide because he is afraid of what will happen to him if Mark Antony and Octavius find him. Another reason for his suicide is because he believes that his men have lost the battle and he does not want to face the consequences.
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
He said, “I know no personal cause to spurn him” (Act II Scene i). Even though Brutus loved Caesar, Cassius used two strong motivations to convince him. First, Cassius manipulated him by using his family history. Brutus’s ancestors helped to found the Roman republic, and he told Brutus, “O you and I have heard our fathers say there was a Brutus once that would have brooked the eternal devil to keep his state in Rome” (Act I Scene ii). Cassius knew that “a monarchy would rob the Romans of their long-held liberties” (sparknotes). Family honor was important enough to help convince Brutus to join the conspiracy. Second, Brutus was prideful. When Cassius was trying to pull Brutus into the conspiracy, he forged letters from Roman citizens praising Brutus. Cassius also told Brutus that if any one person should be emperor, it should be Brutus. (Act I Scene ii). These flattering remarks were helpful in convincing Brutus to join the conspiracy. “Brutus’s inflexible sense of honor made it easy for Caesar’s enemies to manipulate him into believing Caesar must die in order to preserve the republic” (enotes). Brutus had served as a senator himself and had surely had his character tested in the past, but he was extremely loyal to the triumvirate form of government.
Brutus wants Caesar dead because he thinks it is best for all of Rome, but if it were up to him, he would never kill his friend. Brutus was motivated to kill him because Cassius pushed Brutus to join the plot to murder Caesar. He never wanted to be involved with the murder. Once he realized Rome would suffer if Caesar became king, he was on board. Brutus was one of Caesar's very good friends, and now his friend is dead because of him. Brutus underestimated Marc Antony, and now Marc Antony wants to kill Brutus for Caesar's death. Brutus was mostly responsible for Caesar’s death because he betrayed his best friend, and was the last one to stab
In his speech, Brutus tells the citizens of Rome that he did not kill Caesar out of hatred. In fact, they were friends and Brutus loved him. In Act III Scene 2 Brutus says, “If there be any in this assembly, any dear friend of Caesar’s, to him I say that Brutus’ love was no less than his”(ln 16-18). Also he says, “Not that I loved Caesar less, but I loved Rome more” (ln 20.) Brutus is very generous and noble; he wanted the best for the people of Rome, and he makes that evident
Cassius. They both are a part of the same conspiracy planned to murder Ceasar. Even though they both have contrasting personalities, they still had the same goal in mind. Julius Ceasar found out the hard way that your best friend, Brutus, can turn on you and the people you thought were there for you like Cassius can betray you. Which results in him getting stabbed by a group of conspirators and his "bestfriend," doing the favor of murdering him.
Imagine you're in medieval times with very little technology and you experience the betrayal and death of a possible future king. Loyalty and betrayal is one of the most active concept within the play Julius Caesar, written by William Shakespeare. This has been an example of many different qualities but loyalty is one of the strongest examples. Loyalty was displayed in a variety of ways by the characters Mark Antony, Caius Cassius, and Marcus Brutus.
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...
When Brutus ponders what he would say if questioned about why he assisted in killing Caesar he says, “…[it is] not I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more,” (III.ii. ?). Brutus openly admits that while Caesar is a dear friend of his, the fate of Rome is more important to him. This shows that Brutus is an honorable man who believes that the downfall of one can be justified when it benefits the rest. However, Cassius wishes to eliminate Caesar because he envies Caesar and his power (I.i.5-6). While Cassius pretends that he wants to remove Caesar from power because he is getting too tyrannical, in reality Cassius is motivated by greed and jealousy.
Despite his love for Caesar, he frankly and honestly felt that he had been forced to kill him in order to save Rome from dictatorship as he expresses in his speech: “Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.” Brutus’ speech tells us that he had a deeper interest at heart for the whole of Rome, rather than Caesar alone. He was worried that if Caesar became king... ... middle of paper ... .... In effect to the play this led Brutus and his cohorts from the city, and the people to rise, causing civil war in Rome.