Sympathy: the recurrent emotion humans have had towards each other throughout history. Conversely, with that compassion comes inevitable apathy and then ultimate downfall. That is to say, one sees the misfortune a person has and feels concerned. However, the unfortunate soul’s actions begin to influence the compassionate friends’ view on the situation. This is the case of Marcus Junius Brutus, or simply Brutus, in the Shakespearean play, Julius Caesar. Throughout the play, Brutus makes excuses on behalf of his actions from killing Julius Caesar. Throughout the play, Brutus convinces others, the readers, and himself his actions were just; though, as time progresses, they begin to see the fault of Brutus. By examining where and why one feels compassion for Brutus, and in contrast, …show more content…
where and why one abandons that compassion, one can have a clearer understanding of the play as a whole and the significance sympathy for Brutus has in said play. First of all, one needs to consider where the sympathy for Brutus begins. In the beginning of the play, Cassius tries to persuade Brutus of a plan that could ruin Brutus. Cassius states, “CASSIUS: I have heard Where many of the best respect in Rome, Except immortal Caesar, speaking of Brutus And groaning underneath this age’s yoke, Have wished that noble Brutus had his eyes. BRUTUS: Into what dangers would you lead me, Cassius, That you would have seek into myself For that which is not me… Yet I love him well… If it aught toward the general good Set honor in one eye and death i’ th’ other and I will look on both indifferently…” (I.ii.64-94). In this passage, Cassius starts to persuade Brutus to betray Caesar. Now, there are two schools of thought in Brutus and Cassius’ plot. The difference between their philosophies is that Brutus loved Caesar but thinks killing him will be for the common good whereas Cassius doesn’t mention the well-being of the people of Rome but only that Caesar is not fit to lead. Further, Cassius assures Brutus that Caesar is harmful, and the voices of Rome are spent on his reign. Brutus is troubled by Cassius’ words and is fearful of the outcome. On the other hand, he is moved enough and claims he will only do it for the good of Rome and not because of his relationship with Caesar. This is the moment Brutus has consoled himself that assassinating the famed Consul is just. He puts trust into the plot but doesn’t not consider the consequences. In turn, the readers believe that the citizens of Rome want Brutus as their leader which persuades the readers to have somewhat sympathy for Brutus. But why does Brutus think the death of Caesar is just when it morally is not in today’ world? For one, Cassius had assured Brutus that the people of Rome wanted a new leader. Brutus was troubled for a long time and had even taken a day or two to fully process his decision and join the conspirators (I.ii.160). His decision was thought carefully; therefore, his decision must have been moral in his mind. Analyzing Brutus’ uneasy speech, one can infer that he joined the plot for the good of the people, but also to impress the schemer’s. This is seen when Brutus asks Cassius what he’s getting himself into, and then later hesitantly agrees that if it must be done for Rome, he would do it. The dubious nature in Brutus’ voice indicates the result of peer pressure, which Cassius was doing to Brutus in this passage. This applies to the reader’s as well. In other words, the hesitance of Brutus has captured the hearts of the readers to believe that Brutus had been peer pressured into it and that he is at no fault, which is where the sympathy comes in. This feeling is credible because of the fact that Brutus believes the citizens of Rome do not want Caesar as king, but only are praising him because of fear. For these reasons, Brutus has been justified in the plot against Caesar because of the position Brutus has been put in and the reason behind his decision, which affects how the reader’s feel for Brutus. Later, in Act III, Brutus delivers a speech that will capture the hearts of the plebeians in order to save Brutus from demise. Brutus claims that “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? As Caesar loved me, I weep for him… But as he was ambitious, I slew him… Who is Here so base that would be a bondman… If any speak--for him have I Offended. I pause for a reply. ALL: None, Brutus, none” (III.ii.25-35). In Brutus’ speech, he defends his honor by asserting his love for Rome and how that influenced his decision. Brutus mentions how limited Rome would be if Caesar had been named king. Whether that meant Rome would be invaded and later imprisoned, or if his power as the potential king would limit the citizen’s freedom, either way, Brutus reveals Caesar’s reckless ambition and how that would hurt Rome in the long run. In this passage, Brutus truly believes he had the right to kill Caesar. He convinces the townspeople he was just by pleading their ears while he defended the conspirators. The townspeople in this play, however, do not care about Caesar or Brutus. If one analyzes their responses throughout the play, they agree on anything. It is clear that they aren’t sympathetic; but instead fearful of their lives and would do anything to live, even if that meant praising the man in charge. Regardless, they act sympathetic to live. The readers on the other hand may in fact have felt sympathetic towards Brutus because of his speech. One feels sympathy towards him in this passage because of his love for his city and his leader. His speech moved Although Brutus had murdered the leader of Rome, the citizens forgive Brutus saying how they were not offended by what Brutus had claimed. Overall, Brutus has now convinced himself further that he was justified in killing Caesar and the crowd has believed in Brutus as well. Secondly, one must examine where the sympathy ends. In Act III, Antony delivers a speech that would change the perception of the readers and the citizens of Rome. Antony states, “I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him… The noble Brutus Hath told you Caesar was ambitious. If it were so, it was a grievous fault, And grievously hath Caesar answered it… He was my friend, faithful and just to me, But Brutus says he was ambitious, And Brutus is an honorable man… Did this in Caesar seem ambitious? When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept; Ambition should be made of sterner stuff. Yet Brutus says he was ambitious, And Brutus is an honorable man” (III.ii.83-103). Antony then goes on to say that “My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar, / and I must pause till it come back to me [he weeps] FIRST PLEBEIAN: Methinks there is much reason in his sayings” (III.ii.115).
In these passages, Antony speaks at Caesar’s funeral and professes he is not there to applaud Caesar’s life. However, Antony is clever; he preaches to the crowd the good that Caesar did, and the sympathy Caesar had for his people. Further, he admits that Brutus is a righteous and just man. And if Brutus says Caesar was ambitious, he is telling the truth. Antony then cries over Caesar’s coffin and claims his heart is in there with him. Then the plebeians begin to understand Antony’s speech and join him. This is where the sympathy for Brutus is broken. Antony moves the hearts of others that Caesar loved Rome and wanted only the best for Rome. Now, the townspeople have opened their eyes and see the good Caesar had and have joined Antony’s side to avenge Caesar. However, Brutus still does not know if his wrong and continues to fight for his cause. Lastly, the readers have seen Antony’s side and one can theorize that some have now joined Antony based on his speech and reverse
psychology. At the end of the play, Brutus finally comes to terms with his actions and performs a heroic act in order to avenge Caesar. Brutus proclaims, “Farewell, good Strato. / [runs on his sword] Caesar, now be still. / I killed not thee with half so good a will. [He dies]” (V.v.55). This is when Brutus finally accepts his sin and asks Caesar for the forgiveness and recognition that he is willing to kill himself for Caesar more than he was willing to kill him. That is to say that the conspirators had peer pressured Brutus into killing Caesar so technically Brutus was only willing to kill him for the people, not for Caesar’s destruction because of who he was. Now that Brutus has ended his self-sympathy, and the townspeople already have taken the side of Antony, the readers can now see the sorrowful Brutus is now ready to die to avenge Caesar and the sympathy has been put to rest. Lastly, the overall theme of the play reveals Brutus’ actions and his role in the play. After analyzing multiple quotes, the topic of sympathy has a great role in the play. The theme of Julius Caesar is that sympathy can be the downfall of a person. By examining Brutus’ storyline, one can see the ultimate downfall of him. In the beginning, Brutus is pressured by Cassius that it is “okay” to murder if it’s for the good of the people. Brutus comes to terms with it and sympathizes with himself that his actions are just. Then, Brutus convinces the plebeians his actions are once again just. At this point Brutus has gained the support of more people. But then, Antony convinces Rome otherwise and then it is lost. Because of this, Brutus gets himself into a battle in Act V which will lead to his death and the end of his sympathy. Throughout the play Brutus is either supported or hated. But ultimately, Brutus ends up falling because of his actions and realizes that Caesar was not the ambitious snake he claimed him to be. To summarize, by analyzing where and why one has sympathy for Brutus, and vice versa, one can see the downfall of Brutus and the significance of the entire play, which is that sympathy can lead to the inevitable destruction of a man. One sees in the beginning that Brutus had it all, and then the pressure of the conspirators he falls into deception. After losing the sympathy of others and himself, he dies. However, one can also argue that he died happily after apologizing to Caesar. Either way, sympathy had caused him to fall and his death was the end of it. Now one can see how sympathy, the emotion that seems to run the lives of others can lead to resentment and then ruin.
Since the people knew Caesar because of his friendliness and how nice he was to people he was able to get sympathy for his death. When the people remembered how good he was at one point they wanted to get vengeance on the conspirators,Antony had used persuasion and reverse psychology with the crowd to get mad at the conspirators. Brutus had not connected to the people as well because he did not give as much sympathy about Caesar's Death , and what he will give in return. Antony had touched the people when he sad said that he had money and land for the people of rome but he did not want to read it because it would make them made. Once that had hit there was no way Brutus could fight back against Antony's
In act III, scene ii, Antony proves to himself and the conspiracy, that he has the power to turn Rome against Brutus. He deceived the conspirators with his speech during Caesar’s funeral. In this speech, Antony pulls at the heartstrings of the countryman by showing emotions and turning them against their beloved leader, Brutus. The scene takes place the day of Caesar's death. Leading up to this point the people loved Brutus because, reasonably he explains of them about Caesar's death and told them it was necessary. In Antony's speech he showed signs of hatred towards Brutus and the conspirators. He thinks for himself and deceives the people, when he explains how Brutus lied to the people . The plot depends on Antony’s speech.
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
First, Mark Antony has been loyal to Caesar since the beginning of the play; in addition, he is a decent speaker that can persuade individuals to follow him at Caesar’s funeral. At the end of the funeral, numerous Romans take Antony’s concept of revenging the conspirators for their wrong-doing. The Plebeians say, “We’ll burn the house of Brutus/ Away then. Come, seek the conspirators” (3.2.245-246). It suggests the powerful effects of Antony’s speech which make the Plebeians seek revenge, versus Brutus’s speech about how Caesar deserves to die because of his ambition. Although it is true that Antony can easily
Firstly, Antony says a general statement that, “the evil that men do lives after them” (III.ii.74), when in fact he is subtly and sneeringly referring to the conspirators actions. The Roman commoners don’t realize that this general statement is swaying them, but the rest of Antony’s speech further convinces them of the evil the conspirators have done. Later, Antony talks about Brutus says that “sure, [he] is an honourable man” (III.ii.98), emphasis on the sure. Because he uses a scornful tone while sarcastically saying this statement, he is really beginning to show the audience his true feelings on the situation. Knowing that even Antony bitterly disagrees with the choices of the conspirators, it further persuades the common people of Rome to turn against Brutus and the rest of Caesar’s murderers. These occasions show Antony’s sour tone, especially towards the conspirators, and Antony’s tone also riles up the Roman citizens. His tone helps to exasperate the commoners with Caesar’s murder, and therefore assists Antony in achieving his purpose to manipulate the audience to turn against
As a “speculative man of high motives and refined sensibility”(Catherine C. Dominic) Brutus does have his confusion of motives. Act I, scene ii, is the first we see his weakness, “his concern with reputation and appearance, his subtle vanity and pride”(Gayle Green). Yet the main bases of Brutus’s bewilderment of motives takes place in Act II, scene I, with his famous soliloquy beginning with “It must be by his death”. This speech may be the turning point in which Brutus feels better about the assassination of his once called friend.
Brutus emerges as the most ambiguous and complex character in Julius Caesar and is also the play’s tragic hero. In his soliloquies the audience gains insight into the complexities of his motives. In Brutus’s first soliloquy he states “It must be by his death and for my part I know no personal cause to spurn at him But for the general”(Act 2,scene 1, Julius Caesar). This highlights the internal struggle brutus is going through. He loved Caesar as a friend but yet he loved Rome more, he had to make a decision to kill his best friend for the good of the Roman empire.
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.
Shakespeare’s complex play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar contains several tragic heroes; a tragic hero holds high political or social esteem yet possesses an obvious character flaw. This discernible hubris undoubtedly causes the character’s demise or a severe forfeiture, which forces the character to undergo an unfeigned moment of enlightenment and shear reconciliation. Brutus, one of these tragic heroes, is a devout friend of the great Julius Caesar, that is, until he makes many execrable decisions he will soon regret; he becomes involved in a plot to kill the omniscient ruler of Rome during 44 B.C. After committing the crime, Mark Antony, an avid, passionate follower of Caesar, is left alive under Brutus’s orders to take his revenge on the villains who killed his beloved Caesar. After Antony turns a rioting Rome on him and wages war against him and the conspirators, Brutus falls by his own hand, turning the very sword he slaughtered Caesar with against himself. Brutus is unquestionably the tragic hero in this play because he has an innumerable amount of character flaws, he falls because of these flaws, and then comes to grips with them as he bleeds on the planes of Philippi.
In front of the people of Rome at Caesar’s funeral whilst giving his speech, Antony makes up Brutus to up to be this honorable and noble man, nonetheless Brutus is one of the conspirators who ended Caesar’s life. Caesar has been slain by, Trebonius, Cinna, Cassius, Brutus, Ligarius, Decius, Metellus and Casca. All because most had felt that he was too ambitious for their liking, Cassius has manipulated each one of them into committing the crime alongside him. Once Caesar is killed, Brutus delivers his speech, saying, “Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more”(lll.ii.20). Basically just trying to justify the reason he helped to kill one of the most loved Romans in all of Rome. Antony then comes out and begins his speech at Caesar’s
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
Shakespeare was a brilliant writer, known for his histories and tragedies. His tragic heroes all come to similar ends, whether it be death by sword or suicide. In some of his most famous works Romeo and Juliet and Julius Caesar, the main characters, Romeo and Brutus could be considered tragic heroes according to Aristotle's beliefs. Romeo and Brutus both show characteristics of Aristotle's basis for being a tragic hero. Both come to a tragic end, Brutus is highly respected in his society, and Romeo and Brutus have a fatal flaw that leads to their downfall.
keep his state in Rome as easily as a king.' Cassius is saying that a
Mark Antony's Speech from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar Mark Antony’s funeral oration over the body of Julius Caesar in act three, scene two is the most important speech in the play and effects the development of the play as a whole in many ways. Firstly this speech falls in the play where we have seen Antony’s distraught reaction to the murder of Caesar and his letter vowing allegiance to Brutus in return for being able to live. Act three, scene one prepares us for Antony’s rhetoric as here he states that ‘Brutus is noble, wise, valiant and honest’ which fits in with him repeatedly stating ‘Brutus is an honourable man’. It becomes evident in this scene that Antony has an ulterior motive for forming this allegiance and asking to do the funeral oration when he is ‘swayed from the point by looking down on Caesar’ and then states that ‘friends am I with you all, and love you all’ but still wants to know ‘why and wherein Caesar was dangerous’. Thus we the audience are aware that Antony is not being honest with the conspirators especially when he speaks in a soliloquy of the anarchy he will create when he states ‘blood and destruction shall be so in use…that mothers shall but smile when they behold/
Julius Caesar is a play written by William Shakespeare. The play tells the tragedy of Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar was one of the greatest leader of Roman history. Caesar had many victorious moments in history and continued to grow more and more powerful. When he had started to govern Rome hatred by some people had grew. He had liberally gave many a spot to hold an important position. Even though he helped the nobility, they had betrayed him. They secretly were planning a way to cause Caesar’s death. Then plan was portrayed by Cassius and he had convinced Brutus to join along with his plan also. On March 15th they had circled around Caesar and stabbed him numerous of times thus, Caesar had fallen to the ground by his last stab by Brutus. Throughout the entire play Caesar and Brutus are notably different. Caesar is very egoistic, while Brutus is very considerate and is mannerly to others. Caesar is an extrovert, while Brutus is an introvert. Caesar is ambitious and Brutus is not ambitious.