More handpicked essays just for you.
The character of brutus in julius caesar
Characterisation of Julius Caesar and Brutus
The character of brutus in julius caesar
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
A Tragic Flaw: Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar and Marcus Brutus, once friends now foes. Throughout William Shakespeare's play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, it is not certain who the correct tragic hero is. However, scholars continue to debate on whom the real tragic hero of the play truly could be, Julius Caesar or Marcus Brutus? Two friends pitted against each other, destined for an unimaginable outcome. Ambition, pride, love for one's country, and arrogance create a downward spiral of events that can lead only to death and misery. Who is the real tragic hero?
Julius Caesar, ally to those around him and foe to those who opposed him. A man who could strike fear in the hearts of those who dared think against him. Where the majority could not picture
…show more content…
him as anything but an excellent leader, there were also those who discovered what he was truly seeking. An arrogant, ambitious man who would have destroyed the city of Rome. His general lack of muscle and horrid overall health could stand as one tragic flaw. Cursed with epileptic tendencies and the inability to swim Caesar was doomed to fail. In addition to that was an ambition like no other and an arrogance to top that. “Such men as he be never at heart's ease whiles they behold a greater than themselves, and therefore are they very dangerous. I rather tell thee what is to be feared than what I fear; for always I am Caesar.” (Wiggins DR-125) Julius Caesar, a tragic hero indeed, however, he was not the only one presented in the play. Marcus Brutus, nobleman and lover of Rome.
An honorable man and one respected among the common folk of his country. However, Brutus is plagued with decisions many are not forced to make. His best friend is a threat to the country he loves, leaving him lost and susceptible to the influence of those whom he should never trust. While Brutus is unsure of what he must do at first he is easily convinced by the sly works of Cassius who is given too much trust from Brutus. Brutus’ flaws are what can define him as a tragic hero. He gives too much. Trust, service, and allegiance are all a part of his tragic flaw. Always giving himself and his fate over to help Rome. His step brother uses his naive tendencies which become what ruins him in the ending. “What other bond than secret Romans that have spoke the word and will not palter?” (Wiggins DR-143) Brutus, again trusting all who he should not, trusting Romans just for being …show more content…
one. The ancient debate of Shakespeare's play on who is the tragic hero is one that cannot come to a conclusion easily.
Both men presented in the play become displayed as tragic hero’s, but which is the one who deserves the main role as tragic hero? Julius Caesar, a man who is truly not the best candidate for Rome’s number one leader, or Marcus Brutus, a man determined to save his city from corruption and unjust rulers? Both men wanting something, both set in their ways. Nevertheless, Julius Caesar is ambitious and arrogant, ready to claim the crown and rule over all of Rome. “Caesar shall forth. The things that threatened me ne'er looked but on my back. When they shall see the face of Caesar, they are vanished.” (DR-150) Although they are both strong characters it is difficult to determine which is the true tragic hero, but as Caesar is the cause of all things that have gone wrong it is he who must be the tragic hero. Provided he died quite early in the play, he is continuously problematic. Without his murder the entire play would be without cause, therefore his demise created by his own flaws sets forth the plot of the play. In conclusion to the presented evidence the tragic hero of the play must be Julius
Caesar. In conclusion to the following comparison, it can be logically determined that Julius Caesar is the tragic hero of Shakespeare's work. Presented with many challenges Caesar never changed. He stayed ambitious and arrogant throughout until he was slain by his best friend along with many other noble men who live in his beloved city. Although those supporting Brutus may make a compelling argument, Caesar is obviously the winning candidate. Julius Caesar is the tragic hero of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar.
Who is the tragic hero in Shakespeare’s “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar”? To answer this question, we need to know what is a Shakespearean tragic hero. The Shakespearean tragic hero is a person of noble stature, who has a flaw (often fatal) and leaves a legacy. After we know what a Shakespearean tragic hero is, the next step in order to answer the question is finding out which character fits the description of Shakespearean tragic hero the best in the play. The character that best fits the description of the Shakespearean tragic hero is Brutus.
In conclusion, Brutus is the real tragic hero because throughout the play he is battling himself over good vs. evil. Even though he has tragic flaws he is still seen as a noble and respected figure in Rome both by those who wanted Caesar dead and those who did not. His ability to be easily manipulated led to the death of Caesar, himself, and countless others. If he had made his own decisions, he would not have ended up causing the chaos and tragedy he did. But, on the other hand he did have his own personal reasons for killing Caesar.
In the play the Life and Death of Julius Caesar (just as in all of Shakespeare’s tragedies) there is much death, much tragedy, and of course, a tragic hero. However unlike most of Shakespeare’s plays this time the tragic hero is not particularly obvious. Throughout the play a few main characters present themselves as possibilities for being the tragic hero. But as being a tragic hero is not only having a tragic flaw but also entails much more, there really is only one person to fit the mold. The character Brutus is born into power and is higher/better then we are. He has a tragic flaw that causes his downfall and at the end he realizes his mistake (a trait none of the other characters can really claim).
First and foremost Brutus is the Tragic Hero of the play as has been said. Now with the
First one can see that Brutus is the tragic hero by looking at his background and comparing it with the background of a tragic hero. The first of the requirements for a tragic hero is that he has to be of noble birth. Brutus is of noble birth, and this influences many of his traits. For example, Brutus is Brutus is educated and this leads to his flawous idealistic views. Also, he fulfills another requirement, the requirement that he comes into some kind of understanding. In the case of Brutus, he is convinced into believing that he has to kill Ceaser because “That lowliness is young ambition's ladder, Whereto the climber-upward turns his face; But when he once attains the upmost round, He then unto the ladder turns his back, Looks into the clouds, scorning the base degrees By which he did ascend”. This shows that Brutus killed Caesar for the good of Rome. Overall, Brutus is the tragic hero because he fulfills all of the background requirements to be a tragic hero.
Caesar he started a civil war. He ruined an entire empire by his quick and stupid
In William Shakespeare's classic tragedy “Julius Caesar” the characters are all positioned on a path that leads them to a terrible and disastrous end. Some destroy themselves for the greater good of Rome or just because of their own selfish greed for power. Some characters proceed to destroy others in hopes of protecting the greater good, but lose those closest to them. Cassius leads a dark conspiracy and kills Julius Caesar, but later kills himself. Marc Antony and Octavius track down and kill the assassins that killed Caesar, but lose those they care about most along the way. A true hero will rise to adversity and meet a situation head on to conquer the problem or his foes; however, a tragic hero may do just the opposite. A tragic hero, through errors in judgment and personal flaws, combined with fate and forces often beyond their control ,will fail and bring those around them down as well. No hero has ever been so tragic in literature than Marcus Brutus. Brutus, through persuasion of others, bad decisions, and his personal fears of those around him meets a tragic end. When his beloved wife, Portia, kills herself, he later is compelled to do the same. Brutus’ character flaws bring about his ultimate downfall, which has been judged by critics throughout the ages. Brutus allows his flaws to overshadow his quest to do good, causing him to appear as a weak character. Brutus’ mistakes begin when he lets his thoughts be infiltrated by Cassius. Brutus admits to having an ongoing struggle within him about where his loyalties lie. When Cassius first presents the idea of overthrowing and assassinating Caesar to Brutus, Cassius begins by saying Brutus looks troubled, in response Brutus says, “Be not deceived. If I have veiled my lo...
In the play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, I saw two main characters as tragic heroes. First, I saw Julius Caesar as a tragic hero because his will to gain power was so strong that he ended up losing his life for it. The fact that he could have been such a strong leader was destroyed when he was killed by conspirators. I saw Marcus Brutus as a second tragic hero in this play. Brutus was such a noble character that did not deserve to die. The main reason why he did die, however, was because he had led a conspiracy against Caesar and eventually killed him. These two characters were the tragic heroes of the play in my opinion.
The William Shakespeare play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar tells the story of the assassination of Julius Caesar and the eight conspirators behind it. The play takes place in 44 B.C. in Rome. Marcus Brutus is the protagonist and face-man of the insidious conspiracy. He is also the tragic hero in this classic work of literature. Aristotle’s definition of the tragic hero is a character that has a character flaw, also known as hubris, and experiences a downfall from a high position in society due to this flaw. After this downfall, a tragic hero experiences an enlightenment. Brutus fits Aristotle’s description perfectly. Brutus has a severe character flaw and experiences a downfall from a high position in society. However, he is an honorable character that truly provokes sympathy from the audience.
A tragic hero must be a person of importance at the opening of any story. The story must then ultimately end in their demise. Brutus is a mighty man of Rome who is used to living in opulence at the opening of the play. He is not only well beloved by the Roman people, but he is also well loved by Julius Caesar himself. The Brutus is portrayed as an honorable man who is held in highly extolled among the people of Rome. He is even compared to the greatness of Caesar. “Brutus and Caesar—what should be in that “Caesar”? Why should that name be sounded more than yours? Write them together, yo...
Throughout many of Shakespeare's plays, a tragic hero is identified; a heroic figure that possesses a character flaw that leads to his defeat. In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, there has been controversies over who is actually the tragic hero. Many people agree that Marcus Brutus is the tragic hero. However, others argue and identify Julius Caesar as the tragic hero. After examining these two characters, a conclusion is easily drawn. Brutus is the tragic hero of this play because when a person who possesses such heroic qualities dies, it is a true tragedy.
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.
When looking at his importance and influence Roman history, few would argue Julius Caesar is one of the most powerful and successful leaders in the history of the world.
Tragic Hero in Julius Caesar A tragic hero is the character whose actions deeply affect the other characters and who creates a series of events that eventually lead to the character’s downfall and the downfall of his loved ones. Such a hero possesses a flaw in character that influences his actions and thinking and especially his judgments. In logically determining who the hero in Julius Caesar is, one simply must find the one character who fits the above guidelines. Marcus Brutus is the only one, and, thus, he is the tragic hero.
As you can see people are in a huge fuss over who is the tragic hero Julius Caesar of Marcus Brutus. They both meet the criteria of a tragic hero which is: a tragic hero as a character of great reputation and prosperity whose misfortune is not due to depravity or vice, for the hero is a virtuous man or woman but to an error in judgment resulting from a tragic flaw, but Brutus continues to be the superior of the two. Many people argue over which the better hero is Caesar or Brutus. My opinion is Marcus Brutus wins hands down, a descendant of a wealthy family a strong well developed character, with the ability to persuade others these qualities make him my favorite tragic hero.