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…
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…
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
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...
For even his good intentions and conviction that "did not great Julius bleed for justice' sake" could not convince the Roman people to adopt his worldview (4.3.19). And, despite the fact that Brutus "only, in a general honest thought and common good to all, made one of [the conspirators]," he had to die with his vision unfulfilled and with the Roman republic in a worse state than it started the play in (5.5.72-73). Due to the errors Brutus makes throughout the play and the harm that befalls him as a result, he represents the true tragic hero of Julius Caesar. For despite holding one of the few sets of good intentions in the play, Brutus ultimately suffers and dies farther away from achieving his dreams than he started from.
In conclusion, Brutus is a tragic hero in this awe-inspiring play because he is burdened with countless character flaws that engender his inevitable awakening, enlightenment, and death. They also lead to his dramatic change from a despicable fiend, to a loved companion of Rome. Through massive loses, and profound change in character, Brutus is transformed into a kingly tragic hero.
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.
First and foremost Brutus is the Tragic Hero of the play as has been said. Now with the
Caesar he started a civil war. He ruined an entire empire by his quick and stupid
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.
...st Roman of the all. All the conspirators save only he did what they did in envy of great Caesar…’This was a man!” (998). Antony’s words comprise a temerity that describes Brutus. Although he is a flawed man, who has to fall as far as he can, Brutus faces his demons, going down as one of literature's most tragic heroes. Like Brutus, the heroes of today are put under a microscope and their lives are exposed as a series of bad choices. Their actions are no less great, but their flaws spill over into their achievements and destroy their public persona. Although Brutus’ heart is in the right places, he soon cannot control the situation created by all his poor decisions and he must pay the consequences with the ultimate price. The path of Brutus’ tragic life is paved with good intentions.
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.
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).
Brutus’s tragic flaw is that he is very easily manipulated and persuaded. He is very naïve and allows others to swindle him because he feels that no one would ever lie or deceive him since he didn’t do that to anyone. His first mistake is believing the forged letters from the conspirators. This was all ...
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.
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.
In conclusion, Brutus is a true example of a tragic hero. He has a hubris that brings about a downfall from a high point in society; however, he also experiences an enlightenment of his mistakes after his downfall. Brutus is truly an honorable and sympathetic character that must studied on many levels to truly understand. He chose country over friend. He committed the only honorable betrayal possible. He killed his friend out of love; not love for himself or money, but out of love for his country and its people.
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.