Julius Caesar Flaws

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The Tragic Hero of Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar is a play written by William Shakespeare that takes place in the year 44 B.C. in Rome. This play is based on a true event-- the assassination of the ruler, Julius Caesar, by the traitorous conspirators that stood beside him at the capitol. This group of conspirators consisted of Marcus Brutus, Cassius, Casca, Trebonius, Ligarius, Decius Brutus, Metellus Cimber, and Cinna. This play is a tragedy, meaning that it is a work that brings the main character or characters extreme suffering, usually at the fault of one or several tragic flaws. The possession of one or more tragic flaws is what marks the difference between a hero and a tragic hero.

That being said, who is the tragic hero of Julius Caesar? Scholars have argued over this matter for many years, bringing up good points in favor of either Marcus Brutus or Julius Caesar. Upon reading the play, however, it is seen that a lot of the focus is centered on Marcus Brutus and in his attempts to validate the murder of Julius Caesar. It is evident that Brutus is the tragic hero of the play. …show more content…

Tragic heroes have to have tragic flaws, after all. Throughout the play, it is seen that Brutus has several of them, a couple of them being that he is too trusting and that he shows poor judgement. These flaws were revealed through his actions, his thoughts, and his decisions. They will be explained and elaborated on below.

Brutus was too trusting. Normally, trust, as a trait, is seen as a positive one, as it usually denotes good interpersonal relationships and a more optimistic outlook on society and the people in it. However, if an individual is too trusting, it shows that they could easily be pushed over by others or are not able to recognize when someone else has malevolent or ulterior intentions. His inability to recognize those things was very evident in his interactions with Cassius and Mark

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