Julius Caesar Flaws

Julius Caesar Final Essay

With all power, comes great responsibility. But no man can ever live a perfect life, without being at fault sometime. The mistakes and flaws of our lives are what make us human, and respectfully similar. Yet, in some cases these flaws may become more serious especially when given much power. By definition, the idea of “a literary character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction” (Bainbridge Island School 1), is called a tragic hero. All writings by Shakespeare include this type of “hero”, with the characteristics also, of being respected, and of high stature. But since the existence of one of his pieces, the idea of who is truly the tragic hero of the play has been debated. Titled,

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, which regards the path to power among Rome and eventual downfall to death of dictator himself, Julius Caesar, does not make clear who the actual tragic hero is. With other characters having the same prominence and flaws as he who’s name is found in the title, the other man who is argued as being the tragic hero is Marcus Brutus. Among scholars, Caesar and Brutus are the two main characters whom the argument has come down two. Both men have the traits of power and a fault that lead to its downfall. But the one who most accurately fits the definition and deserves the title of tragic hero.is Brutus. Due to the fact of his noble standing from birth, and one major mistake leading undoubtedly to his death, Marcus Brutus is the real tragic hero of Julius Caesar.
The first aspect of a tragic hero falls under the trait of being of high stature or respected among others.

From birth, Brutus falls under this category and has a close friendship with Caesar as is known to be “honorable” by the people. From the early stages of the play the reader can see that his future conspirators and friends all believe that he is right-minded. Cassius who later persuades Brutus to lead the conspiracy against Julius Caesar, does so because he believes he is honorable. Cassius states to Brutus: “Brutus and Caesar: what should be in that “Caesar”? Why should that name be sounded more than yours? Write them together, yours is as fair a name; Sound them, it doth become the mouth as well; Weigh them, it is heavy; conjure with ‘em, “Brutus” will start a spirit as soon as “Caesar.” (Act I. Scene II. Page 6). In his conversation with Brutus, Cassius praises him and his name as being no less superior than Caesar himself. He believes Brutus should be held to the same powerful standards as the beloved dictator, and Brutus should realize this as well. Cassius may need Brutus to gain this self-confidence, but also personally believes in his partner and friend, along with what he can bring to Rome. Many important people, including Caesar and Cassius consider Marcus Brutus to be “honorable”, and from birth he is of high stature, which is the first stage of being considered the tragic

hero.
The second aspect of a tragic hero, along with being of high respect among others is most important in not only in evidence for Brutus by for the development of the plot and character impact. A character’s “tragic flaw,” is what makes him or her the the tragic hero in the story, but also impacts the plot and the future of the character itself. As stated before, because Brutus is the true “hero” of the play, he must have a major fault in the story which leads to future downfall. In Julius Caesar, Marcus Brutus’s tragic flaw is his trust in the conspirators. Those who showed their respect for him, and considered him honorable, happened to be those who influenced him to murder Julius Caesar. Whether it was the right thing to do for Rome or not, as Brutus himself says was not because “...he loved Caesar less but loved Rome more.” (Act 3. Scene 2. Page 42), Brutus was still persuaded to carry out the killing of one of his friends, Caesar. Cassius is able to take advantage of Marcus Brutus and manipulate him and his internal thought which ultimately leads to future downfall of not only Caesar but themselves. After speaking with Brutus, Cassius states in a soliloquy: “Well, Brutus, thou art noble; yet, I see Thy honorable mettle may be wrought From that is is disposed therefore it is meet That noble minds keep ever with their like” (Act I. Scene 2. Page 10). Cassius knows through Brutus, and what happens to be his fatal flaw, of being easily manipulated and trustworthy to the wrong men, he can carry out his personal agenda of overthrowing Caesar. Not only does Brutus trust the conspirators who lead him to an evil act, but after this act, his flaw appears again when he puts trust in Mark Antony and allows him to speak at Caesar’s funeral. After discussing with Antony, Brutus is manipulated again and comes to the conclusion that, “It shall advantage more than do us wrong” (Act III. Scene I. Page 39). Brutus makes another major mistake in trusting the wrong man, when he permits Mark Antony’s speech. By putting trust in the conspirators as well as an man extremely close to Caesar, Brutus’s faults becomes evident.
For Brutus’s mistakes to be considered fatal flaws, and ultimately give him the title of tragic hero in the play, the errors he commits must lead to downfall, and death.

Displaying all aspects so far of a tragic hero, the final example is the end of the character himself due to his flaw. After both the killing of Caesar and also the speech by Mark Antony, both events perpetrated and influenced by Brutus, Rome goes into a bloody civil war as the people uprise with anger. Both Brutus and Cassius go into hiding at the end of Scene IV but when faced with the decision to go to war with Mark Antony they do. But in the end when his troops are defeated, and after seeing the Ghost of Caesar in his sleep, Brutus decided to kill himself saying, “The ghost of Caesar hath appear’d to me...I know my hour is come...Even for that our love of old I prithee, Hold thou my sword-hilts, whilst I run on it” (Act V. Scene V. Page 79.). Filled with personal guilt for sending Rome into civil war, Brutus’s fatal flaws lead to the killing of himself, and provide the final evidence of Marcus Brutus being the tragic hero of the

writing.
By definition, Marcus Brutus, of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar fits the criteria best compared to other characters in the play, to be named the tragic hero. Since birth, he is of high stature, and respected by many in Rome, including the leader whom he eventually kills. And then throughout the play, his tragic flaw of being trustworthy to the wrong people, as well as easily manipulated, is seen several times. What ultimately decides his title, is what occurs after his faults, his downfall. After the decision of joining the conspiracy, and carrying out the brutal murder of Julius Caesar, whose name is the centre of the play itself, the effects of his actions are what lead to Brutus’s own death. As compared to other characters in the play, no other can sufficiently prove their credibility to be the tragic hero of one of Shakespeare's greatest works, silencing the argument of why Caesar should be, just as he is in the play itself.

Works Cited
Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. New York, NY: Glencoe/McGraw Hill, 2001. Print.
Definition of Tragic Hero. Bainbridge Island, WA: Bainbridge Island School District, 1-1 PDF.