In William Shakespeare's play "Julius Caesar," the characters of Brutus and Caesar are often debated as to whether they qualify as tragic heroes. To be considered a tragic hero, a character must possess certain qualities such as potential for greatness/high ranking in society, a tragic flaw, and internal conflict. In this essay, I will explore the degree to which both Brutus and Caesar fit the criteria of tragic heroes in Shakespeare's plays. Firstly, let us examine the potential for greatness/high ranking person in society. Brutus, as a senator of Rome and a close friend of Caesar, holds a high position in society. He is well respected by the people of Rome and is seen as an honorable man. In Act 1, Scene 2, Cassius describes Brutus as being …show more content…
He holds the title of dictator and is beloved by the people. In Act 1, Scene 2, Cassius speaks of Caesar's power and ambition, stating "Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world like a colossus, and we petty men walk under his huge legs." This demonstrates Caesar's high ranking in society and his potential for greatness. Moving on to the tragic flaw, both Brutus and Caesar exhibit flaws that ultimately lead to their downfall. Brutus's tragic flaw is his naivety and idealism. He is easily swayed by the manipulative Cassius and fails to see the true motives behind the conspiracy to assassinate Caesar. In Act 2, Scene 1, Brutus says, "I know no personal cause to spurn at him, but for the general." This shows that Brutus's tragic flaw is his blind idealism, which ultimately leads to his downfall. Similarly, Caesar's tragic flaw is his arrogance and hubris. He disregards the warnings of the soothsayer and his wife Calpurnia, believing himself to be invincible. In Act 3, Scene 1, Caesar declares, "Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once." This demonstrates Caesar's arrogance and his belief that he is above mortality, leading to his eventual
In Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, a man declines the role of king, some of his friends believe that he will become king and be a bad leader, so they devise a way to make sure this doesn’t happen. The outcome of this is overall chaos. Throughout all of this one can learn that a villain can actually be a hero. The first way that we see evidence that a villain can be a hero is Caesar’s nobleness. Julius Caesar was stripped of his wealth as a child and was forced to flee his home under the rule
Julius Caesar As A Tragic Hero 	In Julius Caesar William Shakespeare illustrated Caesar as a tragic hero by showing that he was a noble man of high rank, by showing that he was a historical figure with a tragic flaw which lead to his downfall, and by showing that Caesar accepted his fate of death & achieved honor and respect in his death. There is a contradiction between who the main tragic hero of Julius Caesar is. Can there possibly be 2 main tragic heroes in one book? If Julius Caesar
The Tragic Hero of Julius Caesar Tragedy concerns itself with the downfall of a protagonist (or the tragic hero) that suffers crushing defeat or death. Brutus certainly fits in as the protagonist of Julius Caesar and the tragic hero. Since Brutus was one of the main characters of the play, it would be obvious that he would be the tragic hero of the play as well. The downfall of the protagonist occurs through a tragic flaw of the protagonist. Brutus' tragic flaw was making bad judgments. For example
the determination of whether Julius Caesar was an intelligent, political hero or an egocentric, dictating villain, it is important to look at all of the facts. Born in 100 B.C.E. and assassinated in 44 B.C.E., Julius Caesar was legendary. He along Pompey, and Crassus created the first unofficial Triumvirate which was negotiated to appease both the Roman citizens and the power hungry rivals. Still, this agreement would not last long. After Pompey’s wife, Julia Caesar and daughter of Caesar’s daughter
Julius Caesar as a Tragic Hero 	Julius Caesar is a play written by William Shakespeare during the year 1597. Julius Caesar’s story involves a conspiracy against Julius Caesar, a powerful senator. The play involves a highly respected senator, Brutus, who decides to join the conspiracy to kill Julius Caesar, in the effort to keep democracy intact. Brutus believes that if Julius Caesar is allowed to live, Caesar will take a kingship and turn the government into a monarchy. Brutus, Cassius, and
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
Julius Caesar as a Tragic Hero The Ides of March mean much more than March 15th, it was also the day Julius Caesar, the Roman general and leader was killed. Although this day is not a holiday, we should take time to think of things Caesar didn’t on this fateful day. In “Julius Caesar,” by William Shakespeare, Caesar that morning solidified his place as a tragic hero because of his tremendous fatal flaw. Aristotle once defined the tragic hero as a person of noble or influential birth, who has a moral
Sakespear's The Tragedy of Julius Caesar holds two possible candidates for a tragic hero, however Brutus fits the persona best. The true definition of a tragic hero, as found by Aristotle, is a character who falls from a high standing to a low standing. They suffer enourmous loss, but are eventually enlightened of their own flaw or flaws. Initially the play begins with Caesar returning to Rome from defeating Pompey. Meanwhile, the first seeds of conspiracy are begining to take root. Although
Julius Caesar is a Tragic Hero The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare is a tale not completely focused on Julius Caesar himself. But is instead focused more on the conspirators that surrounded him. Julius Caesar is unwilling to believe several warnings that could have saved his life, Julius Caesar ends up being murdered after ignoring all of the warnings, everyone has a different view of Julius Caesar. A tragic hero is a character of high standing in society that has a flaw that leads
The Hero in Brutus Whether the character Brutus in the play “Julius Caesar” is a hero or a villain is a very negotiable topic. Just think to yourself, does Brutus’ deeds result in hero effect or in a terrible, villain way? Many may argue that Brutus is a villain because of his urge to kill Caesar, but in my opinion he is a hero. “Even others are aware that Brutus is the most noble and truthful man in Rome” (Lee). When I think of a hero the words that come up are strong, honorable, noble, selfless
If you look at the story of Julius Caesar and think that the tragic hero of this piece of literature then I would have to disagree with you and say that it was actually Brutus because if you look at the story then you would see that Caesar actually died fairley early and we didn’t see much of him but he was the reason that everything went downhill from when the conspirators killed him. And although Caesar did have the qualities of being the tragic hero he was met with death very early in act 3. So
Julius Caesar: A True Tragic Hero The character of Julius Caesar in Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Julius Caesar can be described in many different ways, depending on the reader's perspective of him. Some may say he was a power-hungry tyrant, whose only aspirations were to rule the world. Others may consider him as a greedy, egotistical maniac whose ambition supposedly endangered the Roman empire. Collectively, most would agree that Brutus was justified in the assassination of Caesar and that his
title of Shakespeare 's 1599 play, Julius Caesar, readers often consider Julius Caesar to be the protagonist whilst subsequently labelling Cassius, the architect of Caesar 's demise, as the villain. Interpreting the play objectively, however, it is clear that Cassius is a tragic hero of Julius Caesar. In order to determine whether Cassius is a tragic hero of Julius Caesar, it is imperative to establish what a 'tragic hero ' really is. Aristotle defines a tragic hero as "a character who is not eminently
Brutus is the Tragic Hero of Julius Caesar Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar is a tragic play, where the renowned Julius Caesar is on the brink of achieving total control and power by becoming emperor of the Roman Empire. Ironically enough, when he thinks he is one step away from pulling it off, his "friends" (most from the senate) decide to overthrow him, with Caesar's most trusted friend, Marcus Brutus, acting as leader of the conspirators. Though the fall of Caesar from the most powerful
Julius Caesar the Hero Was Julius Caesar a hero or a tyrant? To answer that, Caesar was a hero. In the article, “Killing Caesar” by Jon Herman the author states all the good things Caesar had done for the Roman citizens, such as, creating jobs so people could work, he kept fresh water throughout Rome, He also made sure they had food, and he made fun events for them to attend. Many people viewed Julius Caesar as a hero for trying to improve Rome when he was the leader. One thing that Caesar has done