Emis Poci Ms. Klemeshefsky English 10 Honors 17 May 2024 Brutus's Decision of Honor The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is a historical play written by William Shakespeare that falls into the genre of tragedy. This tragedy depicts the tale of the tragic hero, Marcus Brutus, and his journey of murdering his friend, Julius Caesar in an attempt to save Rome. Brutus battles his internal struggles before and after the murder, contemplating whether he should have honored his duty to Caesar or if he made the right choice honoring Rome. Brtutus should have honored his duty to Caesar instead of his duty to Rome because he had moments of guilt conspiring against Caesar proving their strong underlying bond, his efforts went to waste as the people of Rome are …show more content…
ii. The. 128- 129. The. This portrays a moment of sympathy that Brutus felt toward Caesar moments before he was killed. Brutus's inner guilt towards the whole situation is prevalent, as well as his caring and loving instincts yearning to come out. This feeling is not just a typical one, but one that an individual gets when there is great love for a certain someone in their heart. Brutus had this feeling toward Caesar demonstrating how deep their bond truly was, proving how it should not have all gone to waste just because of Brutus's honor to Rome. By using the diction "heart" and "yearns", Brutus explains how much pain his heart is in seeing his friend be clueless and unaware of what is going to happen to him expressing their true friendship. However, if this was just any ordinary fake friendship bond then Brutus would not be feeling any guilt to the extent to which he did, but because his friendship with Caesar was so meaningful, he felt this burning guilt within …show more content…
Overall, this implies the tendency of human nature to have a certain trait that manipulates an individual's actions, overlooking everything else they acquire. This directly correlates to Brutus's internal war of honoring Caesar versus honoring Rome as it shows how he had such a great relationship with Caesar and always respected him as a person; however the honor that he obtained overlooked all the greatness he once had and instead focused on his need to save Rome. Thematically also impling the habit of humans not realizing something until it is gone, regretting the past decision, this often results in great waves of grief that heap down on an individual after the regret of a past action. This is prevalent in human nature as the realization and emotional burdens start to settle in when it is often too late to fix the past decision or action that led to the very moment in which the emotions are being
cause; what cause withholds you then, to mourn for him?” Brutus claims that he loves cease like
“Wherefore rejoice? What conquest brings he home? - What tributaries follow him to Rome, To grace in captive bonds his chariot-wheels?”
In Shakespeare’s play, the conspirators are not justified because of their selfish motives. During the beginning of the play, Cassius is depicted as covetous when he tries to convince Casca to join the conspirators by speaking poorly of Caesar. “What trash is Rome, what rubbish and what offal, when it serves for the base matter to illuminate so vile a thing as Caesar” (I.II.108-110). Using a disgusted pattern of diction, Shakespeare helps to convey a bitter tone when Cassius states, “trash”, “rubbish” and “offal” to express his belief that Rome will become a terrible place when Caesar rules. Also, the fact that Cassius says, “a thing”, to describe Caesar shows how disrespectful he is, portraying his revolting attitude as a bad motive. This language characterizes Cassius as jealous and greedy of Caesar’s power,
In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, one must read the text closely to track the shifting motivations and loyalties of each character as the play progresses. An important factor that must be kept in mind while reading is the degree of loyalty, in other words, the degree to which characters act out of a motivation to help others. Throughout the play, each character's current degree of loyalty to others is clearly exhibited by words or behavior – this holds true for the characters of Brutus, Cassius, Antony, Portia, and Calpurnia. The focus on loyalty is critical because before the play ends an even-handed justice is meted out to a number of people who fail to live up to an expected standard of loyalty to others.
“Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.” (3.2.24) This quote reflects the motive of Brutus for the assassination of his friend, Caesar. I believe Brutus killed him not out of disrespect, but in a selfless act to protect Rome from the decree of Caesar yet to come. I also believe that he did this out of force from the manipulation from his “friend” Cassius. In Shakespeare's “Julius Caesar”, Brutus’ two most significant characteristics are virtue and unconscious hypocrisy. In order to fully understand these characteristics, it is necessary to analyze all other contributing characteristics, the manipulation of friendship that Cassius uses against him, and the motivations for
Both Caesar and Brutus have a tragic flaw. In the beginning of the play a soothsayer is telling Caesar to beware the ides of march Caesar Responds “He is a dreamer; Brutus leave him. Pass” (shakespeare page??? line????) When Caesar tells the soothsayer this it shows that he does not believe that he could be harmed. Just like caesar, Brutus suffered a tragic flaw, his being trusting everyone. After Caesar is dead Antony wants to say a speech at Caesar 's funeral, after making the crowd violent says “Now let it work. Mischief, thou art afoot, take thou the course thou wilt.”(shakespeare3.2.266-264). Brutus trusted Antony to say some nice words about Caesar, instead he turn the crowd violent. Caesar and Brutus love the roman people and would sacrifice anything for them. after Caesar dies Antony reads “ to every roman citizen he gives, to every several man, seventy-five drachmas”( page lines title). Caesar loved the romans so much he gave them all a bit of his money after he died. Even though he was prideful he loved the romans as much as Brutus. Brutus saw that under Caesar 's rule romans were suffering and says” Not that i love Caesar less, but that I loved/Rome more”(?) He Explains why he felt
William Shakespeare illustrates Marcus Brutus as a tragic hero in the play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. Shakespeare defines tragic hero as a flawed character who has good fortune, and then loses all he has prized, leading to his misfortune, but a tragic hero must have that moment of enlightenment, that moment where a character can see that he caused his own downfall and receives the blame for his own tragedy. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is based on an historical event- the assassination of Julius Caesar; however, the story revolves around the conspirators, not Caesar. The protagonists, Cassius and Brutus, are the main two conspirators: Cassius being the master-mind and Brutus being the face for the conspirators; Cassius tricks Brutus to join the conspirators under the false hope that the people fear Caesar and his authority, and Brutus wanting what the people want gave in to Cassius’s plan. The conspirators planned and acted on the assassination of Julius Caesar in the belief that by killing him, the republic government that held Rome high would last and the ideals of a monarchy would vanish with Caesar’s body. This was not the conclusion; by assassinating Julius Caesar, the man Rome longed for as their king, the conspirators created a king, Caesar’s adopted son. Instead of Brutus and Cassius becoming the heroes and new leaders of Rome, both are banished and hated, creating a struggle for them to receive relief of their power hunger for Rome, resulting in death. Brutus is the tragic hero of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar because he was flawed, caused his own downfall, faced a moment of enlightenment, and showed that he was an honorable man.
Cassius is the main conspirator against Caesar. He is Brutus's friend and accomplice. In the play Julius Caesar he can be described only through dialogue.
Greed, ambition, and the possibility of self-gain are always constant in their efforts to influence people’s actions. In Julius Caesar, Marcus Brutus, a venerable politician, becomes a victim of the perpetual conflict between power-hungry politicians and ignorant commoners. He is a man of honor and good intentions who sacrifices his own happiness for the benefit of others. Unfortunately, his honor is strung into a fine balance between oblivion and belief and it is ultimately the cause of his downfall. His apparent obliviousness leads him to his grave as his merciful sparing of Mark Antony’s life, much like Julius Caesar’s ghost, comes back to haunt him. Overall, Brutus is an honest, sincere man who holds the lives of others in high regard while he himself acts as a servant to Rome.
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, Marcus Junius Brutus, as the main character, develops extensively as a character throughout the play. From where he is first introduced to us until his last words, Brutus is shown consistently as a well-meaning individual who acts in what he believes is the best way possible. However, due to the role he plays in the assassination of Julius Caesar and the events surrounding it, Brutus is shown to have a changing personality although the core principles he is guided by remain sturdy. At the beginning of Julius Caesar, Brutus is framed as a loyal and honorable person, whose loyalty lies first and foremost with the citizens and city of Rome. As a consequence of this, Brutus is also able to be manipulated easily to do otherwise undesirable actions if the manipulator can persuade Brutus that his actions are for the good of Rome and his citizens.
Throughout the play, Brutus speaks about honor and his loyalty to his country. These two concepts become major conflicts for him when it comes to his friendship and loyalty to Caesar. Brutus life is conducted by the concept of honor. He constantly throughout the play speaks of how honorable he is and how honorable men should live. He 's very proud of how Romans view him as a noble and honorable man, who fights for what is right and is always following the moral and ethical code. Brutus ends up using the concept of honor and loyalty to his country as a reason why Caesar must die. He 's convinced that his countrymen will thank him for saving them from a tyrant and that Rome would be much better off without Caesar, but it ends up being a big miscalculation
In the play Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, one of the main characters, Brutus, is faced with a major problem. He has to decide whether or not to join the conspiracy, which is to kill his best friend Caesar or let him get crowned king. Thoughout the play he has to decide and his choice may effect Rome forever. Brutus decides to join the conspirators and help kill Julius Caesar. His actions show that he is a very patriotic, one who loves his country and upholds its interests, citizen of Rome. First, he shows great courage in killing Caesar for the love of his country. Second, all the people of Rome adore him because of his loyalty and finally, Brutus is willing to stand up to the fact that he helped kill Julius Caesar.
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.
Brutus recognizes that the “enemies have beat [Brutus and the conspirators].. to a pit” and believes it is honorable “to leap in” themselves “than tarry till” the enemies force them (5.5.23-25). Hence, Brutus requests his servant to assist him in committing suicide and finally utters “Caesar, now be still / I kill’d not thee with half so good a will” (5.5.50-51). Brutus’s action exhibits his understanding of the killing of Caesar, and now views it as irreparable. Furthermore, Brutus takes notice of the fights and unending deaths around him all due to his naivety and failure to judge people’s evil side. As a result, Brutus views suicide as the most appropriate “method” to retain his honor and dignity; otherwise, he would have to encounter the Roman citizens’ criticization and would be humiliated for his actions. In addition, Brutus requests Caesar to be done with his vengeance and to forgive him as he acts solely for the best of Rome, displaying Brutus to be a tragic hero who failed doing his best for good. Furthermore, the play ends with Antony’s summary of Brutus’s character leaving the audience to characterize Brutus to be the one who suffered the most and died in a tragic way. Antony describes Brutus to be “the noblest Roman of them all…/ [and have acted] only in a general