Julius Caesar Quotes

Behaviour is often influenced by an individual’s moral values and the ideals he adheres to. In William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Brutus’s behaviour is influenced by his desire to do what is best for the people of Rome. This is shown by his dialogue and his decisions, and effectively demonstrates that an ideal will affect an individual’s conduct. It is evident when Brutus considers the conspirators’ offer to join them, when he becomes part of their plot and murders Caesar, and when he gives a speech to appease and convince the plebeians of his good intentions.
The ideal that one should do what is best for the common good is first shown to influence Brutus’s behaviour once he starts to consider that he might have to kill Caesar. In Act 2,

Brutus is in his court, debating whether or not the conspirators are doing the best thing for Rome. His deliberating keeps him up all night, which demonstrates that he sees this issue regarding Caesar as important. If he did not consider it an urgent issue, he could have slept instead of allowing his worries to disturb his slumber. His anguish is further amplified by the notes forged by Cassius. These letters had the purpose of upsetting Brutus’s conscience to bring him into the conspiracy, and their success has the effect of preventing Brutus from sleeping that night. They also ensure that he considers the possibility that Caesar’s rise to power will transform the latter into a tyrant. Since the Brutus family has a reputation founded on tyrannicide, he feels that if these rumours are true, it is his responsibility to save Rome. His adherence to his utilitarian ideal influences his behaviour to such an extent that the change is visible to the ones close to him. This difference in conduct is demonstrated by Portia worrying for his health, understanding that something must be wrong for him to stay up all night. In this portion of the scene, Portia’s uneasiness is used by Shakespeare to demonstrate that an ideal can affect an individuals behaviour in a visible way. When Portia says, “.../Hoping it was but an effect of humour,/Which sometimes hath his hour with every man./It will not let you eat, nor talk, nor sleep,/...”, she reveals that due to his deliberating, he is no longer behaving normally. She mentions that she thought it was due to his mood, but that she noticed it wasn’t going away, similar to a disease. Portia’s worry shows that Brutus’s demeanor was influenced by the utilitarian ideal that is currently occupying his mind. Shakespeare uses this scene to reveal that an ideal influences behaviour by remaining on an individual’s mind, affecting their daily actions, such as eating and sleeping, without them noticing.
An ideal can also influence one’s behaviour by affecting their thought process and leading them to taking certain decisions in a biased way.

This is demonstrated in the play by Brutus’s decision to join the conspirators. When Brutus first hears of the conspiracy, he does not show signs of being sure what to do and has a view of the issue that is biased by his love for Caesar. By Act 2, Scene 1, he is seen trying to decide whether he should help the conspirators kill Caesar or not. His thought process is guided by his desire to do what is best for Rome, which enables him to consider the possibility that the conspirators might be doing the right thing in an unbiased way. In Act 2, Scene 1, Brutus meets the plotters and agrees to join their plot under the pretext that it is the best thing for his city and its people. In this part of the play, the moral value influences Brutus’s behaviour by permitting him to believe that Caesar is too ambitious to be an appropriate ruler for Rome. By giving him this belief, the value inclines him and leads him to join the conspiracy. In Act 2, the utilitarian ideal then transforms into a source of motivation for Brutus’s actions, which he uses to overcome his love for Caesar and assassinate him. The ability to murder his friend reveals that the moral value influences Brutus by motivating him to perform certain actions that he believes will make him more righteous. These actions would be less likely to occur if Brutus adhered to no ideals, in which case there would be no force to overcome his love for Caesar. Shakespeare uses these parts of Act 2 and 3 to demonstrate that an ideal can affect one’s behaviour by influencing their capability to make unbiased decisions and by becoming a driving force behind their

actions.
Brutus’s utilitarian ideal modifies his actions in an apparent way when he gives a speech in front of the Romans to convince them of his righteousness. Following Caesar’s death, many members of the council who were unaware of the plot ran out of the senate yelling that a murder had taken place. Once the people gathered around the Capitol, the conspirators exit and Brutus announces that what they have committed is for the best of Rome. During this speech, he mentions many times that he honoured and loved Caesar, but the latter had to be killed for his ambition was too dangerous. Brutus’s dialogue in Act 3, Scene 2, demonstrates that he considers his ideal to be more important than his emotions because he states, “...There is tears for his love; joy for his/ fortune;honour for his valour; and death for his ambition...”. This quote reveals the priority he gives his moral value because Caesar is shown to have some positive qualities that strengthened the bond between him and Brutus, but the latter felt the need to eliminate him for the one flaw that made him a threat to Rome. His emotions are therefore suppressed to allow him to slay his friend and follow his ideal. This part of the play is used by Shakespeare to indicate that an ideal can influence an individual’s behaviour by becoming a priority which overrules other methods of reasoning. By being in a superior position in this hierarchy, the value becomes the primary factor influencing the individual’s conduct. This superiority is revealed by Brutus in his speech when he mentions that he loved Rome more than he loved Caesar, a statement that demonstrates that he wants to benefit the people, represented by Rome, before himself, which is why he kills his friend. The ideal is therefore superior to his other mechanisms of reasoning, such as emotions, and influences Brutus’s behaviour more than the other methods. Shakespeare, by using the speech given in front of the people, shows that a moral value which is superior to others will influence the individual’s behaviour more than the inferior, less influential ideals.
By analyzing Brutus’s actions, dialogue, and decisions, it is revealed that his moral values influence his behaviour. Whether it be by affecting his decision to join the conspirators, by acting as a motive for his actions, or by superior to his other values to the point of being the most influential, the ideal remains a central factor to these occurrences. Behaviour is typically seen as our day to day actions, which are dictated by our ideas of what is right and what is wrong.