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Essay about julius caesar character
Characters of julius caesar and their role
The tragedy of julius caesar character traits
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Why would a title be a name of a fairly minor character? Yes Julius Caesar was a character of major power, but he was killed off in Act 3! The title should include Marcus Brutus, seeing as he is the actual main character. He was the one who was in the play a vast majority and made a very big impact on the plot!
Julius Caesar was a powerful king. Too much power even. That’s what conspirators Cassius, Casca, Cinna and many others thought. They believed in another individual who would be a better leader; Marcus Brutus. Brutus was noble, honorable, and ambitious. He had just enough ambition for him to be a good ruler. This wasn’t the case for Caesar. Caesar wanted so much power and right away too. He had ruled the Roman Empire; which was thought to be the entire world at the time. If there was more power to be absorbed, Caesar would have gone any length to achieve that power. This caused people to be afraid of him, and more importantly; despised him. It was one of his most fatal flaws! (No pun intended) Yes, maybe some people were too blind to see it, but the conspirators who took action, saw it.
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Brutus’ involvement in Caesar’s death was the best for his city and people.
Caesar would have killed many people, and all for what? More power. Brutus would have done anything for the sake of his city. Even if that meant killing his friend. “Nor that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.” (III.ii.23-24) A good leader would put his city/empires problems and demands before himself. Sometimes to fix a problem you need to fix it at the roots. This came from his heart and was honest. If Brutus actually hated Caesar, he would have struck him first. However, Brutus was one of the last people to stab Caesar and one of the last to agree to the conspiracy. It took a lot of convincing from Cassius who admired Brutus a great deal. He would always keep telling Brutus how he was the better leader than Caesar and how his plan would truly
work. Sadly, instead of benefitting Rome, Julius Caesar’s death was the beginning of a civil war. That was a major flaw in Brutus’ decision at the funeral. What Brutus should have done was listen to Cassius. Brutus must have assumed that no one would listen to Caesar’s lap-dog of a follower. But how wrong he was. Antony managed to convince enough Romans that Brutus and the other conspirators were the ones that were the real danger to Rome. Enough Romans to start riots on the city and to turn against one another. Brutus finally saw that he made a vast mistake. There were only a few of Brutus’ men left when Brutus decided to end his life. He honorably ran onto his sword with the words “Caesar, now be still. I killed not thee with half so good a will.” (V.v.56-57) A very good reason why Marcus Brutus was the actual main character of the play was when the news reached Antony that his opponent was dead, he said words that would bring peace all around: This was the noblest Roman of them all. All the conspirators save only he Did that they did in envy of great Caesar. He only in a general thought And common good to all made one of them. His life was gentle and the elements So mixed in him that nature might stand up And say to the world “This was a man.” (V.v.74-81)
Caesar would’ve tromped all who stood before him, and ancient Europe would’ve become an ant under Caesar’s boot. If Brutus really did kill Caesar for the good will of Rome, I do not believe he was in any way a bad man, and even proved how strong of a man he was. In most cases, homicides are ugly, heinous crimes. But in a select few instances, they can be not only justifiable, but the overall best outcome of a situation.
The tragedy “Julius Caesar” by William Shakespeare should be renamed “Brutus” because Caesar is not the tragic hero. He is only in a small portion of the play and does not possess a major tragic flaw; however Marcus Brutus fits the description of tragic hero much better than Julius Caesar. Typically, tragedies are named after the tragic hero, which Aristotle describes as: a person of noble birth with a tragic flaw that leads to his or her downfall because of that flaw. Brutus exhibits all of these qualities, therefore rightfully naming him a tragic hero.
In the play the Life and Death of Julius Caesar (just as in all of Shakespeare’s tragedies) there is much death, much tragedy, and of course, a tragic hero. However unlike most of Shakespeare’s plays this time the tragic hero is not particularly obvious. Throughout the play a few main characters present themselves as possibilities for being the tragic hero. But as being a tragic hero is not only having a tragic flaw but also entails much more, there really is only one person to fit the mold. The character Brutus is born into power and is higher/better then we are. He has a tragic flaw that causes his downfall and at the end he realizes his mistake (a trait none of the other characters can really claim).
I have no personal reason to strike at him—only the best interest of the people”Nevertheless Brutus did not strike down Caesar for personal gain, he striked Caesar so that Rome could live. Our course will seem too bloody, Caius Cassius, To cut the head off and then hack the limbs, Like wrath in death and envy afterwards; For Antony is but a limb of Caesar: Let us be sacrificers, but not butchers, Caius” However Brutus was against killing Marc Antony, he was not willing to kill a man out of coldblood, and he would not be marked as a killer in the eyes of the people, he would rather be seen as a defender of the country, he also was against spilling unnecessary blood. Brutus did not want to be a butcher he had only one intention and that was to save Rome. Not start a blood bath. Brutus was against spilling unwanted blood, why kill a man who did nothing to deserve his
In Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Cassius encompasses ethical and emotional appeal to persuade Brutus that something should be done about Caesar's aspirations for sovereignty. For instance, Cassius cleverly references himself as "Aeneas, our great ancestor,/ Did from the flames of Troy upon his shoulder,/ The old Anchises bear, so from the waves of Tiber,/ Did I the tried Caesar" (1.2.23-26). Cassius skillfully employs vivid imagery to depict how he once rescued Caesar when they were swimming in the River Tiber, while heavily suggesting that Caesar is a feeble man compared earlier to the event from Roman history. Cassius also explains to Brutus how it is ironic that Caesar appears to be an omnipotent figure since Caesar is no better
He has two opposing desires that he has to choose between. These are killing Caesar to preserve democracy in Rome and to save Caesar, since he is a friend of Brutus. A quote from J.L. Simmons that summarizes this well is, “Certainly the material lends itself to a conflict between private and public affections” (Simmons 64). Brutus wants to kill Caesar for Rome because the citizens of Rome want to preserve democracy and Caesar is preventing that by being dictator for life. A quote that puts this in other words is, “The ultimate factor in persuading Brutus to join the conspiracy is his belief that his countrymen wish him to act on their behalf” (Shalvi 71). Killing Caesar would be a choice made for not himself, but the citizens of Rome while saving him would be for himself and to preserve his friendship with Caesar. Saving Caesar would be a deed for himself and would strengthen his relationship with Caesar. He could have warned Caesar of the conspirators’ plans and put a stop to them. Brutus ultimately makes the choice of following through and assassinating Caesar. His plan was for this to be a honorable action, but it ended up negative on his behalf. The majority of the citizens in Rome did not take this lightly and wanted revenge for his actions. This is the main mistake made by Brutus that lead to his own
The title of the play is Julius Caesar, and was written by William Shakespeare. In 1599, Julius Caesar was the first play to be preformed at the newly built Globe Theater. William Shakespear died in 1616. Brutus was a cautious, devious, and naive.
William Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is a story full of manipulation and jealousy that changes the way people think. Ancient Rome had umpteen different ways of handling situations that, in today’s world, would be considered unethical; such as battles that were very much horrifying and vivid. However, these battles were not important with the development of the plot. Shakespeare uses various ways of the idea of manipulation and betrayal to lead readers into the rest of the narrative.
(II.ii.10-11). Caesar basically says that because he is so great and powerful, he will never be defeated. He also talks in third person, which is quite arrogant of a leader to do. Whenever people feel too anxious for leadership they may let it all go to their head, another reason why he turned into a tyrant. People need to watch for tyrannical or corrupt politicians as they can get too power hungry and cannot be stopped.
If then that friend demands why Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer: not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more." (3.2.19-24). His concentration on honor and nobility ends up being used against him by Cassius, who instigates him to kill his best friend. Cassius knows how naive and how moral Brutus is and he uses this information into making him help kill Caesar. Being naive and over trusting causes his first mistake and helps with his downfall when he refuses to listen to Cassius, who wants Antony to be also killed because he knows that he will seek revenge for Caesar. However, Brutus code of honor won 't let him approve the killing of Antony "Our plan will seem too bloody, Caius Cassius. We cut off the head and then hack the limbs, seem to kill Caesar in anger and then vent malice on his friends, for Antony is only a branch of Caesar."(2.1.169-172), he doesn 't want to be seen by the Roman people as a killer, but someone who 's doing what 's right for the people of
Brutus was a supporter of the republic as well as Caesar’s truthful friend. However much he loved Caesar, he opposed the fact that a single man ruled Rome and he feared Caesar would rise to hold that power. Brutus was a good leader. He was truthful and honourable. Brutus tries to justify his reason for killing Caesar and he says
Both Caesar and Brutus were main characters in this play. Two sides formed during the play, and these two characters were the leaders of each side, respectively. Also, each character held a high rank in the Roman society. Caesar was the ruler of the Roman Empire, and could basically do whatever he wanted due to his outstanding power. Brutus was a general for the Empire and he was respected and was seen as a noble man and true “Roman” by many.
Playwright, William Shakespeare, in the play Julius Caesar, utilizes many instances of rhetorical devices through the actions and speech of Caesar's right-hand man, Mark Antony. In the given excerpt, Antony demonstrates several of those rhetorical devices such as verbal irony, sarcasm, logos, ethos, and pathos which allows him to sway the plebeians. The central purpose of Mark Antony’s funeral speech is to persuade his audience into believing that Caesar had no ill intentions while manipulating the plebeians into starting a rebellion against their new enemies, Brutus and the conspirators.
Brutus was one of many Romans with noble bloodlines. Although Brutus was noble, he never used it to get ahead. There are many times when Brutus could have used the fact that he is truly noble but he didn’t. Many people argue that a noble man wouldn’t have killed Caesar. In some ways that is true, but Brutus’ case was different. A noble man would only for the good of others and that is what Brutus did. He killed Caesar because 7he was afraid of how powerful he could become. Even then he had a hard time doing it, and that is what separates Brutus from the other conspirators. Every other conspirator had little or no reason to kill Caesar. Brutus was willing to do anything for Rome. During his speech about Caesar’s murder Brutus stated “I have the same dagger for myself when it shall please my country to need my death” (III.ii.45-46). This shows how Caesar, this is my answer: not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more” (III.ii.20-22). He was too passionate about his country to let Caesar turn it into a dictatorship. Mark Antony and Octavius recognized that Brutus was the one noble roman. In his final speech mark Antony said “This was the noblest roman of them all. / All the conspirators save only he/ Did that they did i...
A tragic hero is the antithesis for the common protagonist. Most protagonists show how they overcome great obstacles however, the tragic hero shows a more humane character, that stumbles and falls. The tragic hero usually exhibits three specific traits that lead to his or her downfall. In the play, Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, the characters of Brutus and Caesar both exhibit the three attributes of a tragic character. The first trait of any tragic hero is a high rank and potential for greatness. Both Brutus and Caesar hold his trait, as they are beloved high ranking Romans. The second characteristic a tragic hero must possess; is a fatal flaw that dominates their personality, and Brutus’ sense of justice and Caesar’s ego, fulfill this