Caesar's Fate Brutus opens up by saying how Caesar needed to be killed before he was crowned. Caesar had not done anything wrong to Brutus, but Brutus just wanted what was best for the people of Rome. Brutus feels Caesar has all the power, but Roman people trust Brutus more. Brutus battles himself internally in what he should do, trust Cassius and help kill Caesar or keep living his life with Caesar getting crowned? For Brutus says “It is the bright day that brings forth the adder; And that craves wary walking. Crown him that;-- And then, I grant, we put a sting in him, That at his will he may do danger with.” (II, i, 14-16) Brutus has been battling himself internally ever since Cassius told him about his plan to kill Caesar before he can get …show more content…
Brutus thinks Caesar is a young, ambitious person who once gets to the top won’t let anyone else get to the top. “That lowliness is young ambition’s ladder, Whereto the climber upward turns his face. But when he once attains the upmost round, He then unto the ladder turns his back, Looks in the clouds, scorning the base degrees By which he did ascend. So Caesar may have been. Then, lest he may, prevent. And since the quarrel.” (II, i, 23-28) Brutus had said this to explain the Caesar uses humility to advance himself to try and get to the top of the ladder, but once he would get to the top that’s when Caesar would turn his back on all of his supporters and reach for the skies while scorning those who helped him get where he is now. Some think that Caesar is fit to rule. Because he is the one who defeated the great Pompey. Caesar had won the foot race, and Antony had offered him the crown three times. So Caesar must be worthy of ruled over Rome and its people. The Roman people trust Caesar and think that he is worthy of ruling, and the people of Rome don’t recognize anyone else deemed worthy of Caesar himself. In the end, Brutus decided to join the conspiracy, basically taking it
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.
Specifically, Brutus has too much pride in himself to realize that he might have a wrong political standpoint, and that killing Caesar might not have been the best option. “Stoop, Romans, stoop, and let us bathe our hands in Caesar's blood up to the elbows, and besmear our swords. Then walk we forth, even to the marketplace, and, waving our red weapons o'er our heads, let's all cry "Peace, freedom, and liberty” (3.1.117)! Brutus shows pride in his actions and thinks it will only bring out great in the world. However, Caesar is going to take the crown when he is slain by Brutus and the conspirators. Turmoil is inevitable which causes a war to break out and many people to
Throughout most of the play Brutus is constantly internally conflicted. Does he do what he believes is best for Rome or stay loyal to his friend and leader? Should he assist in the murder of one person to benefit many? Although killing Caesar was in the end a bad choice, Brutus always tries to do what is best for Rome and for the people. However even though all of Brutus’ motives are good he still has the tragic flaw of pride, which ultimately leads to his downfall. The reason that Brutus gets caught up in the conspiracy is because Cassias appeals to his pride and flatters him with forged letters from the Roman people saying he is a greater leader then Caesar.
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
Brutus’ leadership and compassion for others make him a popular figure amongst the Roman people, and it is his reputation that establishes him as an influential individual. For example, despite the fact that Brutus loves Caesar like a brother, he warily joins the conspiracy to assassinate him. He does this because he believes that Caesar’s ambition would become tyranny and that Caesar’s death is a necessary evil in order to preserve the liberties of the Roman people. In his own words Brutus claims, “It must be by his death; and for my part, I know no personal cause to spurn at him, but for the general.”(Act 2, Scene 1, Page 1116). In addition, Brutus takes the reins of authority from Cassius and becomes the leader of the conspiracy. He gains this prerogative because of his convincing tongue and powerful influence. His leadership is evidenced when he begins to challenge Cassius’ ideas. When Cassius asks the conspirators to “swear our resolution”(Act 2...
Making the right decisions is an ongoing struggle for man, because making decisions is never easy, and the wrong decision can lead to endless perils. Decisions must be made when dealing with power, loyalty, and trust. Yet, unlike other decisions, ones that are about these three fields are the most important, due to the risk involved, and because of the consequences that might follow.
Brutus would not want a tyrant for king of the Rome that he defends and care for so much. Brutus is trying to convince himself that he’s making a hard decision for the greater good. Other factors that played into his decision to join the plot to kill Caesar were Cassius and the others convincing him that if Caesar becomes a king and has absolute power he would corrupt Rome. Brutus having such high morals felt like his own honor would be in jeopardy and corrupted. In the beginning, Brutus cannot think of a personal reason to kill him but after the other conspirators swayed his thinking that Caesar’s death would be for the greater good. If Caesar doesn’t die he will be crowned king and Rome will be in ruins. In summation, Brutus should have looked even further inward and seen that he was being used and manipulated by the conspirators. A man with such high morals should have foreseen that doing the wrong thing even if he thought it was for the right reason is never the answer for a successful outcome. Brutus changed drastically from being a good friend to caesar, to being conflicted for a month to ultimately deciding to kill
First of all, Marcus Brutus has the character flaw of poor judge of character. He cannot discern a person’s character or true motivation. He, however, acts on his judgments, regardless of whether they are true or not. Brutus feels that Caesar is too ambitious for power, and that he, along with the other eight men plotting the demise of Caesar, must prevent it, “And therefore think him as a serpent’s egg— / Which, hatched, would as his kind grow mischievous— / And kill him in the shell” (911). Brutus decides that Caesar must die because he ambitious. Ambition is not necessarily an evil and virulent thing. Ambition causes men and women to strive towards reaching an attainment. Brutus assumes that Caesar will turn his back on his supporters due to this ambition. One of the most famous lines in Julius Caesar is the dying words of Caesar: “Et tu, Bruté?—Then fall, Caesar” (938). If Caesar had truly turned h...
Julius Caesar is remembered as one of the greatest military minds in history and credited with arranging the basis for the Roman Empire. Caesar’s military brilliance bought Rome more land and more power, which led into the increase of size and strength of Rome. Caesar’s dictatorship helped the strength in Rome. Julius Caesar was assassinated which lead to a monarchy that was ruled by Octavin. Caesar’s death caused an effect to the collapse of the Roman Empire. Many people today in the 21st century try and follow the greatness of Julius Caesar. The assassination of Julius Caesar was a tragedy with the contributions Caesar made to strengthen Rome’s success.
Caesar was an unpredictable figure because of him helping Rome, but at the same time with every success wanting more power and control for personal reasons. Brutus is Caesar's best friend, and even before Cassius corrupts him in his thoughts toward Caesar receiving the crown he does not think Caesar is really fit to be a leader. In a quote between Brutus and Cassius their fear is shown in his return and the chance of him receiving the crown. “What means this shouting? I do fear the people Choose Caesar for their king”(1.2.85-89). Cassius may be worried about his wealth but Brutus is a good person and always wants the best for Rome and he does not think Caesar should be king. Brutus is friends with Caesar so he knows best if he will change with his power. As the play moves on Caesar really shows he will do what it takes to secure his power as shown in a quotation. “I could tell you more news too: Marullus and Flavius, for pulling scarves off Caesar's images, are put to silence. Fare you well. There was more foolery yet, if I could remember it”. (1.2.295-299) The quote shows Caesar is obsessed with gaining power and will go to the extent of killing people to secure it. By this point the conspirators really know it is time to kill Caesar because they no longer have any control over him, and he will not let anyone stand in his way. Caesars drive for power, and hubris is a quality of someone who is not meant to be a
Tragic Hero in Julius Caesar A tragic hero is the character whose actions deeply affect the other characters and who creates a series of events that eventually lead to the character’s downfall and the downfall of his loved ones. Such a hero possesses a flaw in character that influences his actions and thinking and especially his judgments. In logically determining who the hero in Julius Caesar is, one simply must find the one character who fits the above guidelines. Marcus Brutus is the only one, and, thus, he is the tragic hero.
Brutus has gained the most power by agreeing to join the conspiracy to kill Caesar. By doing this, Brutus has most of the senators wanting him to have the most power. For example, Brutus and Cassius were arguing about whether Cicero would join the conspiracy. When Brutus says, “O name him not! Let us not break with him, / For he will never follow anything/ That other men begin” (A2, s1, line 156-158). After Brutus says this, all of the other men agree to what he has said. This shows that the senators respect and honor Brutus, thus giving him power. They think that Brutus is just as much of a king as Caesar is to the common people. Brutus has also always been seen as honorable and very valuable to the Roman society and to the common people. If Brutus did, in fact, join the conspiracy, the senators believe that the common people will forgive him. For example, when Brutus says, “I know no personal cause to spurn at him, /But for the general: he would be crowned” (A2, s1, line 11-12). This means Brutus has no reason to have anything against Caesar then the wellness of the people of Rome. Brutus is an elected official who wants more for the good of the people of Rome than committing a terrible crime. The people, senators, and everyone in Rome respect and think highly of Brutus. Brutus has the most power in Rome because he is the most honorable person, and he is for the common good. At this time, Brutus has
“Build that wall! Build that wall!” was a popular chant during the election period (Gomez). Supporters of Trump will always chant that slogan during rallies in support of the construction of a wall on the border of Mexico and The United States. Illegal immigration has always been an issue in America. Illegal immigrants from Mexico make their way to America by land, through a foot or by vehicles.
Brutus is considered an honorable, noble man in Rome and it is important to Cassius that he becomes part of the conspiracy. In Act 1, Cassius and Brutus agree that Caesar becoming king would be detrimental to Rome. Cassius starts off persuading Brutus by describing how weak Caesar is. He states, “he had a fever when he was Spain, and when the fit was on him, I did mark how he did shake; ‘tis true, this god did shake” (I.ii.119-121). Cassius is trying to show Brutus that Caesar is not perfect or better than everyone else. In fact, he is weak and infirm. Next, Cassius makes the point that Caesar is too powerful and if he becomes king, he will rule over the people “like a Colossus” (I.ii.136). Brutus says he will consider joining the conspiracy if it is
Caesar is always looking forward to succeed and gain power. As they parade through the streets of Rome Casca tells Brutus how Caesar was offered a crown by Marc Antony. Although Caesar did not accept it and pushed it away he would have really wanted it. “Then he offered it to him again; then he put it by again; but to my thinking, he was very loath to lay his fingers off it” (I.ii.243-245). On the other hand, Brutus was not ambitious. Brutus joined the conspiracy because he was afraid that Caesar’s ambition will over power Rome. “Shall Rome, &c.' Thus must I piece it out: Shall Rome stand under one man's awe? What, Rome?” (II.i.656). He explains how Rome should not be ruled by one person, as agreeing to the conspirators and thus, joining them