Marcus Brutus and Charlotte Corday

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Men and women throughout history are remembered for their selflessness, compassion and dedication to their people; their honorable qualities are clear in the minds of many. The word “honor” brings to mind a numerous people: Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. and Franklin Delano Roosevelt are a few of the thousands at hand. However, honor is a subjective term; occasionally deeds which are socially unacceptable are deemed to be admirable under the circumstances, such as Brutus’ murder of Julius Caesar. One woman in French history, Charlotte Corday, has a similar story. Although she is infamous for nothing but her murder of an French Revolutionary leader, she, like Brutus, was truly an honorable individual.

Before her execution, Charlotte Corday stated that, “There are so few patriots who know how to die for their country” (GPS Faculty). This woman truly believed that if one is to be truly dedicated to their country, self-sacrifice is an inescapable deed. Although this frame of mind today is considered highly respectable, if not righteous, in Corday’s time her well-meaning actions were not appreciated by the French people. In eighteenth century France, honor was not so much based on one’s actions, but on their birth and status in society. Honor could be bought; the more money one had the more honorable they were assumed to be. Education also determined the level of honor; people assumed that an educated individual must have a clear knowledge of right and wrong. For this reason, the man Charlotte Corday murdered, Jean-Paul Marat, was loved by the majority of the French public. Marat had plenty of money, was very well educated and was wonderful with oratory. However, he instilled violence within the French people and Corday believed th...

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...s. Ed. GPS. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Feb. 2012. .

Joubert, John. Execution of the Day. Ed. Wordpress. Wordpress, 17 July 1996. Web. 6 Feb. 2012. .

Lagasse, Paul. "Charlotte Corday." Colombia Encyclopedia. 6th ed. 2008. N. pag. EbscoHost. Web. 9 Feb. 2012. .

Lebrun, Elizabeth V. Famous Affinities of History. Ed. Lyndon Orr. Amazon, Oct. 2003. Web. 3 Feb. 2012. .

Lewis, Jone J. "Charlotte Corday." Women's History. Ed. About. About, n.d. Web. 2 Feb. 2012. .

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