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Essays on weaknesses of brutus
Essays on weaknesses of brutus
Analysis of the play Julius Caesar
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The character of Brutus within Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar is rather complex. Throughout the play he has to deal with several events that drag his morality into question, including the degree of his involvement in one of history’s most famous assassinations. Even though the moral validity of Brutus’ choices has been brought into question several times within the play by Brutus himself and other characters, Brutus remained an honest and loyal man who loved his homeland until he died. Brutus was a key figure in the assassination of a well-loved public figure that helped bring Rome to great prosperity. By the time of his assassination, Caesar had greatly grown in power and had won over most of the public to the point of near fanaticism. Considering
Brutus’ honesty and overall goodness are referenced many times throughout Julius Caesar, it raises his loyalty and honesty into question given that he helps kill a good friend of his. Brutus’ decision to be a part of the assassination of Julius Caesar was not a spur of the moment choice, he thought about his friendship in comparison to his loyalty to his home. In addition, it took falsely written letters and intense persuasion from fellow conspirators before Brutus began to take into consideration what they were saying. As previously stated, the job of persuading Brutus to be siding with the conspirators was not an easy one. Letters were falsified and the conspirators had to truly talk to Brutus about how magnificent their cause was and how it was for the good of Rome. Even with the chaos happening around him, Brutus manages to stay honorable and true to his ideals when literally everyone else was being two faced as can be. While the others involved in the conspiracy had fallen into dishonorable behavior after Caesar’s assassination, most notably in the last act, Brutus remains dedicated to his beliefs and ultimately takes his life.
Even though he is a smart and take charge character, he is also quite deceptive. He shows just how deceptive he is when he kills Caesar. Brutus was very close to Caesar. and he still killed him. Brutus was the only character of the conspirators that was killed.
As a “speculative man of high motives and refined sensibility”(Catherine C. Dominic) Brutus does have his confusion of motives. Act I, scene ii, is the first we see his weakness, “his concern with reputation and appearance, his subtle vanity and pride”(Gayle Green). Yet the main bases of Brutus’s bewilderment of motives takes place in Act II, scene I, with his famous soliloquy beginning with “It must be by his death”. This speech may be the turning point in which Brutus feels better about the assassination of his once called friend.
Brutus was a man of noble birth. He had multiple servants and was often referred to as “Lord”, which indicates a certain level of respect for him. He was a very highly thought of person in Rome. At no point did he ever betray anyone, although he did kill Caesar, he did it to better Rome, not to mislead him. Everything he did was for the advantage of someone else. Even after Brutus dies, Marc Antony says “This was the noblest roman of them all; all the conspirators, save only he, did that they did in the envy of Caesar; he only in a general honest thought and common good to all...” This shows that regardless of brutus killing Caesar, he is still considered noble because he had good intentions. Brutus was also the best friend of Julius Caesar, the most powerful man in Rome. Had he been a commoner, Caesar most likely would not have associated with him or trusted him as a friend.
The character of Brutus in Shakespeare’s epic play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar undertakes a great fall from his position as a well-loved senator. Brutus was a man of the common populace. After Caesar’s assassination, he is considered a traitor to the Romans. A man unaware of his follies until the end, Brutus is manipulated and used by the conspirators to achieve their own goals. However, throughout the course of this play, he remains loyal to the Roman people and what he believes to be their opinions. Brutus, a loyal man of the Roman Republic, is most definitely a tragic hero.
Another question could be asked about whether Brutus is an honorable man or a mistaken one. Analyzing Brutus’s logic, actions, and intentions can help the reader decide where they stand. I believe Brutus is a villain. The fine line that distinguishes a person as either a hero or a villain, or even a good and a bad person, is unclear. That makes the play so very unique.
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 based on the concept of honor. He constantly throughout the play speaks of how honorable he is and how honorable men should live. He is 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.
...s’ views and opinions very clearly. We are also able to see the flaws that he embeds. However, Caesar remains a mystery throughout the play as he is slain very early. Caesar enjoys being loved by the people and enjoys holding his status but Brutus wonders how the best power of Rome can be accomplished and turns to assassination and manipulation as it is the only method of removing Caesar. In general, Brutus is moral while Caesar is immoral.
Brutus symbolizes the Tragic Hero in Julius Caesar on various aspects and levels. He chose to kill Caesar with honor, and did not corrupt his actions with greed and hunger. He did not stray from his true purpose like the other conspirators. Brutus also fulfilled many trivial components of the Tragic Hero such as being of noble birth and having supernatural encounters. Lastly, Brutus realized his downfall at the end of the novel by asking for his death in honor of Caesar. He understood that his death was nigh and accepted it. “If then that friend demand why Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer: not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more” (117).
Julius Caesar William Shakespeare has written many plays that touched millions of people throughout the centuries. His works are still the most controversial ones favored by many Literature critics because his plays generate spontaneous debates on issues such as friendship, revenge, human ambitions and moralities that lead to dynamic discussion among people. In the play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, friendship vs. duty is one of the major themes that is developed. One's struggle over the choice between friendship and duty is depicted through the main character, Brutus, as he battles himself to choose between his duty to carry out people's will and his own conscious hitting on his faithfulness to his best friend Caesar. Although Brutus himself was skeptical if he made the right decision, he joins the conspiracy that plans for the murder of their leader Julius Caesar.
“Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more” (3. 2. 21-22). This shows the strength of Brutus. Another quote includes, “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 general honest thought And common good to all, made one of them” (5. 5. 68-72). Antony says this in regards to Brutus when he dies. This shows just how much the people honor Brutus and believe he is a very noble man. At the end of the play as Brutus is replaying the death of Caesar, he feels a sense of guilt. “Brutus feels guilt towards the killing of Caesar, even though it was for the process and success of Rome” (Ridley-Elmes). Only the true, honest, and meaningful heros contain guilt even if others believe that they did the right thing. “Brutus's choice to commit suicide rather than live on in infamy and guilt renders him, ultimately, a noble character worthy of praise” (Ridley-Elmes). Brutus is a very loyal character who realizes where he makes mistakes and always tries his best to put himself in the right position even in bad situations that
Was Brutus an honorable man? In the play, Brutus is demonstrated as a weak character however; his intentions were honorable. I will present examples of his actions that will show his honorability: Brutus’ love for his country, and many follow citizens who thought he was the most honorable person in Rome.
The murder of Caesar brought upon many events such as social chaos amongst the citizens and a civil war in Rome. Brutus, having good intentions from the start, held the power properly execute his plans keep the people of Rome from falling into the hands of dictatorship. However, in the beginning, his naivety shown being tricked by Cassius and his refusal of killing Antony. His ignorance and poor judgement is displayed when he allows Antony to sway the Roman people during Caesar’s funeral and finally, choosing go to go Phillipi, ignoring the eerie words of Caesar’s ghost. In contrast to Caesar, Brutus’ characterization was spread on from beginning to the end
In Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar the question that arises often in readers minds is, “Is Brutus a villain or hero?” The three things that will bring one closer to finding the solution to the question would be his personality, his words, and then his actions.
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, is a play about Marcus Brutus and the plan to kill Julius Caesar. However, the play should be titled “Marcus Brutus” and not Julius Caesar because Brutus is the main character, Caesar is killed in act 3, and the conspiracy could not have happened without his participation.
Marcus Brutus was the main character in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. His participation in the conspiracy against Caesar was essential for the plot to work. Cassius knew this, therefore, he tried very hard to convince him to murder Caesar and save Rome. The reason why the conspirators wanted Brutus on their side was because he was an honorable man whom Rome loved. Cassius is the one who declares this, "Brutus shall lead the way, and we will grace his heels with the most boldest and best hearts of Rome. "(act 3, scene 1, ll.135-136). Brutus then becomes inspired b...