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. Brutus in the most complex character in the play, he is also the main character because he faces key conflicts in the story. When Cassius asks Brutus to join the conspiracy, there is the conflict for Brutus, He fears Caesar will be tyrant ”Brutus rose against caesar, this is my answer: not that I /loved caesar less, but that I loved rome more/ had you rather caesar were living and die all slaves,”(Shakespeare. III. ii. 22-25). Brutus
is the main character as well as the conflicts he faces, he also takes important actions that have big consequences. One of these consequences is the rioting that happened after Caesar’s death. “We’ll burn the house of Brutus”(III. ii. 245). It is because, of these conflicts and consequences that shows that Brutus is the main character. In act 3, Artemidorius tries to get Caesar to read his letter which tells Caesar of the plot and the names of the conspirators. Caesar ignores him and continues to the capital where he is stabbed and killed by Brutus and the conspirators “Et tu, Brute?-then fall, Caesar.” Caesar cannot be ignored in this play however he can no longer be the main character after his death because he no longer exists. The conspiracy could not have happened without brutus’ participation in killing Caesar.
Brutus, a senator in William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, claims the life of Julius Caesar in order to preserve Rome, his country and home. He puts aside his love for his comrade; Caesar to do what he felt was best. Both of these characters, Creon and Brutus, clearly felt compelled to do what each felt was preeminent for their country.
If there were to be a villain in the Tragedy of Julius Caesar Cassius would be it. Cassius is the character who first thought up of the conspiracy against Julius Caesar. His motives weren’t as noble as Brutus’ but he made Brutus believe they were. Cassius did whatever it took to get Brutus to join in the conspiracy. We can clearly see Cassius’ true nature by what he does and says in the play.
As the play opens, Brutus is known as a Roman nobleman and a member of one of the most illustrious families in Rome. He is first seen in Act I, scene ii, as one of Caesar’s “close friends” who is part of his entourage. But while alone with Cassius he is persuaded into taking a part in the assassination of Caesar. He is weary at first, and it seems as though it took Cassius some time to talk him into agreeing, yet Brutus looked at Caesar as some type of threat as well.
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.
The play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare showcases many characters and events that go through many significant changes. One particular character that went through unique changes was Julius Caesar. The 16th century work is a lengthy tragedy about the antagonists Brutus and Cassius fighting with the protagonists Octavius, Antony, and Lepidus over the murder of Julius Caesar. Although the play’s main pushing conflict was the murder of Julius Caesar, he is considered a secondary character, but a protagonist. Throughout the theatrical work Julius Caesar’s actions, alliances, character developments, and internal and external conflicts display his diverse changes.
Cassius is the main conspirator against Caesar. He is Brutus's friend and accomplice. In the play Julius Caesar he can be described only through dialogue.
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.
The Ways Shakespeare Reveals the Characters of Brutus and Cassius in the Play Julius Caesar
Brutus is a good man who is easily turned evil by men filled with abhorrence and jealousy. In the play, Julius Caesar, Brutus is a Roman who is easily manipulated, decisive, and proud. These contradicting traits of Brutus show us why the reader does not want to believe that Brutus is an antagonist in the story.
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.
In the play Julius Caesar, written and preformed by William Shakespeare, there are many characters, but two, Brutus and Cassius, stood out. The play begins in Rome where a celebration of Julius Caesar's victory over the former ruler of Rome, Pompeii. The victory leads to Caesar's betrayal by his jealous companions. Senators and other high status figures are jealous of Caesar's new and growing power, while others, like Brutus, fear the tyrannical rule Caesar could enforce. The conspirators, Brutus and Cassius being the most important, assassinate Julius Caesar and Marcus Antonius, better known as Antony, and Octavius Caesar, Caesar's heir to the thrown, revenge Caesar's death. Antony convinces the Roman populous to destroy the conspirators and eventually begins a war with Cassius and Brutus' armies. Both Cassius and Brutus commit suicide to save their honor and Antony and Octavius win the war. The characterizations of Brutus and Cassius show a distinct contrast in their character traits and motives for the assassination of Julius Caesar.
The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, is an epic tragedy written in the late 1500’s that is based off of true events. With themes of ambition and conflict, and a total of four suicides, this play will keep you at the edge of your seat; especially the actions of one of the main characters, Marcus Brutus, who was manipulated into joining the conspiracy against Julius Caesar; even if it was for beneficial reasons.
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare was written in 1599. In the novel Senators worried by the amount of power possessed by Julius Caesar think of a plan to get rid of him. The senators who are part of the conspiracy try to get Brutus to join them. Brutus who is at war with himself joins the conspiracy and decides the death of Julius Caesar is for the good of the Roman people. Mark Antony is motivated both by personal ambition and love for Caesar. Mark Antony wants the Roman People to listen to him, he wants to be more powerful, and he wants to avenge Caesar’s death.
Shakespeare, William. "The Tragedy of Julius Caesar." Houghton Mifflin Company. The Riverside Shakespeare. Ed. G. Blakemore Evans. Boston, 1994.
William Shakespeare's play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, was mainly based on the assassination of Julius Caesar. The character who was the mastermind behind the assassination was, ironically, Marcus Brutus, a senator and close friend to Julius Caesar. But what would cause a person to kill a close friend? After I examined Brutus' relationship towards Caesar, his involvement in the conspiracy and his importance to the plot it all became clear. Brutus had one particular reason for killing Caesar and that was for the good of the people and the republic. Brutus had no personal reason for killing Caesar. Some of his most admirable traits were his morality and leadership skills.