Why Is Julius Caesar A Tragic Hero

Julius Caesar may have been a noble person, but the people of Rome did not think so. In Julius Caesar, Shakespeare shows the Caesar comes to an unhappy end when he is murdered by the people he loved most. Within this play Julius Caesar is portrayed as a tragic hero. A tragic hero is defined as “the main character of a tragedy [who is] usually dignified, courageous, and high ranking” (Novel Study Guide). Also vital to defining a tragic hero is that, “the hero’s downfall is caused by a tragic flaw” (Novel Study Guide). It is evident that Julius Caesar is William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar is a tragic hero given that he is of noble stature, has a fatal flaw and comes to an unhappy end.

. In Julius Caesar, Shakespeare brings Caesar to a tragic

It is shown that Caesar is a tragic hero when he is wronged by the people nearest and dearest to his heart. One reason Caesar died an unhappy death is because of the way he was killed. For example, Octavius says, “Never, till Caesar’s three and thirty wounds/ be well aveng’d; or till another Caesar/ Have added slaughter to the sword of traitors” (V.i.53-55). A happy death would be accidental or of natural causes. Caesar’s death was unhappy because he was murdered by his friends. They purposefully stabbed him, which made his death so much more unhappy. The number of times he was stabbed shows how angry the conspirators were and how much they wanted him dead. Being stabbed to death is a very painful way to die because it is not a sudden death. Caesar had to suffer through thirty-three stabs until he died! Caesar’s death was so tragic because it was done by his best friends. Brutus said, “Grant that, and then is death a benefit:/ So are we friends, that have abrig’d/ His time of fearing death…”(III.i.103-110). One source states, “The conspirators kill Caesar because of his egotism: as republicans, they fear he will become a dictator”(“Shakespeare’s World of Death”p. 76). Brutus, Cassius, Casca, Cimber, Decius, Metallus, Lagarious, and many others were involved in the stabbing. His death is so tragic because he never would have thought that his best friends would betray him. They were jealous of his power and the

Ultimately, Caesar’s pride helped cause the end of his life. He was so self-absorbed and so confident that Decius was telling him the truth that Calpurnia’s dream was taken the wrong way. Noble Caesar believed the Roman citizens loved him and that he was their lifeblood, but really they wanted him gone. It is possible that Caesar would have been killed by the conspirators another day, but since he did not listen to what the soothsayer and his own wife had to say, he was tragically taken for