Antony a better Leader than Caesar in Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra:

Julius Caesar fits the role of a tragic hero. Julius Caesar is a high standing senator that possesses hamartia, failings of human nature. Julius Caesar’s imperfections may be seen in three distinct aspects of Caesar, such as the following: his pride, his vacillation, and his ambition. 	Julius Caesar has much pride, a hamartia, which brings him to not be wary of the conspiracy. Caesar is given much warning on the threat of his life, yet due to his pride he thinks himself to be too great of a person to have such a downfall.

Julius Caesar’s ambition for power drove the honorable Brutus to think negatively about Julius Caesar’s position of being the King of Rome. Negatively speaking, Julius Caesar’s ways of having most of the power and deciding not to listen to others except the ones that only tell him things he likes to hear, drove the power-hungary conspirators and the honorable Brutus to take his life away. The honorable Brutus shows his love for Rome by committing an act which he seems best fit for his city. Trying everything he can to put Rome in a democracy, the only solution he saw was to join the conspirators to murder Caesar and explain to the people why they committed such an act. A great friend of Julius Caesar Mark Antony, stood up for many things Caesar had in mind and he was one of the few that Caesar thought was very trustworthy besides Brutus.

The senators and triumvirate governs the Romans; Cassius fears that Caesar would rise and the senators would lose their respect and status. Cassius begins plotting Caesar’s assassination and wants to replace him with Brutus. Nevertheless, Cassius could not erase Caesar’s honorable works for the people. Marcus Antonius, a loyal supporter of Caesar, reminds the people, “When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept” (III. ii.

“I doubt not of your wisdom. Let each man render me his bloody hand.” (III, i, 200-201). Antony presents his case in such a way that Brutus and the other conspirators think that he is on their side, when in fact he really is going to turn the common people against them to revenge Caesar’s death by creating a war. Furthermore, Brutus is an honorable man giving him the chance to be a great leader. Brutus is an idealist man, who is optimistic about assassinating Caesar.

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.

Cassius thinks that Caesar's temper is dangerous. He declares, "Ye gods! It doth amaze me, / A man of such a feeble temper should / So get the start of the majestic world, / And bear the palm alone" (Act I, sc. II, 128-131). Casca also is jealous of Caesar.

The final mistake was his battle plan. Every one does make mistakes sometimes, but mistakes Brutus made where plainly stupid. I feel the first mistake was Brutus joining the conspirators in the first place. His mine was easily manipulated by the conspirators. They gave him the justification he needed to kill Caesar, which was “its Good of Rome.” The assumption was that Caesar would eventually take the crown, which would never less destroyed Rome according to Brutus thoughts.

Over Brutus’ dead body he said: “All the conspirators save only he / Did that they did in envy of great Caesar; / He only, in a general honest thought / And common good to all, made one of them” (V.v.69-72) Antony realized that Brutus did not murder Caesar out of desire but only because it was out of adore for Rome. Brutus believed that Caesar was ambitious and not a good king for Rome. Along with patriotism Brutus shows high moral standards as another noble characteristic. Brutus portrays ethical standards as another honorable and nobl... ... middle of paper ... ...e utmost of our friends / Our legions are brim-full, our cause is ripe / We, at the height, are ready to decline” (IV.iii.212-216). Brutus explains to Cassius that the enemies are getting stronger day by day and that marching to Philipi would be a good idea so that they can get more soldiers on their way there.

Caesar is portrayed as an ambition man, who was very narcissistic. When it came to mark Antony, he was personal and mordant. Antony tried and shielded Caesar’s reputation, but at the same time charged at Brutus to make him sound guilty. Though both are convincing speakers, Antony persuades the mob to sympathize with him, appealing to the audience’s emotion as well as their rationality. In Mark Antony’s speech, we see that he is already a man distrusted by the conspirators for his friendship with Caesar.

These qualities allow his conspiracy to undermine Brutus and, in doing so, emphasize Brutus’ flaws of uncertainty, excessive accentuation of honor, and naïveté. Brutus is primarily motivated by his utilitarian ideals, causing him to have a weak, uncertain approach relative to Antony. Antony’s counter-conspiracy is driven by his emotional attachment to Caesar and desire to avenge him, giving him a powerful, instinctual base to operate from. As Brutus is considering an assassination of Caesar, he states, “It must be by his death; and for my part,/ I know no personal cause to spurn at him,/ But for the general” (Shakespeare II.i.10-12). By considering the absence of personal incentives for the planned attack on Caesar, Brutus reveals fickleness in his motives by giving himself a second option.