Character Analysis: Brutus
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.
Brutus had a strong relationship with Caesar but a stronger relationship with Rome and its people. I think during Roman times, the only way for someone to get close to a person of high rank is if he/she is a close friend or relative to him/her. Brutus loved Caesar but feared his power and ambition. In the early acts of the play, Brutus says to Cassius, "If it aught toward the general good, set honor in one eye and death in the other, and I will look on both indifferently…,,"(act 1, scene 2, ll.85-89), as he is speaking to Cassius. "He then unto the ladder turns his back..."(act 2, scene 1, line 25). As the quote says, Brutus would not allow Caesar to rise to power and then turn his back on the people of Rome. This is the only reason Brutus would conspire against Caesar. Brutus says to himself, "I know no personal cause to spurn at him...How that might change his nature..."(act 2, scene 1, and ll.11-13)
Caesar's connection and relationship with Brutus was also very strong. Allowing Brutus to speak to Caesar shows his respect fo...
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...thing else. The threat that Caesar poses was that he would begin moving away from the idea of a Roman republic and towards an Empire ruled directly by him. Brutus is complex because he does not kill Caesar for greed, envy, or to preserve his social position like so many of the other conspirators against Caesar, he does it for the good of the people. Once Brutus has made up his mind he sticks to it, and he is rarely questioned. Brutus is very accustomed to having his way without argument, which explains why he rarely listens to anyone else.
Brutus is like a piece of elastic. He is easily stretched out, but he's also easily put back to how it used to be. But a piece of elastic will also get worn out and has to be thrown out. Brutus is very quickly persuaded and manipulated. Like elastic, it is stretched and used, then immediately thrown out like it was nothing.
Brutus is loyal to Rome and also to his friendship with Caesar. He wants Rome to be led by a good leader. But he allows himself to be lead away with this thought by Cassius, who tells him that he is the better man and not
entering Brutus had said to himself that Caesar must die. Brutus is also a very smart
He is Caesar's friend, and holds a powerful position in Rome. Therefore, he has no reason to feel jealous of Caesar. Brutus makes his decision based on what is the best for Rome, and is tricked into believing that the other. conspirators feel the same way. He comments, "What need we spur but our own? cause to prick us to redress? What other bond than the secret Romans? have spoken the word, / And will not palter?
He had a big ego and was obviously used to being in charge. When Cassius thought it was a bad idea to leave Sardis and go to Phillipi to fight Antony, Brutus did exactly the opposite. His idea of friendship should be questioned because he constantly disagrees with Cassius, his best friend, and that is not what friendship is all about. Brutus did not value the people around him. Along with ignoring his friends, he killed his closest friend of all time.
He has two opposing desires that he has to choose between. These are killing Caesar to preserve democracy in Rome and to save Caesar, since he is a friend of Brutus. A quote from J.L. Simmons that summarizes this well is, “Certainly the material lends itself to a conflict between private and public affections” (Simmons 64). Brutus wants to kill Caesar for Rome because the citizens of Rome want to preserve democracy and Caesar is preventing that by being dictator for life. A quote that puts this in other words is, “The ultimate factor in persuading Brutus to join the conspiracy is his belief that his countrymen wish him to act on their behalf” (Shalvi 71). Killing Caesar would be a choice made for not himself, but the citizens of Rome while saving him would be for himself and to preserve his friendship with Caesar. Saving Caesar would be a deed for himself and would strengthen his relationship with Caesar. He could have warned Caesar of the conspirators’ plans and put a stop to them. Brutus ultimately makes the choice of following through and assassinating Caesar. His plan was for this to be a honorable action, but it ended up negative on his behalf. The majority of the citizens in Rome did not take this lightly and wanted revenge for his actions. This is the main mistake made by Brutus that lead to his own
Brutus has a naive view of the world. He is unable to see through the roles being played by Cassius, Casca, and Antony. He does not even recognize the fake letters were sent from Cassius. Then Brutus says,“You shall not blame us Antony, in your funeral speech, but speak all the good you can of Caesar.
Both were respected men amongst the commoners of Rome, especially Brutus, and both held much power, as they were both senators. As that power came into question, however, the revelation of the complex components of friendship began to occur. As Cassius began to fear the loss of his own power, Brutus became a pawn in Cassius’ scheme to uphold his authority. This is directly shown during Brutus and Cassius’ private conversation when Cassius states, “Brutus, and Caesar: what should be in that Caesar? Why should that name be sounded more than yours? Write them together, yours is as fair a name” (JC 1.2.148-150). Although not explicitly stated, Cassius in attempting to persuade Brutus into rising to power. By complimenting and praising his name, Cassius is directly trying to influence Brutus He figures that if Brutus is in power, then he will keep his power because they are both friends, unlike if Caesar was in power. Although, Cassius is the main contributor to the situation, this situation directly shows one of the many aspects of friendship prevalent in the daily interactions of Brutus, which is the idea that in a friendship, one can be used in order for the other to achieve what it is they want. In this situation, Brutus is being used by Cassius in order to gain what he wants, which is power. Within human connection, this idea is very common, as friends are taken advantage of quite often. This is no different from Brutus’ relationship with Cassius, which shows a relevant and frequent element of companionship. Another aspect of friendship prevalent within the the relationship between Brutus and Cassius is the aspect of argument and resolution. While the two are hidden from public view far away from the city, Brutus becomes trapped in an argument with Cassius over his questionable actions, and it quickly escalates into potentially violent situation involving
Throughout most of the play Brutus is constantly internally conflicted. Does he do what he believes is best for Rome or stay loyal to his friend and leader? Should he assist in the murder of one person to benefit many? Although killing Caesar was in the end a bad choice, Brutus always tries to do what is best for Rome and for the people. However even though all of Brutus’ motives are good he still has the tragic flaw of pride, which ultimately leads to his downfall. The reason that Brutus gets caught up in the conspiracy is because Cassias appeals to his pride and flatters him with forged letters from the Roman people saying he is a greater leader then Caesar.
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.
Brutus has several tragic flaws. One of these tragic flaws is how he trusts people a lot. Brutus says that he “know[s] that we shall have [Antony] well to a friend” (1140). He trusts Antony will be a friend of the conspirators, yet he seems to not realize that Antony is obliviously against them, because they killed his friend. Brutus trusts Antony so much, that he lets Antony speak to the public alone. Antony turns the people against Brutus and the conspirators, leading to the wars where Brutus takes his own life. Brutus also receives letters, supposedly from the people of Rome. As he reads the letter out loud, Brutus remarks “‘Speak, strike, redress!’ Am I entreated to speak and strike? O Rome, I make thee promise, if thy redress will follow, thy receivest thy full petition at the hand of Brutus” (1118).
Brutus is arguably one of the most complex characters in Julius Caesar, both mentally and physically. One of the first examples of this is shown when Cassius asks Brutus what is bothering him because he seems “less good-natured and affectionate” towards him than usual. Brutus responds by saying that if he seems secretive, it is only because he is uneasy with himself. He also says that he has been overwhelmed lately with private thoughts and inner conflicts, which have affected his
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” (III, ii,
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.
If then that friend demands why Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer: not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more. " 3.2.19-24. -. His concentration on honor and nobility ends up being used against him by Cassius, who instigates him to kill his best friend. Cassius knows how naive and how moral Brutus is and he uses this information to help him kill Caesar.
Brutus was a loving friend of Julius Caesar and wished anything but death on his comrade, but his love and dedication to the majestic city of Rome would force him to commit anything. He fights a war to defend Rome from a king or emperor's tyrannical rule. When the war was over, even his enemies saw that he was the most respectable Roman of them all. This (Brutus' body) was the noblest Roman of them all. All conspirators, save only he did what they did in envy of great Caesar....