Character Analysis of Brutus

1314 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The character of brutus

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, was a famous play written by William Shakespeare in 1599, and discusses the events before and after the assassination of Julius Caesar. Marcus Brutus, a key character who is highlighted throughout the play, is first introduced to us as a friend of Julius Caesar and Cassius. Brutus seems very shy, introverted, yet very intelligent and always thinking. As the play progresses, Brutus’s character develops as we learn that he is very noble, intelligent, and loyal. Brutus is a man of great integrity, with many hidden sides to him. He may seem like a simple senator in the Roman Republic, but he is more than that. He is an important husband, powerful military leader, and caring friend. Brutus is extremely noble, patriotic and trustworthy, but, has a huge flaw when it comes to judgment.
Brutus comes from a significant family in the history of the Roman Republic. One of Brutus’s ancestors were the founders of the Roman Republic. This noble man drove the last of the ancient kings from Rome. Cassius uses this to manipulate Brutus when he reminds him, “O, you and I have heard our fathers say There was a Brutus once that would have brooked The evil devil to keep his state in Rome As easily as a king.” (Act I, Scene II, Lines 158-161). This royal lineage influences Brutus greatly throughout the whole play. After being reminded of his family lineage, he feels like he needs to live up to this, and follow in his ancestor’s footsteps. Brutus slowly begins to adopt this noble and aristocratic characteristics. Cassius continues to influence Brutus’s decision into conspiring against Julius Caesar with the continual reminders of Brutus’s royal lineage, such as when he says, “Age, thou are shamed! Rome, thou hast lost the ...

... middle of paper ...

...otivated to participate in the assassination of Julius Caesar. After the assassination, we also see that Brutus is very honorable and noble. His actions were based on careful thoughts and reason. He informs all the people of Rome what his true intentions of killing Caesar were. He didn’t kill Caesar out of jealousy, but out of patriotism and the protection of the Roman Republic. Brutus is the most patriotic character in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, caring for all of his fellow citizens of Rome. He is extremely loyal and trustworthy to his friends, and acts out of honesty. However, we begin to see how his trust and honesty is taking advantage of. His poor judgment and ease of manipulation is what leads to his tragic death. Brutus is one of the most highlighted characters of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar because of his variety of traits that influence the whole play.

Show More
Related

  • The Tragedy of Marcus Brutus

    874 Words  | 2 Pages

    For even his good intentions and conviction that "did not great Julius bleed for justice' sake" could not convince the Roman people to adopt his worldview (4.3.19). And, despite the fact that Brutus "only, in a general honest thought and common good to all, made one of [the conspirators]," he had to die with his vision unfulfilled and with the Roman republic in a worse state than it started the play in (5.5.72-73). Due to the errors Brutus makes throughout the play and the harm that befalls him as a result, he represents the true tragic hero of Julius Caesar. For despite holding one of the few sets of good intentions in the play, Brutus ultimately suffers and dies farther away from achieving his dreams than he started from.

    Read More

  • Brutus the Tragic Hero

    1058 Words  | 3 Pages

    Shakespeare’s complex play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar contains several tragic heroes; a tragic hero holds high political or social esteem yet possesses an obvious character flaw. This discernible hubris undoubtedly causes the character’s demise or a severe forfeiture, which forces the character to undergo an unfeigned moment of enlightenment and shear reconciliation. Brutus, one of these tragic heroes, is a devout friend of the great Julius Caesar, that is, until he makes many execrable decisions he will soon regret; he becomes involved in a plot to kill the omniscient ruler of Rome during 44 B.C. After committing the crime, Mark Antony, an avid, passionate follower of Caesar, is left alive under Brutus’s orders to take his revenge on the villains who killed his beloved Caesar. After Antony turns a rioting Rome on him and wages war against him and the conspirators, Brutus falls by his own hand, turning the very sword he slaughtered Caesar with against himself. Brutus is unquestionably the tragic hero in this play because he has an innumerable amount of character flaws, he falls because of these flaws, and then comes to grips with them as he bleeds on the planes of Philippi.

    Read More

  • Julius Caesar Loyalty Quotes

    848 Words  | 2 Pages

    Brutus appears to be a selfless, thoughtful man who only wants the best for Rome, and is tormented by his fears towards Caesar ruling Rome.

    Read More

  • The Ambiguity Of Human Nature In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

    550 Words  | 2 Pages

    Brutus emerges as the most ambiguous and complex character in Julius Caesar and is also the play’s tragic hero. In his soliloquies the audience gains insight into the complexities of his motives. In Brutus’s first soliloquy 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”(Act 2,scene 1, Julius Caesar). This highlights the internal struggle brutus is going through. He loved Caesar as a friend but yet he loved Rome more, he had to make a decision to kill his best friend for the good of the Roman empire.

    Read More

  • Julius Caesar Brutus Character Analysis

    1127 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many characters in Julius Caesar demonstrate qualities of contrasting ambitious objectives. Deception and manipulation appear to be two of the main qualities contributing to the plot for the assassination of Caesar. Although Brutus is seen as the leader of the conspirators Cassius established himself as a deceitful manipulator with an immoral agenda. Although seen throughout the play, Cassius’s soliloquy primarily demonstrates the immoral aspects of his character as he is driven by manipulating Brutus’s political position for personal advancement.

    Read More

  • Cassius' Manipulation of Brutus, the Noblest Roman of Them All, in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

    687 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Essay On Julius Caesar

    559 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare is an intimate portrayal of the famed assassination of Julius Caesar and the complex inner workings of the men who committed the crime. In one particularly revealing scene, two of the men closest to Caesar, one a conspirator in his murder and one his second-in command, give orations for the deceased. Despite being simple in appearance, these two speeches do much of the work in developing and exposing the two characters in question. Though both have a love for Caesar, Mark Antony's is mixed with a selfish desire for power, while Brutus' is pure in nature, brought to a screeching halt by his overpowering stoicism. These starkly-contrasted personalities influence the whole of the play, leading to its tragic-but-inevitable end.

    Read More

  • The Tragedy Of Julius Caesar - Tragic Hero

    488 Words  | 1 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Brutus Character Analysis in Shakespeare's Tragedy of Julius Caesar

    972 Words  | 2 Pages

    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)

    Read More

  • Julius Caesar Tragic Hero (Brutus)

    666 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the play the Life and Death of Julius Caesar (just as in all of Shakespeare’s tragedies) there is much death, much tragedy, and of course, a tragic hero. However unlike most of Shakespeare’s plays this time the tragic hero is not particularly obvious. Throughout the play a few main characters present themselves as possibilities for being the tragic hero. But as being a tragic hero is not only having a tragic flaw but also entails much more, there really is only one person to fit the mold. The character Brutus is born into power and is higher/better then we are. He has a tragic flaw that causes his downfall and at the end he realizes his mistake (a trait none of the other characters can really claim).

    Read More

  • Brutus is the Tragic Hero in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

    934 Words  | 2 Pages

    In conclusion, Brutus is the real tragic hero because throughout the play he is battling himself over good vs. evil. Even though he has tragic flaws he is still seen as a noble and respected figure in Rome both by those who wanted Caesar dead and those who did not. His ability to be easily manipulated led to the death of Caesar, himself, and countless others. If he had made his own decisions, he would not have ended up causing the chaos and tragedy he did. But, on the other hand he did have his own personal reasons for killing Caesar.

    Read More

  • Honorable Betrayal

    1051 Words  | 3 Pages

    In conclusion, Brutus is a true example of a tragic hero. He has a hubris that brings about a downfall from a high point in society; however, he also experiences an enlightenment of his mistakes after his downfall. Brutus is truly an honorable and sympathetic character that must studied on many levels to truly understand. He chose country over friend. He committed the only honorable betrayal possible. He killed his friend out of love; not love for himself or money, but out of love for his country and its people.

    Read More

  • Brutus: A Tragic Hero in Shakespeare´s Julius Caesar

    1445 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Julius Caesar - A Comparison of Brutus and Cassius

    1631 Words  | 4 Pages

    The play Julius Caesar depicts Brutus to be an extremely noble being who is well respected and honored by all Romans, even his enemies. 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 finished, even his enemies saw that he was the most respectable Roman of them all.

    Read More

  • Julius Caesar And Brutus Comparison Essay

    753 Words  | 2 Pages

    Julius Caesar is a play written by William Shakespeare. The play tells the tragedy of Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar was one of the greatest leader of Roman history. Caesar had many victorious moments in history and continued to grow more and more powerful. When he had started to govern Rome hatred by some people had grew. He had liberally gave many a spot to hold an important position. Even though he helped the nobility, they had betrayed him. They secretly were planning a way to cause Caesar’s death. Then plan was portrayed by Cassius and he had convinced Brutus to join along with his plan also. On March 15th they had circled around Caesar and stabbed him numerous of times thus, Caesar had fallen to the ground by his last stab by Brutus. Throughout the entire play Caesar and Brutus are notably different. Caesar is very egoistic, while Brutus is very considerate and is mannerly to others. Caesar is an extrovert, while Brutus is an introvert. Caesar is ambitious and Brutus is not ambitious.

    Read More

More about Character Analysis of Brutus

Open Document