Tragic Hero Essay The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is a dramatic play written by William Shakespeare. In this play, Marcus Brutus gets asked by Caius Cassius and a few others to join their conspiracy of killing the ever growing power hungry man called Julius Caesar. As the play goes, on Marcus Brutus has an internal conflict on whether or not to kill Caesar. The play goes on to talk about how this affects not just Brutus, but a few other characters in the play. Along with his conflict to kill Caesar or not to kill him and a few others things that Brutus has done, is what makes Marcus Brutus a tragic hero. A tragic hero is a person usually of noble birth; who suffers a catastrophe. The tragic hero in this play would be Marcus Brutus, and not …show more content…
A tragic flaw is a person's shortcoming, such as pride, that influences a hero’s choices leading them to their catastrophe. Brutus’ tragic flaw is being credulous. Credulous means to be willing to believe or trust without having to be convinced, especially without proper or adequate evidence. Caius Cassius along with some of the other conspirators, wrote Brutus letters pretending that they were townspeople and saying that they are afraid that Caesar is getting too much power and it is getting to his head. These letters also asked Brutus if he could do something about Caesar so he would not change Rome. Brutus believed what these letters were saying, even though they were phony letters given to him just so he would join the conspiracy. In “Brutus’ Personal Failure Is the Central Tragedy”, Alice Shalvi says, “These letters we, however, know to come from wily Cassius, who realizes that there is no other way to win over an honorable man to commit an act of violence and evil than by making him believe the act to be honorable” (Shalvi 70) Brutus, not really knowing what he was getting into, joined the conspiracy to kill …show more content…
He did this to make Brutus appeal more as a tragic hero. One choice that he had made was that he had let Mark Antony speak at Caesar’s funeral. Cassius did not like the idea of Antony speaking at his funeral but Brutus waved him off and said that he could speech at his funeral, but he had some things that he had to follow to be able to talk. Brutus tells Antony, “Mark Antony, here, take you Caesar’s body…. After my speech is ended” (Shakespeare 3.1.244-251). Brutus had said this as the guidelines of what Mark Antony was able to talk about. But letting him talk was a very big mistake. When the time came of Caesar’s funeral, Brutus spoke first but after he was done he left. He told the townspeople, “I do entreat you, not a man depart, Save I alone, till Antony have spoke”(Shakespeare 3.2.60-61). Once he had left everything went downhill. Antony was able to convince the people that he was right and that the conspirators deserved to receive justice for killing Caesar. Later on in the play, during the battle scenes, Brutus had overpowered Octavius’s men and had claimed victory, and he had claimed it way too soon. Titinius says to Cassius, “O Cassius, Brutus gave the word too early / Who, having some advantage on Octavius / Took it too eagerly. His soldiers fell to spoil / Whilst we by Antony are all enclosed.” (Shakespeare 5.3. 5-8). As a result of him calling victory too soon, he had caused
The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare is the story about the men who conspired and followed through with the assassination of the great Julius Caesar. These men fear that Caesar will take the crown and become the next king of Rome. The roman people had a true averse feeling toward the idea of monarchy. So in order to prevent this they come up with a plan to end Caesars life, which is duly followed through on March 15, 44 B.C. Out of these conspirators there is one man that stands out to be a tragic hero, and that is a man by the name of Brutus. He was a great friend of Caesar who ultimately became one of Caesars worst adversaries. He betrayed Caesars trust and friendship when he agreed to be part of the assassination plot. A tragic hero is someone who is in a place of high standings or a place of power. This leads to a huge fall from greatness to death. A tragic hero must have many deep complex character flaws that are revealed throughout the course of the story. They then must ultimately accept responsibility for their mistakes; along with being humbled and enlightened. Brutus demonstrates all of the attributes of a tragic hero.
Moreover, Brutus is considered a tragic hero first because of his numerous character flaws or hubrises. An example is Brutus’s flawed logic. By even deciding to kill Caesar for what he is ‘going’ to do, yet not by what he has done, Brutus sets himself up for failure. “‘And therefore think him as a serpent’s egg which hatched, would as his kind grow mischievous, and kill him in shell’”(911). Brutus’s reasoning for murdering Caesar in such cold blood is because he is afraid of what he could do or what he could become. However, this is clearly faulty logic, fo...
A tragic hero is the character whose actions deeply affect the other characters and who creates a series of events that eventually lead to the character’s downfall and the downfall of his loved ones. Such a hero possesses a flaw in character that influences his actions and thinking and especially his judgments. In logically determining who the hero in Julius Caesar is, one simply must find the one character who fits the above guidelines. Marcus Brutus is the only one, and, thus, he is the tragic hero.
The defenition of a tragic hero a literary character who makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw that, combined with fate and external forces, brings on a tragedy. This defenition is perpetuated most clearly by one of the major characters. This character is the noble roman Brutus. Brutus is the tragic hero because of the fact that he fulfills the requirements of a tragic hero. He is a person of noble bith. He does have a tragic flaw, he does come to some understanding, and he does finally meet his end due to his tragic flaw. The tragic flaw of Brutus is his idealistic view, which ultimately leads him directly and indirectly into his death.
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.
The tragic hero is one of literatures most used (and sometimes abused) characters. The classical definition of a tragic hero is, “a person with heroic or potentially heroic qualities”. The person is doomed by the Gods or some other supernatural force to destruction or suffering. The hero struggles against the fate, but due to a personal flaw, ultimately fails in the battle against fate. It is my personal opinion that Brutus, as he is portrayed in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, is a tragic hero by this definition.
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).
Brutus’s tragic flaw is that he is very easily manipulated and persuaded. He is very naïve and allows others to swindle him because he feels that no one would ever lie or deceive him since he didn’t do that to anyone. His first mistake is believing the forged letters from the conspirators. This was all ...
In the world today people consider a hero to be someone like Superman or Spider-Man. In the dictionary a hero is considered or defined as a person of distinguished courage or ability, admired for their brave deeds and noble qualities. Though a hero is thought to be free of mistakes they all have tragic flaws like everyone else. A tragic flaw is explained by Aristotle’s definition, which says that: a tragic hero as a character of great reputation and prosperity whose misfortune is not due to depravity or vice, for the hero is a virtuous man or woman but to an error in judgment resulting from a tragic flaw. Sometimes this flaw is an excess of virtue. In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare people are arguing over who is the perfect tragic hero Julius Caesar or Marcus Brutus. They both fit the criteria of a tragic hero, but Marcus Brutus proves to be the better and more fit of the two.
A tragic hero is defined as a person of high social rank, who has a tragic flaw or flaws that lead to their downfall. These heroes’ downfalls are usually either complete ruin or death. Tragic heroes face their downfall with courage and dignity. While many characters in Julius Caesar could fit these conditions, the person who fits the role of a tragic hero the best is Marcus Brutus. Brutus develops into a tragic hero throughout the play, and this is shown though his qualifications of a tragic hero, his high status, his tragic flaws, and his courage in the face of his death.
There is no such thing as the perfect person. We may dream of such a person, but sadly, everyone has flaws. These flaws are what make us human. Something else that makes us human is our need for heroes. We attribute 'perfect' qualities to our heroes. In reality even our heroes are flawed. The closest thing to the idealized person, or hero, is the Shakespearean tragic hero. The tragic hero is someone of high standing, good character, and a flaw. While it may be only one flaw, it is often fatal. An example of a tragic hero can be best seen in William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar. Marcus Brutus is a prominent leader and noble citizen of Rome who leads in the assassination of Julius Caesar. We see that Brutus plays the role of the tragic hero through his noble standing, fatal flaw, and legacy.
“Sympathy for victims is always counterbalanced by an equal and opposite feeling of resentment towards them.”, by Ben Elton. In William Shakespeare’s tragedy play, it portrays a conspiracy against Julius Caesar which caused further controversies. The tragedy of the play was directed mainly about Marcus Brutus. Brutus made judgements at the point of view for the “good of Rome.” Brutus is an honorable man who was manipulated by Cassius to kill Julius Caesar for peace. Brutus was an exceptionally noble leader who did everything for the benefit of Rome. but he only turns out to be a victim.
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.
A tragic hero is a character of high standing in society that has a flaw that leads to their downfall and must feel enlightened in the end. Julius Caesar is a tragic hero. Julius Caesar is unwilling to believe several warnings that could have saved his life. Julius Caesar was warned many times by many different people, and yet he took none of them to heart. The soothsayer calls out from the crowd to Caesar “Beware the Days of March” (890).
In Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, the title leads the mind to believe that Caesar is the tragic hero; however, this is not the case. The noble Brutus is a much more accurate fit for the role of tragic hero. A tragic hero is a character with a tragic flaw that goes from good fortune to complete misfortune in a fairly quick downfall. Although some may argue that Caesar fits this depiction, Brutus is a better choice. He goes from the top of the social standings to international scumbag when he joins the conspirators and murders Caesar, his friend. After allowing Antony to speak in Caesar’s funeral, the entire country turns against him and he is forced to flee Rome. His downfall is so incredibly terrible that he is still regarded as a traitor today. His murderous ways caused the loss of Rome’s government; after all, what other downfall could beat that?