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Shakespeare julius caesar analysis
Julius caesar character analysis
Julius caesar character analysis
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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
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.
Caesar, a strong and powerful man that doesn’t appear to have any fears. With only revealing slight fears to very trustworthy followers Caesar seemed to be invincible. “But I fear him not. Yet if my name were liable to fear, I do not know the man I should avoid so soon as that spare Cassius.” (I, II, 208-211). The Conspirators saw this as a threat and from that moment planned vengeance on Caesar. While intimidating and harsh the people of Rome adored him. The lines of Flavius when Caesar returns to Rome “Hence! Home, you idle creatures, get you home! Is this a holiday? What, know you not, being mechanical, you ought not to walk upon a laboring day without the sign of your profession?” (I, I, 1-5). They treated his return like a holiday, a festival. Even with this in mind, the Conspirators worries worsened that Caesar would become an overpowering dictator that put Rome at risk. In this situation most citizens would say spare Caesar, but the Conspirators were set on killing him. In the end the Conspirators did what they thought was right and killed Caesar in the senate, but were they right?
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 soothsayer was looking out for Caesar because he sensed a bad omen coming his way. Julius Ceasar was too ignorant to even acknowledge him. On March 15, Julius Caesar was stabbed 23 times in the back by his own men. If he had taken precaution after hearing the soothsayer say that line to him, things could have wound up differently. As Caesar begins to gain more and more power, his headstrongness increases as well. When a person starts to get cocky and arrogant, just as Caesar is, one can assume that negative things will be coming their way. The fall of the Roman Empire begins due to his arrogance. The people who were once Caesar’s friends and loyal soldiers began to plan his assassination. Shakespeare uses fate for the drama it brings in this play. Caesar himself even recognizes fat throughout the storyline. “ ‘ It seems to me most strange that men should fear… seeing that death, a necessary end. ‘ “ (and Lawrence). What he is saying is that he believes some events are a natural occurrence and one cannot prevent these things from happening. It is quite ironic that he believes fate exists but is ignorant to his own. By boasting his power he shades himself from realizing he is tempting his fate and even his death. Also, Calphurnia attempts to warn Caesar on not going to the city to give his speech due to her very
In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar could definitely be thought of as a tragic hero. A tragic hero is a character in a story that is high standing in society, but has a flaw that inevitably leads to their downfall. Julius Caesar definitely fits this description. He is a leader in Rome and has everything he could ever want. However, he does have a weakness which will be devastating to his life. There are many people who would like to kill him but Caesar is not worried. Julius Caesar’s flaw is arrogance and believes he is invulnerable. He also, right before his death discovers a discernment more devastating than the knife wounds, and finally he is and unsympathetic character because of many reasons.
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.
Finally his sudden death was the result of various personal factors that insulted the senators and created hate between Caesar and them, believing his death was expected. His death then led to a domino effect, which ends in the eventual collapse of the Roman Empire. Caesar was assassinated by his own Senate. Julius Caesar had many men conspiring against him with a plot to assassinate him. Among the 60 men plotting to murder him, many were senators, which included Marcus Junius Brutus, Decimus Brutus Albinus and Gaius Cassius Longinus. Brutus believed the death of Caesar would bring the return of the old Roman spirit unfortunately, the city was in shock, and people became increasingly more aggressive, because Caesar was popular with the people of Rome. Unfortunately, peace was impossible and the conspirators fled to
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).
In the first place the characters in “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar” have very distinct character traits, that predetermines their fate. Cassius, for example; is very suicidal as he stated himself here, “I know where I will wear this dagger then: Cassius from bondage will deliver Cassius.” (Shakespeare 15) Later on in the play surprise, surprise, he killed himself. Brutus is also another example. He is a very bad judgement of character, and because of this it led to his
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.
The senate killed Caesar for the good of Rome. Caesar was too ambitious. He wanted too much. He was always looking for more and was thirsty for more things. Even Marc Anthony, one of Caesar’s best friends admits “The noble Brutus/Hath told you Caesar was ambitious:/If it were so, it was a grievous fault/And grievously hath Caesar answer'd it” (III,i,67-70) and admits Caesar was on the path to
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.
The play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, has two main tragic heroes. Set in Rome and spanning from forty- four to forty-two B.C., the play tells of Brutus and Caesar whom both fall from the highest positions to the lowest of misfortune and then are enlightened on their mistakes. Brutus is the stronger example of a tragic hero in this story. Throughout this play, Brutus commits many faults, falls more drastically than all other characters, and regrets his previous actions by the end of the play.
The assassination of Julius Caesar was due to his increased power and the senate’s fear of losing political relevance. They were losing their freedoms and thought the only way to resolve this problem was to kill Caesar. Killing Caesar never really did anything to help make the government a democracy like the senate had wanted. Marcus Brutus and Cassius ended up leaving Rome, so their plot did not do anything to help them. Caesar was the leader of Rome, the top of the Roman Empire. The people he thought he could trust most, his so-called friends, took him to the bottom of the Roman Empire, to his grave.
“I love the name of honor, more than I fear death,” said the eminent dictator Julius Caesar. A man with that much passion and audacity was just what the Romans needed to become a global superpower. According to history.com, he was one of the world’s greatest military minds who laid the foundation for the Roman Empire. However, his growing power also placed a target on his back for those who feared it. Even though he was a part of the Roman Senate, he became so powerful that he acted alone as a dictator. This made the Senate nervous, so led by Caesar’s friend Brutus, they conspired to stab him to death before he or his many admirers made him king (Vernon). Julius Caesar’s assassination was unjustified because he was a brilliant military strategist and a generous and well loved political leader, however, many believe it was justified because he was a threat to the democratic government system.