To have an eye for the stubborn can be a dark gift. Knowing how to use it to one’s own advantage is an even greater one. Being arrogant however, leads some men to be an object of scorn. Marcus Brutus and Julius Caesar in William Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, commit single mistakes with each their own traits of inflexibility and foolish arrogance. These flaws alone are so consequential, that they lead both politicians to their deaths.
Brutus’ inflexibility leads him to make rash decisions, while also making him a victim of manipulation, resulting in his death. Brutus interrupts Cassius while explaining that he is a manipulator, “What means this shouting? I do fear the people / Choose Caesar for their king” (1.2.85-86). Brutus
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Cassius knows Brutus would die for honor. He also knows that Brutus isn’t as loyal to Caesar as previously thought, and he will begin to manipulate him to be part of an honorable cause. The honorable cause of killing Caesar for a future of prosperity for Rome. Brutus ponders the thought of betraying Caesar (2.1.10-34). Brutus’ self reasoning explains that Cassius influenced him greatly by telling him how Caesar wasn’t superior to them. Cassius presented the idea of murder to Brutus, otherwise he never would have thought of it. He is completely committed to the idea of killing Caesar. Cassius has convinced him that there is no other recourse for stopping Caesar’s rise to power other than murder. The conspirators meet, Cassius suggests they kill Mark Antony along with Caesar because of the threat he’d present if they kill Caesar, but Brutus decides to spare him (2.1.175-178). Brutus’ inflexibility on the decision of not killing Antony is his deadly mistake. Antony speaks at Caesar’s funeral and turns Rome against the conspirators, ruining any chance of the future that he …show more content…
The Roman civilians celebrate Caesar’s victory over Pompey in the streets (1.1.64-65). Caesar's arrogance led his ambition for control over Rome. This is Caesar’s great mistake, it makes the conspirators fearful of his ambition and will make them consider what atrocities Caesar would be willing to commit for power. He turned on a member of the triumvirate so every other politician in Rome has the right to be fearful of him and seek to eliminate him. Casca describes Antony’s attempt to give Caesar the crown three times, but he pushes it away more reluctantly each time (1.2.254-276). Brutus observes that he only refused the crown to please the crowd. However, he also saw how reluctant he was to push it away, revealing his ambitions and making him think of what he might do for the crown. He also knows that Caesar is only humility to advance himself, but after he has reached the pinnacle of power, Caesar will turn back on his supporters. This prompts the motive of assassination for the conspirators because they would have to live in fear if Caesar became king. After Calpurnia hears the prophecies about her husband’s assassination, “You shall not stir out of your house today” (2.2.9). Caesar’s arrogance leads him to ignore all warnings and thinks he will be safe at the Senate. His pride would diminish if his peers humiliate him because he listened to a woman. Little did he know that if he did
In addition to this characteristic of Cassius, he also has a devious nature. This attribute allows him to invent informed manipulative plans to eliminate his opponents. For instance, after saying his farewells to Brutus, he gives a soliloquy that reveals his idea of throwing writings of different handwritings in Brutus’ windows “as if they came from several citizens” all of which “tending to the great opinion that Rome holds of his name, wherein obscurely Caesar’s ambition shall be glancéd at” (Shakespeare I. ii. 306-309). Since Brutus and Cassius have been friends for a long period of time, Cassius holds an abundance of knowledge pertaining to his values--in this case being his honor and desire to please Rome’s citizens. This undermining plot Cassius has devised is based on an informed opinion of the most effective way to subvert Caesar’s authority, and because of the valid observations made of Brutus by Cassius, the likelihood that this clever scheme will be carried out successfully should make Caesar concerned about the intentions of his judicial
Cassius is unhappy about Caesar potentially becoming king of Rome and Cassius works to encourage Brutus to plot against Caesar by saying, “except immortal Caesar, speaking of Brutus and groaning underneath this age’s yoke, have wished that noble Brutus had his eyes” (1.2.61-64). Cassius mentions to Brutus that people are speaking about Rome and how they wish Brutus would notice what could happen if Caesar is crowned. Cassius reveals to Brutus that the people are wondering why someone as noble as Brutus is not aware of what could happen if Caesar is crowned. Cassius is practically stroking Brutus’ ego to make him feel as though he is wiser than Caesar and should do something about Caesar. Once Caesar is dead and the triumvirate and Cassius and Brutus’ armies are in battle, Cassius yet again proves he is dishonorable when he exclaims that, “If this be known, Cassius or Caesar never shall turn back, for I will slay myself” (3.1.24-26). Committing suicide was not an honorable thing to do because it was not accepting the consequences of one’s actions. Cassius does not have the same honest reasons for the conspiracy as Brutus does, so he is constantly worried about being caught. Throughout the play, Cassius threatens to kill himself because to him, it is the easy way out and he can escape his problems without solving them. In Act 4, Cassius plays the pity card in order to make Brutus feel bad for him when he complains, “Strike, as thou didst at Caesar. For I know when thou didst hate him worst, thou lovedst him better than ever thou lovedst Cassius” (4.3.110-113). Cassius whines to Brutus that Brutus does not care as much about him as he did about Caesar. Cassius is manipulating Brutus to make him pity him. He knows that Brutus does not want Cassius to be upset so Brutus will try to reason with him, ultimately allowing Cassius to have his
Cassius needed a reason to motivate Brutus to join the conspiracy so that the plan would develop. “Brutus, I do observe you now of late: I have not from your eyes that gentleness…” (1.2.34) Cassius is saying that Brutus hasn’t been as affectionate toward him as he typically is. Maybe he suspects something is wrong with Brutus and he thinks it has something to do with Caesar. But I think he didn’t really care about how Brutus was treating him, he was just “buttering him up” so to say. Brutus thinks that Cassius is just being his friend and trying to help, when in reality Cassius is manipulating him. This manipulation of friendship is what drives the rest of the play. Brutus has a hard time seeing through this manipulation of Cassius and it ends up driving him to assassinating his friend, Caesar. Cassius fabricated letters to make them seen like they were from the people of Rome saying that they wanted Brutus as their leader. These letters were really the controlling factor of the assassination because they gave Brutus another reason to assassinate Caesar. Cassius then realized how easy it was to manipulate Brutus. “Well, Brutus, thou art noble. Yet I see thy honorable mettle may be wrought from that it is disposed. Therefore it is meet that noble minds keep ever with their likes; for who so firm that cannot be seduced?” (1.2.320-324) Cassius is saying that even
Each ruler of Rome seemed to have made poor decisions, and this is exactly what occurred with Brutus. Brutus became very naïve. All of the conspirators confronted Brutus with the idea of killing Mark Antony. They believed he would continue Caesar’s legacy but Brutus thought differently. Brutus added, “And for Mark Antony, think not of him, for he can do no more than Caesar’s arm” (Shakespeare, 24). He proposed that Antony was too weak for them to worry about while this was actually what brought about his fall. When the murder of Caesar had concluded, Antony wished to speak in honor of Caesar. Brutus agreed with the idea but Cassius was hesitant. Cassius insulted, “You know not what you do. Do not consent that Antony speak in his funeral. Know you how much the people may be moved by that which he will utter” (Shakespeare, 44). Cassius feared that Antony’s persuasive speech would turn the citizens against the conspirators. Brutus continued to ignore Cassius’s warning, but was proven wrong immediately. The locals were influenced by Antony and led an angered march to end the conspirators. Brutus caused their arrangement to fail by lack of
At the beginning, Brutus is tricked by Cassius into believing that killing Julius Caesar would be for the better of Rome (1, 2, ll. 32-321). Cassius is able to deviously influence Brutus into thinking that Caesar is no different from Brutus. He says, “Brutus and Caesar: what should be in that Caesar?/ Why should that name be sounded more than yours?” (1, 2, ll. 142-143) Cassius also uses many other examples to manipulate Brutus.
Brutus is a very cautious man. “Into what dangers are you leading me, Cassius, that you would have me look into myself for things that are not there?”(1.2.68-70) This quote is referring to act 1 where Cassius brings Brutus into the room and starts to talk about Caesar. When Cassius suggests to kill Mark Antony alone with Caesar, Brutus says, “Our plan will seem too bloody, Caius Cassius. We cut off the head and then hack the limbs, seem to kill Caesar in anger and then vent malice on his friends, for Antony is only a branch of Caesar.”(2.1.169-172) Brutus doesn’t want to just kill everyone, and be know as a killer, he just wants to do what he thinks is right for the people of Rome. Brutus was cautious, even near the end of the play when he was in his tent talking to Cassius,he told Lucilius and Titinius to go guard the door, until he had finished he conference.
In order to prevent this from occurring Cassius chose to conspire to kill Julius. Unfortunately,this plan of his to kill Caesar could not be accomplished without Brutus. Even though Brutus decided to betray his dear friend, his motives however were pure. He did it in order to prevent the downfall of the Roman government. Despite this fact, it wasn't all that easy to come to this understanding.
With all power, comes great responsibility. But no man can ever live a perfect life, without being at fault sometime. The mistakes and flaws of our lives are what make us human, and respectfully similar. Yet, in some cases these flaws may become more serious especially when given much power. By definition, the idea of “a literary character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction” (Bainbridge Island School 1), is called a tragic hero. All writings by Shakespeare include this type of “hero”, with the characteristics also, of being respected, and of high stature. But since the existence of one of his pieces, the idea of who is truly the tragic hero of the play has been debated. Titled,
Monumental egoism blinds the title character to even the slightest possibility of losing his power, let alone being killed, especially by a man he considered himself to be on good terms with (Isherwood). Previous to being approached by Cassius, lead collaborator and plotter, Brutus did not seem to think that Caesar’s excessive pride was such a horrible thing. He was prepared to allow him to take the throne and be crowned king! It is not until after listening to the ideas of the other members of the conspiracy that he is beguiled. This being noted proves self-evident that Brutus being deceived is the key event which caused the murder of Caesar for no actual apparent reason besides the personal opinions and anxieties of
In William Shakespeare’s tragedy Julius Caesar, the character of Marcus Brutus is tasked with making a difficult choice: either kill one of his most beloved friends, or risk the corruption and downfall of Rome. Though Brutus acknowledges the ethical and moral concerns of his actions, he commits to the conspiracy against Caesar, and carries it out with conviction. The question, however, is whether or not Brutus’ actions are justifiable from an objective point of view. Unlike most other political assassinations, Brutus isn’t a hysterical stranger distraught with the target, but a close ally, and trusted friend. Brutus justifies his own doings by convincing himself and others that they’re sacrificing, not murder Caesar, and acting not out of greed or personal gain, but to prevent what he truly believes to be a legitimate and potent threat to the Republic in Julius Caesar’s rising power; however, while this may be a coping mechanism to quash his own culpability, there are numerous feasibly supportive reasons that make Caesar’s death defensible. The primary reason for the necessity of Caesar’s death is the very real possibility that he would become corrupt once his power is no longer suppressible by the senate. This is Brutus’ main concern, as he seeks to ensure the freedom and safety of the Roman people, as well as the integrity of the Republic. Additionally, the combination of Caesar’s ego and ever-growing aspirations are threatening to Rome, as the socio-political foundation on which it has flourished would be disassembled. Ever since the genesis of the first Roman Triumvirate, Caesar’s lust for power rampaged forth, ultimately leading to the disempowerment of the senate and his own rise to power via military imposition.
The senators believe that anything they do to Caesar will look bad in the eyes of the people, but Brutus, whom the plebeians love, will make their actions appear honorable. In order to achieve this, Cassius creates a plan in order to prod Brutus in favor of the assassination: In several hands, in at his windows throw, As if they came from several citizens, Writings all tending to the great opinion That Rome holds in his name, and wherein obscurely Caesar’s ambition shall be glanced at. (I,ii,312-316) By deceiving Brutus into believing that the Roman people, who respect him, think that Caesar is becoming too ambitious, Cassius is able to convince Brutus, a noble Roman, to join the plot against Caesar. Because he only wants to do what is best for the people, Brutus joins the conspiracy.
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 into making him help kill Caesar. Being naive and over trusting causes his first mistake and helps with his downfall when he refuses to listen to Cassius, who wants Antony to be also killed because he knows that he will seek revenge for Caesar. However, Brutus code of honor won 't let him approve the killing of Antony "Our plan will seem too bloody, Caius Cassius. We cut off the head and then hack the limbs, seem to kill Caesar in anger and then vent malice on his friends, for Antony is only a branch of Caesar."(2.1.169-172), he doesn 't want to be seen by the Roman people as a killer, but someone who 's doing what 's right for the people of
Brutus’ leadership and compassion for others make him a popular figure amongst the Roman people, and it is his reputation that establishes him as an influential individual. For example, despite the fact that Brutus loves Caesar like a brother, he warily joins the conspiracy to assassinate him. 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. When Cassius asks the conspirators to “swear our resolution”(Act 2...
Although each Cassius, Brutus, and Antony use rhetoric in different ways in William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, each of these men, who hold different characters and worldviews, use their skills in rhetoric to convince others to support them and their ideas at some time in the play. This is a powerful example of the fact that in Julius Caesar the power of rhetoric is stronger than the will of humans.
He is so motivated by ambition that he decides to kill Caesar, the leader of Rome. Although dedication can be a good quality, in Cassius, it blinds him to all other things and makes him ruthless in his quest to rule Rome. Cassius’s desire for power is evident when he states, "Men at some time are masters of their fates. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings" (1.2.146-148). Cassius’ ambition leads him to go as far as to convince a dear friend with manipulation and false notes to help him plot to kill Caesar. His ambition makes him power hungry and he lacks the honor to back up his overzealous behavior. Cassius envies Caesar and because of this he resorts to bribery, assassinations, and imposing taxes for personal