The significance of the passage I chose to analyze is often overlooked. It is a monologue from Portia, Brutus’s wife, taking place in Rome, at Brutus’s Orchard during the first scene of act II. Brutus is convincing himself that the plot against Caesar is a righteous decision, by speculating that Caesar´s nature would change upon being crowned, resulting in a tyrant. He then receives the false letters Cassius wrote, intended to deceive him into thinking they are the words of anonymous citizens testifying Caesar’s alleged inappropriate ambition, he is partially convinced to proceed with the conspiracy. Shortly after, the conspirators enter the scene and discuss the terms: Who will be involved and how the murder will be carried out.
After this, everyone but Brutus exits. Portia concerned, arrives and attempts to make Brutus confess what causes his grief and keeps him restless. Brutus casually replies that he is “Not well in health”. However, Portia, not convinced by this, refutes his claim. II, I (lines 890-905)
Portia implied that Brutus had something far from illness concerning him. And this claim relies on his contradicting behaviour, much as the late hours in which the “six or seven who did hide their faces” resorted to him. She frantically implored him to reveal the motives of those unusual actions as she suspected something
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Whether Brutus’s claims of love for Caesar were sincere or not, it is undeniable that his heart was at unease. This scene is an essential contribution to the play, intended to make the readers view Brutus as a noble character, and further on, see how Brutus’s nobility and loyalty are taken advantage of by the infamous Cassius. I also believe that this passage was one of the first to reflect his irrational desire for righteousness in the
Brutus’ ignorance creates an expectation that develops a path which leads him awry. When Brutus mentions,“ I would not Cassius; yet I love him well” (1.2.81-88 ), he portrays his internal conflict. Brutus depicts the rendering struggle between Cassius’ acquisitions and Caesar’s actions. His oblivion toward the truth and goodwill concerning the greater health of Rome prompt him astray. He acts with the innocence of a child, deceive and swindle by Cassius, Brutus is an
To support my thesis is Brutus is deciding if he should join the conspiracy against
Shakespeare uses Cassius’ characterization in Julius Caesar to prove that Caesar is justified in his concerns about Cassius. Through means of indirect characterization, it is presented that Cassius is willing to act somewhat sycophantic to acquire what he finds necessary. When Cassius is speaking to Brutus in an attempt to sway his opinion concerning his loyalty to Caesar, he compares Brutus to Caesar and praises his equivalent status, stating that Brutus’ name is “as fair a name,” “it is as heavy,” and “will start a spirit as soon as ‘Caesar’,” and even rhetorically asks “upon what meat doth this our Caesar feed that he has grown so great?¨ (Shakespeare I. ii. 144-150). By providing reasoning behind his belief that Brutus is “as fair a name”
In Scene 1 of Act III Brutus thinks that Marc Antony would be on their side in a way that Cassius had convinced Brutus to be on their side. After the talk with Antony about the death of Caesar in Scene 1, he confronts the people of Rome and tells them Caesar died for his ambition as Cassius told him in the letters from Act II. The speech Brutus gave reflected a change that Cassius gave him, not a change that he did himself. Act IV and V was a major downfall in Brutus’ life, literally. In Act IV Brutus tell Cassius about the death of his wife Portia who committed suicide with fire. This is where Brutus realizes that his whole life is in this battle he is about to have with Antony and Octavius. After debating with Cassius who has had more military experience than Brutus in Act IV, they march their troops on to fight Antony. In Act V scene 3, the death of Cassius hit Brutus bad. He blames the ghost of Caesar that visited him In Act IV Scene 3 the night before they head to Philippi. Encouraging the troops to keep fight was all that Brutus could do at the moment. His life was gone, his whole life was dead and he had nothing to live for at the moment. Committing suicide was the only option in his mind. In Act V Scene 5 was when Brutus committed suicide and took his last breath. Antony, however, changed dramatically throughout the play. In Act III Scene 1 Antony promises Brutus not to blame anyone for
Steve Maraboli once said, “Don't let someone’s words blind you from their behavior.” this quote is trying to warn people from getting blind by the manipulators and not paying attention to what they are doing. In William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Cassius comes up with ways to blind Brutus out of what is the actual reason to kill Caesar. Although some people may believe that humans are too smart to be manipulated, Shakespeare illustrates Cassius using words that drive Brutus into doing what he wants to persuade that words and languages can be powerful weapons to manipulate others.
Corruption is always apparent in every society. No matter what time, age, or government, every man or women always has a second intention. In murdering Caesar, Brutus hoped that he could gain power. His intentions also presented a scenario in which the plebeians were pleased with his course of action. Why? With the logic that states that all Roman people were or would become the slaves of Caesar due to his immense power. Thus, in Brutus’s mind, he is the liberator of the Roman people. Trying to woo the simple plebeians in the marketplace, he asks them to invest trust in him. Brutus makes clever rhetoric such as his emphasis and emotion on powerful words to convey his message. But what the reader must understand is that this man is nothing more than a corrupt politician. Brutus uses language in his favor, stating he killed Caesar not out of hate, but in fact because of his love of the Roman people. If one truly understands the key principles of all language and philosophy, then one must be able to tell that Brutus is doing nothing more than using a “double-talk” kind of approach towards the common man.
In this character interaction, the two characters have warring motivations. The soothsayer wants to warn Caesar again; this is evidenced by his statements, "I shall beseech him to befriend himself," meaning to protect himself. When he says, "I'll get me to a place more void and there/Speak to great Caesar as he comes along," we find that the soothsayer wants to get Caesar alone, probably because he doesn't know who around him can be trusted. Conversely, Portia wants Brutus to succeed in his assassination of Caesar. When the soothsayer tells her he is going to warn Caesar to protect himself she replies, "Why? Know'st thou any harm's intended towards him?" in an effort to find out what he knows. By her lines "O Brutus,/The heavens speed thee
She points out that through their marriage, they became two halves of one whole and that they share everything with each other, even their deepest, darkest secrets. She then questions him by saying, “Within the bond of marriage, tell me, Brutus, / Is it excepted I should know no secrets / That appertain to you? Am I yourself / But, as it were, in sort or limitation, / To keep with you at meals, comfort your bed, / And talk to you sometimes?” (Act II, Scene 1, lines 283-288). Here she asks Brutus where she fits into his life, or if she even does fit into it at all. By this time, Portia is begging for Brutus to tell her what happened and what is causing him to push her away. Portia wants to know why Brutus has removed himself from her and their marriage and wants to know why she is just laying in the suburbs of his life, there but not
Winston Churchill once said, “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” Throughout William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Portia Catonis, Brutus’s wife, acts as a supporting character who also brings conflict into the side plot of their marriage. She not only stands up to Brutus, but also inflicts self-harm and commits suicide, which mark her life. William Shakespeare pays close heed to Portia’s historical figure in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, including her marriage to Brutus, her outstanding courage, and her other characteristics.
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
This scene takes place after Brutus had left Portia to hide from the Mark Antony. This, of course, drove her to her breaking point. Up to this part in the book Portia had been portrayed as a strong minded person of high intellect. Once the third encounter happens the reader would realize that the cause of her death was her love for Brutus. In this scene Cassius questions "Upon what sickness?" to which Brutus replies "Impatient of my absence". Through this line it is shown that he is the reason for her death. As Brutus left Rome so quickly Portia believed he had died, and that was too much for her to bear. The extent of her strength did not go that far and thus she perished. A few lines later in the passage Brutus casually dicusses the exact way that his wife killed herself, to this Cassius replied "And died so?". Brutus replied "Even so". As there are no directions from the author for sadness to be displayed it can be inferred that Brutus was talking about this event in a calm unemotionally tone. Through this Brutus clearly shows the reader that he did not love her nearly as much as she did him. One might argue that he was unemotionally due to the presence of his fellow conspirator. This though argument holds no ground due to the fact that if Brutus truly loved his wife to the extent that she loved him then he would have been completely overcome with emotions.
After fleeing Rome, Brutus learns that his wife has committed suicide, and is heartbroken when discussing it with Cassius when he says, “No man bears sorrow better. Portia is dead.” (172) This shows when he is with his fellow general Cassius, Brutus is willing to share his feelings with him. However, as soon as soldiers enter his tent, he pretends to not know of her death, and when told of it, does not react with great emotion: “Why, farewell, Portia. We must die. With meditating that she must die once. I have the patience...
In the play Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, eight people conspire against Julius Caesar. Caesar is slowly rising in power, and the envious Cassius recruits several people to help murder Caesar. One man he recruited, Marcus Brutus, plays a very big role in the conspiracy and the play. Unlike the other conspirators, Brutus murders Caesar because he believes it would be for the good of Rome. After Caesar's death, Brutus delivers a speech to calm the citizens of Rome. After he's finished, Antony delivers a speech, which has a the complete opposite affect. The speeches in Julius Caesar have powerful affects on the people of Rome.
In scene 3, shortly after Caesar dies, Antony says, “That’s all I seek, and am moreover suitor, that I may produce his body to the market-place, and in the pulpit, as becomes a friend, speak in the order of his funeral.[III, i, L 243-248]” And Brutus obliges, but also adds that in Antony’s speech, he “shall not in your funeral speech blame us, but speak all good you can devise of Caesar, and say you do it by our permission. [III, i, L 264-266]” Brutus’ mistake is believing that Antony will stay true to his word and his honour. Brutus thinks too highly of others. But, as revealed later in the scene, Antony won’t stay true to his word, and will betray Caesar by using his persuasive voice to sway the crowd against the conspirators. This choice that Brutus makes ultimately leads to his downfall, because Antony changes the public view and make Brutus co-conspirators the villains. This vital mistake almost ensures Brutus’ downfall, and it was caused by Brutus himself. This again proves that Brutus is the tragic hero of the play, the honourable protagonist brought down by his own
“It is not for your health thus to commit/ Your weak condition to the raw, cold morning” (2.1.243-244). Brutus does not want to trouble Portia with his problems so early in the morning; thus leading to Portia’s response.