Julius Caesar - Tragic Hero

However that is what makes him a tragic hero. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar written by William Shakespeare gives us the tragic hero of Brutus. This Roman is a tragic hero because he comes from high political standing and brings about his own downfall because of his fatal flaw of being a poor judge. Brutus enlightens us to be wary of those we trust because the decisions we make could ultimately destroy what we try hardest to protect.

Cassius nominates Brutus as the leader of the conspiracy in order to gain his vote. They decide to kill Caesar on “the Ides of March.” On the morning of March 15th, Caesar’s wife persuades him to stay home because of an eerie dream. Decius, a conspirator, convinces him that the dream retains good omens. In a rush to become king, Caesar goes to the Capitol where the conspirators murder him. Therefore, Antony begs to speak at his funeral where he convinces the plebeians that Caesar never means harm.

Julius Caesar’s ambition caused his death. Showing his negatives, Caesar was an ambitious power-hungary ruler. Waiting for the people to fall for what he believed in by his manipulative actions, caused other honorable men to see that he was not the best for Rome. The honorable Brutus loved Caesar and thought very highly of him, but his love for Rome motivated him to act accordingly. As for Mark Antony, he had the same love that Brutus had for Caesar.

Das Brütus: A Tragic Hero In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, Brutus is the quintessence of a tragic hero. Webster’s Dictionary defines tragic hero as “Any person, especially a man, admired for courage, nobility etc. … in a serious play with an unhappy ending” (277-626). This verbatim definition, however, is useless in an analytical essay. The idea of a tragic hero comes from Aristotle, who thought a tragic hero involved a character of high standing suffering a downfall caused by one or two character flaws.

This is what happens in the case of Julius Caesar. He became the ruler of Rome, leaving out his good friend Brutus. Brutus and other conspirators assassinated Julius Caesar turning him into a tragic hero. A tragic hero must portray four main traits. The hero may neither be perfect nor ultimate evil, the audience must feel pity or fear for the hero, and must be a ruler or leader; good but with flaw.

Brutus is the Tragic Hero of Julius Caesar Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar is a tragic play, where the renowned Julius Caesar is on the brink of achieving total control and power by becoming emperor of the Roman Empire. Ironically enough, when he thinks he is one step away from pulling it off, his "friends" (most from the senate) decide to overthrow him, with Caesar's most trusted friend, Marcus Brutus, acting as leader of the conspirators. Though the fall of Caesar from the most powerful man in the world to a man who's been betrayed and stabbed 30 times is a great downfall, he is not the tragic hero. Shakespeare's main focus is Marcus Brutus, a noble man who brings upon himself a great misfortune by his own actions, and arouses pity and fear to the reader. This, as Aristotle described, is a tragic hero, which applies to the infamous Brutus.

Though it would be easy to make another person the culprit, Antony always carries the burden of the blame himself and is truly remorseful of his actions. In conclusion, Caesar?s arrogant, calculating, unemotional character is opposed to Antony?s forgiving, generous, responsible one. Though Caesar is a great military leader, his success is achieved through deliberate cold-hearted scheming and manipulation of others while Antony displays true nobility through his incomparably great human qualities. Thus, in our minds, Antony is the greater of the two.

Julius Caesar, even though he is considered great, turns out to contain many flaws. He believes himself to be untouchable, and has a confidence that he cannot be harmed, even though that is not the case. He says so when he says, “Caesar shall forth. The things that threatened me ne’er looked but on ...

His apparent obliviousness leads him to his grave as his merciful sparing of Mark Antony’s life, much like Julius Caesar’s ghost, comes back to haunt him. Overall, Brutus is an honest, sincere man who holds the lives of others in high regard while he himself acts as a servant to Rome. 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.

“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to preserver and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles” (Christopher Reeve). Julius Caesar is a tragedy about a ruler that is murdered by a group of angry conspirators that go into a civil war against Caesar’s right hand man. By portraying the qualities of honorable Brutus, William Shakespeare, in his tragedy Julius Caesar, proves that anyone with good intentions, nobility, and the ability to recognize flaws can be a true hero. People constantly say that it is the thought that counts and that the intentions of the heart mean more than the actions. Brutus was doing everything for the people of Rome.