Similarities Between Julius Caesar And Brutus

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Recommended: Qualities that make julius caesar a tragic hero

How is a hero defined? Nowadays, thousands of people are considered heroic. Whether it be a character like Spiderman or a policeman/ woman whose said to be a hero, in order to fit into Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero, there are some requirements. According to Aristotle, a tragic hero is a character of great reputation and prosperity whose misfortune isn’t 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, which could be an excess of virtue. In the Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, both Marcus Brutus and Julius Caesar meet the criteria of being a tragic hero, but Julius Caesar impeccably meets Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero when compared to Brutus. …show more content…

Brutus was very honest and noble and had sturdy relationships, especially with Cassius. For example, when Cassius spoke to Brutus, he persuades Brutus into thinking that every man honors him and how he is spoken highly of by the people of Rome (II. 1. 90-93). As you can see Cassius speaks to Brutus and tells him what the people think of him. Although this is somewhat true, this makes Brutus believe that he needs to “help” Rome and this would end up being his downfall. As for Caesar, he was filthy rich, he killed Pompey and his sons, he won land and was in the triumvirate. The commoners took a day off just to rejoice in Caesar’s triumph when he returned to Rome and said they made that day a holiday (I. 1. 30-31). As demonstrated, Caesar was popular with the people and this contributed to his prosperity. Caesar distinctly fits this aspect of Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero. Correspondingly, Marcus Brutus also meets this part of Aristotle’s definition of a tragic

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