The Downfalls of Julius Caesar, Cassius and Brutus
A tale based on false complements, greed and manipulation, which leads
to the destruction of three high status men of Rome. Flaws in
personality results to tragedy- pride and ambition invites murder,
greed, envy and a fiery nature leads to self destruction; and a weak
hold on making judgments results to another suicide. This play was
written by William Shakespear, in which he based it around 400B.C.,
which showed us how three significant people of Rome had died because
of mistakes, they had made. Shakespear uses flaws and error of
judgments among three main characters who are Caesar, Cassius and to a
lesser extent Brutus to bring about their downfalls.
In this part I am going to be writing firstly about Julius Caesar,
secondly about Cassius and lastly about Brutus and the way of their
downfalls.
Julius Caesar met his downfall because of two things, which are his
flaws and he making some error in judgment. His flaws, which led to
his downfall, are pride and ambition. His flaws led to his downfall in
a number of ways. Firstly, Caesar knew Cassius had a fiery nature-
therefore he should of not have trusted him, and saying such men as
him (Cassius) are never content when they see better people than them.
This means that people like Cassius are never happy when they see
someone that is better than themselves. He also showed this when he
knew he shouldn't have trusted Cassius but did trust him because of
his pride in lack of fear and thought that he was not scared of him.
He also showed this when he said he cannot be flattered but was,
before Decius flattered Caesar through his pride. He also shows this
when he sent his servant to the priest to fortune tell Caesar's future
through cutting a bird to see if it has a heart which it did not. But
he interprets this through his pride saying the Gods do this in Macory
of Cowardice. He also says that he is the only person on the world
quality that made him brave was when he confessed to the court that he had
and even though he tried never to show it, fear. Tim O'Brien shows us this in
Brutus and Caesar both want to be the rulers of Rome, however, the people want things a little different. In Act I Scene III Casca states they need Brutus in the plot because of his popularity with the people. Caesar and Brutus are firmly good friends. However, both of them can not be rulers of Rome. Casca wants Brutus in the plot because the people enjoy Brutus.
How was it possible that under the dictatorship and after the deification of Julius Caesar the Roman republic fell, when it had been structurally sound for four centuries before? When the republic was established around the end of the 6th century B.C.E., the Romans made clear that they wished to avoid all semblance of the monarchy that had ruled for two centuries before. (T.J. Cornell, The Beginnings of Rome: Italy and Rome from the Bronze Age to the Punic Wars (c. 1000-264 BC), London and New York: Routledge, 1995; p. 215) The rule of the Republic was to be split into powers of the senate and consuls, a system that worked for over four centuries. The republic would face problems with the rise of the first triumvirate in 60 B.C.E., involving Julius Caesar, Crassus and Pompey. The triumvirate gained power that was intended to be in the hands of the senate and Roman assembly. This paved way to a situation in which a single man could sweep up the political power that previously belonged to the entire senate. Julius Caesar would use this tactic, following his campaigns of Gaul and Britton, to take sole dictatorship over Rome. While there were previous cases which individuals had been appointed as dictator, usually by the senate to serve for six months in a time of war, Caesar was appointed dictator three separate times.. After declining his first dictatorship, Caesar was awarded two more reigns as dictator for one and ten years, respectively. At this point Caesar was praised by the Roman people for his various military victories and had been awarded several awards and honors by the senate. Having conquered much of the surrounding territories, spanning from northern Africa to Greece, and enacting several reforms, Caesar was in the pro...
In Act 1 Scene 2, we see that Cassius is jealous of Caesar and detests
The Roman Republic can be explained as the period from 509 – 27 BCE, which the ancient Roman civilization exemplified a republican form of government; where the supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives. During the Roman Republic, the 2 most powerful, and main branches of government included the Consuls and the Senate. It was the Consuls who held supreme civil and military control over Rome; however the republic had precautions in place to avoid one of the consuls from exercising too much power, such as short one year terms, veto and the notion of 2 consuls to divide authority. The republic then also included the senate; where at first, senators were only chosen from the patrician class, but in time, plebeians joined their positions (Bradley, 1990). Throughout the history of the republic, the evolution of government was driven by the struggle between the aristocracy and the ordinary citizens. The demise of the republic resulted through a series of civil wars and powerful dominance of significant historical figures (Princeton.edu, 2014).
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).
...pride with patience and that without the gods help he would not have made it this far.
This essay is intended to exonerate Gaius Julius Caesar from the sole responsibility of causing the collapse of the Roman Republic. This essay will explore the compounded actions of notable figures including Tiberus Gracchus, Gaius Gracchus, Lucius Cornelius Sulla and Augustus Caesar. By exploring both the actions of, and the means by which the prominent actors of this time period influenced it, this essay will illustrate how the destruction of the Republic was a gradual process encompassing the faults of generations, not only those of a single man.
Brutus’ tragic flaws are part of what makes him a tragic hero. In Julius Caesar, Brutus is a great example of a tragic hero. His tragic flaws are honor, poor judgement, and idealism (Bedell). In Shakespeare’s plays, the tragic hero and his flaws cause the downfall of the play (Tragic Flaws).
The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare portrays the 44 BC plot against the Roman dictator Caesar, his assassination and the downfall of the conspirators at the Battle of Philippi.
Julius Caesar - A Comparison of Brutus and Cassius In the play Julius Caesar, written and performed by William Shakespeare, there are many characters, but two, Brutus and Cassius, stood out. The play begins in Rome, where a celebration of Julius Caesar's victory over the former ruler of Rome, Pompeii. The victory leads to Caesar's betrayal by his jealous companions. Senators and other high status figures are jealous of Caesar's new and growing power, while others, like Brutus, fear the tyrannical rule Caesar could enforce.
and analyze why he acted as he did. In the end, he fought his intense pride so
Sakespear's The Tragedy of Julius Caesar holds two possible candidates for a tragic hero, however Brutus fits the persona best. The true definition of a tragic hero, as found by Aristotle, is a character who falls from a high standing to a low standing. They suffer enourmous loss, but are eventually enlightened of their own flaw or flaws. Initially the play begins with Caesar returning to Rome from defeating Pompey. Meanwhile, the first seeds of conspiracy are begining to take root. Although Brutus ignores Cassius's chiding to join the conspirators his tragic flaw of being easily molded and persuaded lead him to fall prey and join. As time progresses Brutus makes many grievous errors, and his flawed logic leads him to become bereft of all he once held dear. In the end, preceding his death, Brutus grasps the fact that he has no one to blame for his loss but himself; thus the enlightenment. All of these characteristics classify Brutus as the tragic hero of this play.
believed he could not be stopped and that rules did not apply to him. By being