The Flaws of Marcus Brutus in Julius Caesar by Shakespeare

Through his mistake he looses his name, home, and faces the demise of his wife and himself. Brutus truly is the tragic hero of Tragedy of Julius Caesar. Brutus made a voluminous amount of irreversible flaws that cause his own disappointment and demise. His first mistake is the killing of his loyal and trusting friend, Caesar and not giving just cause to the crowd he gathered. “As he was valiant, I honor him; but as he was ambitious, I slew him.. ” (948).

In the later Annals, Tacitus expressed displeasure when Nero 'forces him to commit suicide.' Out of all the characters Tacitus has shown the reader that Corbulo is the one who he feels should have been emperor. Overall, my impression of Tacitus is one who has had his views tainted and distorted by tyrannical rulers and unjust emperors. He heavily criticises Nero for his extravangance and habits, but especially for his short - sightedness. The omens, his hatred of megalomaniac women like Poppaea and his brilliant creation of speeches (Agrippina's death) all contribute to his unique narrative style.

Throughout the play, Brutus shows very knowledgeable, perceptive, and noble qualities toward the Roman Democracy. At first glance, Brutus is condemned for murdering his best friend, which is a hard concept to comprehend as being noble, but all that he did, he did for the good of Rome. Furthermore, Antony’s opinion of Brutus changes from pure despite and detestation, to honor, and respect, after he realizes the reasoning that Brutus had “‘Not that I loved Caesar less, but I loved Rome more./ Had you rather Caesar were living and die all slaves,/ Than that Caesar were dead and live all free men?’” (III.ii.21-22). This statement is spoken to the crowd, in regards to the assassination of Caesar. Here, Brutus is explaining to the people that he did not kill Caesar for his own personal gain, but for the good of Rome.

However much he loved Caesar, he opposed the fact that a single man ruled Rome and he feared Caesar would rise to hold that power. Brutus was a good leader. He was truthful and honourable. Brutus tries to justify his reason for killing Caesar and he says “not that I loved Caesar less, but I loved Rome more”. (III.i.21-22) It shows that his love for Rome was incomparable to anyone else and he slew Caesar not for his own greediness but for his love for Rome.

i. 10). Caesar’s character is effective in the fact that the reader has an aversion to him. Shakespeare leads the reader to believe that Caesar only cares about power and wealth, therefore the reader should not honor or have sympathy towards him. Julius Caesar is the tragic hero because his arrogance causes his death.

Brutus was like a brother to Caesar and Caesar loved him. The day of the murder came as a complete shock to Caesar, but when he saw Brutus sulk in with a dagger Caesar’s heart was shattered; Caesar wept, “Eh tu, Bruté?-Then falls Caesar” (3.1.79). Brutus had slain a friend of whom had done nothing wrong to him. The connection they had once held had been abolished forever. Brutus’s justification for his harsh actions was, “[...]not that I/ loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more” (3.2.20-21).

The tragic hero’s downfall is caused because of this tragic flaw. Honor and loyalty are the two tragic flaws that Brutus obtains. His loyalty to the city of Rome is the strongest out of all the characters in the play. However, his honor can be somewhat controlling and he is a perfect example of a person believing something he wants to hear. Brutus joins the conspiracy because he thinks killing Caesar is best for the good of Rome, for he says, “I know no personal cause to spurn at him, but for the general (II, i, 11-12).” This is showing that Brutus is willing to kill his best friend to save Rome because he “thinks” he is becoming a tyrant.

The anonymous letters he left for Brutus were composed of degrading things about Caesar to make him come across as a very disliked man. While Shakespeare may have highlighted Brutus and let it be known of his greatness, he also hinted at his flaws. When the death of Portia occurred, Brutus stated that he “had the patience to endure it” (IV.iii.198). Marcus Brutus, like his wife, took his own life. He committed this because he was very loyal to Rome.

As a result, Brutus views suicide as the most appropriate “method” to retain his honor and dignity; otherwise, he would have to encounter the Roman citizens’ criticization and would be humiliated for his actions. In addition, Brutus requests Caesar to be done with his vengeance and to forgive him as he acts solely for the best of Rome, displaying Brutus to be a tragic hero who failed doing his best for good. Furthermore, the play ends with Antony’s summary of Brutus’s character leaving the audience to characterize Brutus to be the one who suffered the most and died in a tragic way. Antony describes Brutus to be “the noblest Roman of them all…/ [and have acted] only in a general

We see in the beginning that Brutus has many eternal troubles that he is battling and that his insecurities make him easily manipulated. If Brutus hated Caesar, Brutus would not have killed Caesar for Rome, but out of envy and rivalry making his murder savage and gruesome. While trying to convince the plebeians how the murder of Caesar was for their freedom and why they should see them as honorable men protecting Rome, he said “Not that/ I loved Caesar less, but that I love Rome more.” I believe this quote would not change because Brutus wants the multitude to believe what he is saying, and adding that he did love Caesar, but loved their city more made it seem as if Brutus and the conspirators did an unselfish act. If Brutus could betray his friend he loved for... ... middle of paper ... ...wn emotions over for the fact that Caesar would become a king and then overtime tyrant, enslaving the people of Rome. He felt it was only way to protect the people of Rome, not for a personal reason, similar to the other men in the conspiracy.