The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by Shakespeare

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In Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Brutus faces an internal conflict involving his best friend Caesar becoming the ruler of Rome. Brutus must decide whether to let Caesar live, knowing he would be a bad ruler for Rome, or whether he should kill him for the good of the people. Based on Brutus’ knowledge, his decision to kill Caesar was justified with reason, being innocently misled and manipulated, and the intention of doing what was best for the general good of Rome.

Julius Caesar was murdered before being crowned the ruler of Rome due to fear that his personality and many of his characteristics would lead to his rule being one similar to a dictatorship. Many of these characteristics that caused Caesar to be murdered also develop him as the tragic hero of the play. Just like any tragic hero, Caesar’s downfall was due to his own actions and excessive pride. Being the soon to be ruler of Rome, Caesar also shares the trait of a typical tragic hero of being a king or leader of men. Just as other tragic heroes sharing this trait, Caesar’s fate affects the welfare of an entire group of people; in this case, the people of Rome. Almost all tragic heroes’ suffering and demise are done with purpose, just as Caesar being killed to prevent his future rule as a tyrant. Lastly, Caesar is the tragic hero of the play because his fate is determined from the start, that he will be murdered before becoming the ruler by a group of men, one of them being his best friend, Brutus.

Being influenced by a group of conspirators led by a man named Cassius, Brutus in persuaded to join the group and kill his best friend Caesar for what he believes is “the good of Rome”. Although Brutus had worries of his friend Caesar becoming ruler, he was pushe...

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...h, and even gave him approval of his actions.

His best friend, Brutus, killed Shakespeare’s tragic hero, Julius Caesar, with honor and respect in order to prevent his future rule as a tyrant. Even though he killed his best friend, Brutus’ actions were justified due to his logic, honorable and non-corrupted intentions for his actions, his respectful intentions and naïve personality being manipulated and misused by others with “less respectful” intentions, and above all, the actual approval of his actions from Caesar himself upon his death.

Works Cited

Christenbury, Leila, Carol Jago, Deborah Appleman, and Sara Kajder. "The Tragedy of Julius

Caesar." Holt Elements of Literature: Student Edition Grade 10 Fourth Course. By Kylene Beers. Student ed. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2008. Print. Holt Elements of Literature.

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