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The characters of brutus and cassius
The characters of brutus and cassius
Brutus was a patriot essay
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Was Brutus a patriot or a betrayer? A patriot is someone who supports their country and is prepared to defend it against enemies or detractors. Brutus was a patriot because his actions were driven by his love for Rome. His intentions were not motivated by his own ambition rather he acted to ensure that Rome would not be taken over by a dictatorship. Some might argue that Brutus was not a patriot, but a betrayer, after all, who conspires and murders someone they claim to love? Brutus claimed to have a deep love for Caesar, but he conspired with traitors and assassinated Caesar by stabbing him in the back. Brutus claims to be an honorable man in his speech at Caesars funeral. Would an honorable man have acted in the same manner as Brutus? …show more content…
Some might argue that Brutus was not a patriot, but a betrayer, Brutus claimed to have a deep love for Caesar, but he conspired with traitors and assassinated Caesar by stabbing him in the back. I can’t argue that Brutus did not betray his friendship with Caesar, but when looking closely at the evidence it became apparent to me that Brutus was acting in what he felt was in the best interest of Rome. Brutus struggled with the idea of betraying his friend. He did love Caesar, but was concerned that his ambition would destroy Rome. Brutus made the final decision to be part of Caesars assassination after Cassius deceived him by planting fake letters convincing him that Caesar was up to no good. Brutus felt that he must act and act quickly before Caesar was crowned king. Brutus had no personal vendetta against Caesar, he was only concerned with the future of Rome. In Act 2 Scene 1 Brutus is struggling with how he will handle Caesar when he comes to the conclusion that his only choice is to kill him: “It must be by his death, and for my part I know no personal cause to spurn at him but for …show more content…
His intentions were not motivated by his own ambition rather he acted to ensure that Rome would not be taken over by a dictatorship. When the other conspirators wanted to go after Marc Antony as well, Brutus stood up to the others stating that their cause would be lost if they went after Antony. "Our course will seem too bloody, Caius Cassius to cut the head off then hack the limbs. Like wrath in death and envy afterward. For Anthony is but a limb of Caesar. Let us be sacrifiers, but not butchers, Caius." Brutus could have just run off and hid when the townspeople turned against him, however fought The Battle of Philippi because he believed so strongly in his cause. Before the battle he begins to realize that he had put too much trust in Cassius as he disagrees with Cassius methods. Brutus refuses to bully the peasants into supporting him as Cassius has. “You have done that you should be sorry for. There is no terror, Cassius, in your threats, for I am armed so strong in honesty that they pass by me as the idle wind, which I respect not. I did send to you for certain sums of gold, which you denied me, for I can raise no money by vile means. By heaven, I had rather coin my heart And drop my blood for drachmas than to wring From the hard hands of peasants” Although he regrets having killed Caesar and can now see that Cassius did not have the same honorable
Even though Brutus knew that Caeser had turned down the crown three times, he still felt he was too ambitious to rule over Rome. If only Brutus would have had a level head on his shoulders like Antony. If anyone can call a murderer honorable, let them know. The third and final act Brutus committed that left him with a dishonorable image, was that he ran and then killed himself just to avoid battle. In early Rome, a man was thought to be noble and brave if he fell from an enemy’s sword, not if he ran and committed suicide.
Brutus is loyal to Rome and also to his friendship with Caesar. He wants Rome to be led by a good leader. But he allows himself to be lead away with this thought by Cassius, who tells him that he is the better man and not
Brutus’ loyalty helps shape whether his cause was justice or unjustified. In the beginning, Brutus is walking with Caesar. He even helps him when a soothsayer tells him to beware the Ides of March. “What man is that? / A soothsayer bids you beware the Ides of March” (I, ii, 18-19). If Brutus always had the thoughts of a villain, he would have kept quiet, letting whatever the threat is, overcome Caesar. Also, another reason to determine his loyalty is when Brutus is with Cassius and Cassius want’s Brutus’ help. “Into what dangers would you lead me, Cassius, / That you would have me seek into my self / For that which is not in me”...
One friend kills another. Speeches are presented. A war breaks out. This is the story of Julius Caesar, the emperor of Rome who was killed by Brutus and a group of conspirators. Many argue that Brutus was a patriot, and many argue that he was a betrayer. People argue that he was a betrayer because he betrayed Caesar’s trust and gave a speech against him. However, when you think of Caesar’s personality, arrogant and slightly reckless, he could’ve made bad decisions and caused Rome a great deal of trouble. Brutus was a patriot to Rome since he did what was best for the country and even took his own life instead of running away. He put his own feelings aside to do what was right.
Cassius needed a reason to motivate Brutus to join the conspiracy so that the plan would develop. “Brutus, I do observe you now of late: I have not from your eyes that gentleness…” (1.2.34) Cassius is saying that Brutus hasn’t been as affectionate toward him as he typically is. Maybe he suspects something is wrong with Brutus and he thinks it has something to do with Caesar. But I think he didn’t really care about how Brutus was treating him, he was just “buttering him up” so to say. Brutus thinks that Cassius is just being his friend and trying to help, when in reality Cassius is manipulating him. This manipulation of friendship is what drives the rest of the play. Brutus has a hard time seeing through this manipulation of Cassius and it ends up driving him to assassinating his friend, Caesar. Cassius fabricated letters to make them seen like they were from the people of Rome saying that they wanted Brutus as their leader. These letters were really the controlling factor of the assassination because they gave Brutus another reason to assassinate Caesar. Cassius then realized how easy it was to manipulate Brutus. “Well, Brutus, thou art noble. Yet I see thy honorable mettle may be wrought from that it is disposed. Therefore it is meet that noble minds keep ever with their likes; for who so firm that cannot be seduced?” (1.2.320-324) Cassius is saying that even
“Remember March, March 15th. Didn’t great Caesar bleed for the sake of justice?” afterwards Brutus reminds Cassias of the reason he killed Caesar it was to save Rome, Great Caesar bled so Rome could live. Brutus loved Caesar as a friend, but he did not think he would be right to lead. “The only way is to kill Caesar. I have no personal reason to strike at him—only the best interest of the people”Nevertheless Brutus did not strike down Caesar for personal gain, he striked Caesar so that Rome could live. Our course will seem too bloody, Caius Cassius, To cut the head off and then hack the limbs, Like wrath in death and envy afterwards; For Antony is but a limb of Caesar: Let us be sacrificers, but not butchers, Caius” However Brutus was against killing Marc Antony, he was not willing to kill a man out of coldblood, and he would not be marked as a killer in the eyes of the people, he would rather be seen as a defender of the country, he also was against spilling unnecessary blood. Brutus did not want to be a butcher he had only one intention and that was to save Rome. Not start a blood bath. Brutus was against spilling unwanted blood, why kill a man who did nothing to deserve his
When Brutus betrayed Caesar for the good of Rome by killing him, he had no idea that he would regret it later on in his life. Brutus wanted to kill Caesar because he thought that if Caesar became king, he would forget who his real friends are and he would not pay attention to them. He also thought that Caesar would become too powerful and therefore did not want him to be king. This is shown when Portia says, “…Brutus hath a suit / that Caesar will not grant…” (2.4.41-42). Although Brutus had a clear conscience, the people of Rome did not. This eventually led to Brutus being driven out of Rome by the citizens. Not being associated with Rome anymore made Brutus’ life worse and he eventually took his own life as the only way to...
He ruined an entire empire with his quick and stupid decisions. Many, many people died that did not need to. How can a person be considered honorable when they are responsible for so many lost lives and the loss of an empire? Brutus was not a very good military leader. His action when his army first arrived in Phillipi was to march down from the mountains.
He has two opposing desires that he has to choose between. These are killing Caesar to preserve democracy in Rome and to save Caesar, since he is a friend of Brutus. A quote from J.L. Simmons that summarizes this well is, “Certainly the material lends itself to a conflict between private and public affections” (Simmons 64). Brutus wants to kill Caesar for Rome because the citizens of Rome want to preserve democracy and Caesar is preventing that by being dictator for life. A quote that puts this in other words is, “The ultimate factor in persuading Brutus to join the conspiracy is his belief that his countrymen wish him to act on their behalf” (Shalvi 71). Killing Caesar would be a choice made for not himself, but the citizens of Rome while saving him would be for himself and to preserve his friendship with Caesar. Saving Caesar would be a deed for himself and would strengthen his relationship with Caesar. He could have warned Caesar of the conspirators’ plans and put a stop to them. Brutus ultimately makes the choice of following through and assassinating Caesar. His plan was for this to be a honorable action, but it ended up negative on his behalf. The majority of the citizens in Rome did not take this lightly and wanted revenge for his actions. This is the main mistake made by Brutus that lead to his own
Brutus was a devious man, even though what he thought he was doing was right. Brutus told his fellow conspirators to kill Caesar “boldly, but not angerly.”(3.1.256-257) Brutus was one of Caesars right hand men, and yet Brutus kills his own friend. When Antony asks to speak at Caesars funeral, Cassius says no, but Brutus tell him that Antony will speak, but only what Brutus tells him to say. Brutus also embraces the fact that he just killed his friend, and also tells the senators who had just witnessed it to not be afraid, but to stay because ambition has paid its debt.
The fact that Brutus killed Caesar for his country meant that even though he murdered somebody, a friend, he still did it for something much bigger than himself. Like Brutus said, he killed Caesar because it was “not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more” (Julius Caesar Act 3 Scene 2 Shakespeare). I think that is very noble of him, because if it weren’t for the act of murder, he would most definitely be a hero. If it were not for him not giving Caesar a chance first, he would most definitely be a hero. If it weren’t for his morals being manipulated by another person, he would most definitely be a hero. There is a lot of controversy about the topic and what makes Brutus a hero or villain. The question about which one he really is makes you think. I feel that even though he was a good man, the small details made the “villain” side of him surface much more than the “hero”
Throughout most of the play Brutus is constantly internally conflicted. Does he do what he believes is best for Rome or stay loyal to his friend and leader? Should he assist in the murder of one person to benefit many? Although killing Caesar was in the end a bad choice, Brutus always tries to do what is best for Rome and for the people. However even though all of Brutus’ motives are good he still has the tragic flaw of pride, which ultimately leads to his downfall. The reason that Brutus gets caught up in the conspiracy is because Cassias appeals to his pride and flatters him with forged letters from the Roman people saying he is a greater leader then Caesar.
Brutus shows loyalty by his never ending will to make Rome the best it can be. Brutus had a very hard time killing Caesar because he was his best friend and he cared a lot for him.
The senators believe that anything they do to Caesar will look bad in the eyes of the people, but Brutus, whom the plebeians love, will make their actions appear honorable. In order to achieve this, Cassius creates a plan in order to prod Brutus in favor of the assassination: In several hands, in at his windows throw, As if they came from several citizens, Writings all tending to the great opinion That Rome holds in his name, and wherein obscurely Caesar’s ambition shall be glanced at. (I,ii,312-316) By deceiving Brutus into believing that the Roman people, who respect him, think that Caesar is becoming too ambitious, Cassius is able to convince Brutus, a noble Roman, to join the plot against Caesar. Because he only wants to do what is best for the people, Brutus joins the conspiracy.
Brutus was a supporter of the republic as well as Caesar’s truthful friend. 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