“Et tu Brute?” was mumbled by Caesar previous to his death. In William Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar, Marcus Brutus was a tragic hero, regardless of his crucial act of betrayal. Brutus was considered no threat, and was a clever man because of his nobility. What lead the downfall of the play were his honor, idealism, and poor judgment.
Honor is a fundamental basis of Brutus, and is evidently worked out in his speeches throughout the play. “Who here is so rude that would not be a Roman? If any, speak, for him have I offended,” was asked by Brutus, as he spoke to the plebeians at Caesar’s funeral. That question proved that he was honorable, and cared for the happiness of the plebeians, and cared for Rome, however, he looses his common sense, and lets honor get in the way of his friendship with Caesar. Lastly, Brutus tries to show his nobleness to nearly everybody. Brutus judges his honor in all ways, and his option of life revolves around honor. For that reason, many people, friend or foe, was conscious of his honor. At Phillipi, Antony discovers Brutus’ dead body, and stated, “This was the noblest Roman of them all. All the conspirators save only he did that they did in envy of great Caesar.” Here, Antony separates Brutus from the rest, indicating that Brutus would only do such a thing for the good of Rome, whereas the conspirators could not compete to Brutus’ high standards.
Secondly, Brutus was extremely idealistic, and had an inexperienced personality which was formed by nobility, and loyalty. Idealism leads Brutus to think that everything people tell him is true. Brutus gets stubborn when people try to get in the way of his plans, or beliefs. Cassius decided to kill Antony because of his great love for Caesar; however, Brutus makes the wrong decision, and ignores it. Consequently, Brutus has an idealistic view of the world, particularly when he deals with people, which destroys his correct judgment. Additionally, idealism causes Brutus to believe in Antony and Cassius. For example, Cassius uses Brutus by getting him to believe that killing Caesar was for the right reason, also Antony used idealism to deceive Brutus, and to talk to the people of Rome. Brutus thinks everyone is as honorable as him, and as strong willed, making there a false trust between them.
The Essay on Julius Caesar Theme Brutus Crowd Honor
The play Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, or as I prefer to believe Edward de Vere, introduces many readers to a world where speeches are made on many occasions. In this world of rhetoric, persuasive oratory, speeches help people persuade crowds. However, a crowd is not always persuaded by speeches. If a speech is poorly developed with no supporting evidence, a crowd may not agree with an ...
Thirdly, Brutus’ poor judgment was a major flaw. His poor judgment was taken advantage of by Antony. An example was when Antony manipulates Brutus into letting him speak at Caesars funeral. Furthermore, Brutus assumes that Antony can do no harm to their plans, or the conspirators. “It shall advantage more than do us wrong.” Brutus’ decision to let Antony speak at the funeral, was the turning point of the play, and led to the collapse of the conspirators. Also, he decided to attack Octavious and Antony which led to many deaths, including his own, in contrast to resting and letting them attack.
In the tragedy of Julius Caesar, Brutus has many of the typical characteristics to create a standard tragic hero. In conclusion, everyone had taken advantage of Brutus’ flaws except Caesar. Antony took advantage of his poor judgment, the conspirators took advantage of his honor, and everybody had taken advantage of his idealism. In the end, one of Brutus’ flaws had the right outcome, which was honor. His choice to kill himself instead of being captured made him still a hero. Brutus has numerous unified features, although they makeup his sturdy traits, are his end.
