Zachary Becker Mr. Ioannidis 1st Hr. English 10B 06 March 2023 The Decision; Part 2 Should Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar, be renamed the tragedy of Marcus Brutus? Many people argue whether or not Julius Caesar was the proper name for the title of the story. This is because Brutus presents many character traits that make him the tragic hero. Brutus is the tragic hero because he killed Caesar, for what he thought was the betterment of Rome. Furthermore, Brutus is a nobleman, as well as sympathetic character, who experiences a tragic downfall throughout the play. There are three tragic flaws that he possessed, because of his lack of judgment, which eventually led to his downfall. First, he let Cassius, and the conspiracy manipulate him, to believe that Caesar was killed for the good of Rome. Second, he chose not to kill Antony. Third, he let Antony speak at Caesar’s funeral. The first example of Brutus’s lack of judgment is seen in Acts I and II of Julius Caesar. This occurs when Brutus is tricked …show more content…
This is because Brutus presented tragic flaws that would lead to his downfall, later in the play. There were three tragic flaws, based on Brutus’s poor judgment, that would soon contribute to his own downfall. These reasons included: Brutus’s inability to realize that Cassius manipulated him, his allowance for Antony to live, and his competence for Antony to speak at Caesar’s funeral. These tragic flaws would eventually lead up to the conspirators’ defeat. If Brutus had slowed down, and really thought about his decisions, the play may have had a different outcome. Furthermore, if he had listened to Cassius, the conspirators would have won, without the war ever beginning. This should tell the reader that everyone’s decisions are very important. Additionally, listening to others, for some decisions, may allow for a better understanding of the situation, and an effectively different
But, as he was ambitious, I slew him.” (JC 3; 2; 26-28). Contradicting Brutus’s point, Antony shows Caesar to be unjustly and misguidedly assassinated in his eulogy.
Antony stated, “Therefore I took your hands; but was indeed swayed front the point by looking down on Caesar. Friends am I with you all, and love you all, upon this hope, that you shall give me reasons why and wherein Caesar was dangerous” (3.1.218-222). Antony was trying to prove Caesar meant no harm to the citizens of Rome. This made the crowd stop and wonder if killing Caesar was the right thing to do. The crowd didn’t know if Caesar was just misunderstood his whole life or if he was a bad person.
He takes advantage of the people of Rome and does it unnoticed. For example, after his defeat over Pompey, Mark Antony offered the crown three times to Caesar and at every attempt was denied (Act 1 ,Scene 2 ,Lines 221-246). Caesar was intelligent enough to trick the people of Rome to further secure their hearts and minds to then love Caesar even more. A true ruler does not manipulate their own people, and could lead to an untruthful future.
But this fault also caused Brutus’ demise. With him trying to do anything (and he did anything) to protect Rome, which caused Cassius to be killed, Brutus to bottle up emotions, and in the end, Brutus killing
The tragic flaws that he possessed helped lead to his death and many of the problems he faced throughout the play. Having flaws is something that everyone has, especially Brutus. A major flaw that Brutus possesses is
168-170). Cassius uses Brutus’s strong morals, mentioning how an honorable person would help him, in an attempt to join the conspirators. This self-delusion is further demonstrated when Brutus is unable to recognize the implications of his decision and fails to see that he is actually destroying Rome's values. By justifying his actions as noble patriotism, Brutus fails to recognize the consequences of his actions and the cost of his ambition.
Julius Caesar: Social Flaws William Shakespeare wrote Julius Caesar when Rome was a republic and the Roman people could do nothing more than praise their leader. This form of government causes it’s people to become weak. In Julius Caesar, the Roman people are portrayed as fools because of how easily they could be manipulated. Rome eventually became corrupt because of its people’s foolishness and many unreasonable deaths occurred as well.
While Julius Caesar is traditionally named after its titular character, a more fitting title for the play would be “Brutus”. Naming the play “Brutus” would
This could be true, but Brutus would fit more into the tragic hero persona. Some of Brutus’s tragic flaws included trusting people too much, not listening to others that have more experience, and thinking about the people more than himself. All of these flaws ultimately led to Brutus becoming a coward and committing suicide. In act 3 scene 1 Brutus kills Caesar because he thinks he is doing it for the good of Rome. In reality, when he killed Caesar he just signed his death note, and he hurt Rome more than helped.
Being this calculation is what leaves him prone to being manipulated by Cassius. The logical and abstract meaning that he attaches to Caesar’s assassination blocks him from seeing the need to examine the political maneuvering that is used to justify the murder. In contrast to Brutus, Antony proves to be the most adaptable of all the characters. Although he becomes powerful through offering himself to honor Caesar’s will and give the citizens their money he doesn’t tie himself to this ethical limitation. He uses the fund for political expenditure.
People who possessed a remarkable set of skills and qualities, like Julius Caesar, that propelled them to the pinnacle of power in ancient Rome. However, even the greatest figures in history are not immune to tragic flaws that ultimately contribute to their downfall. In Caesar’s case, his downfall can be attributed to three significant flaws, arrogance, an inclination to trust the wrong individuals, and a failure to employ his political acumen effectively. These flaws, while intertwined with his charisma and ambition, ultimately prove to be his undoing, casting a shadow over his remarkable accomplishments and leaving a lasting legacy as a cautionary tale of the perils that come with unchecked power. Julius Caesar, the renowned Roman and statesman,
When Brutus was talking to the conspirators Brutus was going back and forth think if he should help the conspirators kill Julius Caesar. He was going back and forth because he was thinking of the power he could have and could rule Rome. The reason behind Brutus killing Caesar was for the better of Rome. If Brutus would not have killed Caesar, Rome would have turned into a dictatorship, and in turn it would have ruined Rome and all of its people. Brutus did not kill Julius just for the power to rule Rome, he killed Julius to save Rome from Caesar’s dictatorship.
And while Brutus did work in part with other conspirators, which eventually led to him killing Caesar, he did it for a more morally sound reason which was that Caesar was going to cause the downfall of Rome because he was too ambitious, which is ironic because Caesar's death led to a string of unfit leaders, and civil unrest that eventually led to the downfall of the roman empire. Brutus was also focused on preventing corruption. “The name of Cassius honors this corruption,/ And chastisement doth therefore hide his head (IV.iii.15-6)... Remember March, the ides of March remember./ Did not great Julius bleed for justice' sake” (IV.iii.18-9).
Caesar’s Fatal Flaws Flaws can be simple as misusing grammar or being a bad speller, but for some, flaws can be deadly and dangerous. In the play Julius Caesar, Caesar’s fatal flaws of ignorance towards others, unwillingness to compromise, and his huge ego makes him a poor leader and eventually leads to his death. Caesar’s first fatal flaw is his ignorance towards others. This flaw can clearly be seen by the fact that he ignores other’s warnings about his potential death.
“For let the gods so speed me as I love/ The name of honor more than I fear death. ”(JC.I.ii.90-91). In the play Julius Caesar the conspirators kill the upcoming king with one man who truly believes what he is doing is right and noble. This man is Brutus who is the biggest character throughout all of the play and should have the name of this play.