Julius Caesar Tragic Hero Essay

Abigail Tharp
Mrs.Korey
English II AH
March 1st, 2023
In history, heroes are often overlooked or unseen. In the Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, Brutus is very often overlooked as the tragic hero. It is evident that Brutus is the tragic hero because he believed what he was doing was right for his country even though he made many mistakes in doing so.
All throughout the play, Brutus’ belief in doing what is right for his country is shown. He is known for being a highly honorable man, so much so that Cassius persuades Brutus to join the conspirators to bring honor to the cause. He tells about his reasons for killing Caesar at his funeral and says, “Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.” Although the other conspirators had different motives and much more hate towards Caesar, Brutus truly did not have a problem with him. Brutus believed that he would become a tyrant and be corrupted by his power. While Brutus is in his garden, deciding whether or not to join Cassius, he says to himself, “It must be by his death; and for my part, I know no personal cause to spurn at him, But for the general. He would be crowned. How that might change his nature, there’s the question.” Again, he describes how he has no hate for Caesar, but he

Choosing to keep Marc Antony alive enabled him to speak at Caesar’s funeral and form an angry mob that hated the conspirators. In turn, this became a lengthy civil war, where Brutus decides to march to Philippi getting himself, Cassius, and others killed. During the battle at Philippi Brutus hands Strato his sword, runs on it and says, “Farewell good Strato, Caesar now be still. I killed not thee with half so good a will.” Brutus kills himself, cowardly, and says that he killed Caesar with a better motive than he did himself. These mistakes caused great harm to Brutus, even when he tried to be the