Stoicism And Epicureanism In Julius Caesar

Both Brutus and Cassius feel that their opinions and actions are correct, and believe the other being to be incorrect. They feel what they did was right, and don't feel shame for what they've done. Both of them feel that they're doing what's best for the people

Cassius is a foil to Brutus due to their reasons for killing Caesar. Cassius's reasons goes more towards fear and jealousy, and hs more of a selfish reason to end Caesar's life. While Brutus's motive is, wholeheartedly, for the good of Rome, and his loyalty towards Rome is greater than his of Caesars. An example for Cassius being selfish and fearful is when he sent forged letter to Brutus just to get him to help him kill Caesar. Brutus's every action in this play is for the good of Rome, he was hesitant at first because he did not believe he was a threat to Rome and the citizens until Cassius sent the forged letters. So, they both wanted to kill Caesar but have completely different

Cassius will prevail in making Brutus a conspirator to kill Caesar because he is adept at manipulating others. Cassius is cunning and forms his argument around honor to appeal to Brutus. In addition, Cassius formulates a deceitful plan to plant forged letters from Brutus' constituents about their dislike of Caesar. Also, Cassius undermines Brutus and Caesar's friendship by evoking negative feelings about Caesar. Finally, inklings reveal that Brutus has been considering the

Brutus is a central character who is good at heart. He has good intentions and values and only wants what is best for Rome. Cassius targets Brutus to be apart of his plan to kill Caesar and with his persuasive use of flattery he convinces Brutus that killing Caesar is what is best for rome. Not only that but Cassius presents

Brutus believes that Caesar will do more harm than good to the people, and reap benefits for himself. Brutus has already said this, but had said it in his own words, (II, i, 12-14). He has no clue if Caesar will use his power for the good and betterment for the people, or use it for his own needs and other

Overall, a person's morals affect their outlook in certain situations. When talking about Caesar becoming king, many people viewed this situation in a variety of ways. Antony views Caesar becoming king as a positive event in Rome. On the contrary, Brutus views Caesar becoming king to be harmful because he is afraid that Caesar will become a tyrant. In speaking on terms of morality, Brutus is a strong supporter of the republic, to which he believes that the power should belong to the people. Overall, Brutus believes that the government should be guided by the votes of the senators. Throughout the play, Brutus displays fear and mistrust in Caesar. To this, Brutus says, “I do fear the people choose Caesar for their king” (1.2.78-79). In this quote, Brutus is telling Cassius that he is afraid that Caesar will be crowned king. Further in the play, Brutus is pulled into the conspiracy plot to kill Caesar. Throughout the play, Brutus feels incredibly conflicted about Caesar becoming king, “I know no personal cause to spurn at him, but for the general (2.1.11-12). In this quote, Brutus is saying that he has no reason to kill Caesar, but if it’s for the good of the people he would kill Caesar. Because Brutus already started questioning Caesar becoming king, it allowed the conspirators to easily implore him into the course of killing

These two quotes also portray his change of thought between acts 1 and 5. In the start Brutus refuses to fall for Cassius ' persuasion; he claims he loves Caesar and would not turn against him. He would, however, listen to Cassius ' reasoning. Soon he made up his mind ' Caesar must be killed. After a short time, Antony convinced the plebeians Caesar was a good man who must be avenged and Brutus was named a murderer. Brutus fled his country where he eventually killed himself. While Brutus experiences an impactful turning point, Cassius ' actions and personality remain fairly constant within the negative traits. He represents gloominess from the beginning of the play; he is jealous, manipulative and pessimistic. “O coward that I am, to live so long to see my best friend ta 'en before my face.” (V.III.34-35). This quote by Cassius distinctively shows the different reactions between Brutus and himself. Cassius quickly kills himself to escape pain. On the other hand, Brutus is mentally stronger and lasts longer as he waits for the gods to decide his fate. In the end, he took Caesar 's ghost as a sign

Through the use of of several rhetorical devices like comparison, pathos, and figurative language, Cassius is able to twist Brutus' sense of honor and view of Caesar. In order to begin twisting Brutus' Caesar, Cassius finds the "virtue...in [Brutus]" and uses that "outward favor" to become "[Brutus'] glass"(I:ii:68-93). Cassius uses figurative language to appeal to Brutus. Cassius finds Brutus's 'virtue' and uses it in order to give Brutus a way to make sure he is doing the right thing. This is powerful in manipulating Brutus, because Brutus is an honorable man, and he is always concerned with what the most honorable decision is. Moreover, Cassius distorts Brutus' view of Caesar by telling Brutus that, "[Caesar has] become a god," and that Cassius "is a wretched creature," that if, "Caesar... [nods at] him," he, "must bend his

Cassius manipulates Brutus to the point of making him feel as if there are several people wanting Brutus to do something about Caesar. Cassius also wants to convince Brutus that “Caesar’s ambition shall be glanced at” so they can eliminate his power for fear that “worse days [may] endure”. Cassius is not the only senator wanting to eliminate Caesar’s growing

While Brutus maintains noble intentions, Cassius goes into this scheme with every intention of leaving everyone else behind to claim the power for himself, as he has been compelled by their society to do. Cassius tells Brutus that Caesar “doth bestride the narrow world like a Colossus” while convincing him that Caesar is accumulating too much power for one man, despite harboring the belief that all of that power should be his (JC I.ii.142-143). To further prove his point to Brutus, Cassius gives Brutus fake letters telling him that the common people would rather have Brutus in charge than Caesar. While this is just Cassius himself manipulating Brutus, Cassius is motivated by the pressures of their society and Brutus, motivated by the belief that his society wants him to, joins the conspirators in their plot to kill Caesar and take power for themselves. Caught in a vicious cycle of societal pressure, these men continue to fight for power even after they achieve their original goal as evidenced by the civil war that breaks out following the assassination of Julius

Cassius is a follower of Epicurus while Brutus adheres to Stoicism. Due to philosophy being the love of wisdom, these contrasting philosophical views help the reader understand the driving motives of the two men, as well as the rationale of Brutus’ virtuosity and Cassius’ wickedness. According to Stanley, “Epicureans believe that pleasure could not be increased beyond the removal of all disturbance” (47). Cassius’ belief in the teachings of Epicurus may have contributed to his view of Caesar as a threat and disturbance to Rome. Having been a friend of Pompey and learning about his death, Cassius wanted to eradicate Caesar in order to avoid a loss of freedom. Cassius is quick to attack other individuals and his arrogance and pride is evident when he discusses his refusal to bow down to authority. He also mocks Caesar’s account of

Additionally, throughout Cassius’s speech, ethos, pathos and logos can be seen. These are also important factors that can be identified in the aristotelian model. For example, Cassius appeals to credibility when he states, “I was born free as Caesar. So were you. We both have fed as well, and we can both endure the winter’s cold as well as he.” Ethos is seen in this proclamation because Cassius is convincing Brutus that both him and Cassius have gone through the same hardships that Caesar has gone through. This makes both Cassius and Brutus credible for the leadership position which Caesar has. Moreover, Cassius addresses pathos when he remiences about the time when he had to save Caesar at Timber River; The torrent roared, and we did buffet it with lusty sinews, throwing it aside and stemming it with hearts of controversy. But ere we could arrive the point proposed, Caesar cried, “Help me, Cassius, or I sink!”. Through this specific part of Cassius’s speech, he was able to present many different emotions: Caesar was fearful, and Cassius was angry because Caesar was suppose to be his fearless leader that was not scared of anything. This also helped to evoke a feeling of displeasure from Brutus toward Caesar. Lastly, Cassius appeals to logos many times throughout his speech. His most prominent one being when he stated, “did I the tired Caesar. And this man is now become a god, and Cassius is a wretched creature and must bend his body if Caesar carelessly but nod on him.”

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, a Shakespearean play and representation of the assassination of Caesar, is a well written and developed story in which the build up of the characters is very well done. As a matter of fact, the developing of Brutus, the tragic hero on the play, is one of the most important characters and therefore one of the better explained and exposed. Brutus is a character that is marked with three traits that allow him to be the one responsible for Caesar's assassination. Indeed, Brutus is naive, well-intended and hypocrite, as seen when the conspirators convince him to be part of it, and be one of the most important figures in it.

Brutus is without a doubt the most noble character in this play. Nonetheless, his impeccable sense of morality also blindfolds him to other people’s sordid motives and makes him easy to be manipulated. Indeed, Brutus is easily manipulated by Cassius in Act 1, Scene 2. In hope to convince Brutus to join the conspirators, Cassius says “Men at some time are masters of their fates: The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings” (1.2.150-152). As a result, Brutus starts to believes that it is his job to murder Caesar, as he says in Act 2, Scene 1: “It must be by his death: and for my part, I know no personal cause to spurn at him, but for the general” (2.1.14-16). This example explicitly shows that Brutus’s nobility makes him an easy target for others to manipulate. Furthermore, Brutus’s nobility makes him naive. In Act 3, Scene 2, Brutus departs, fully trusting Mark Antony on his words to make a speech that does not blame the conspirators. This, however, is a huge mistake because Antony seeks this chance to successfully turn the crowd against the conspirators. Brutus, who is so noble, is too naive to understand that others may not act as righteously as he does. Hence, Brutus fully trusting Antony to keep his promise demonstrates his naivety. It is his nobility that prevents him to see that others may not be as noble as he is. As a consequence, Brutus’s nobility leads him to his

During the play, the conspirators attempt to predict what kind of leader Caesar will become after he gains the title of dictator. In the beginning of the play, Caesar notices Brutus speaking with Cassius at the race. Since Caesar is now such a powerful ruler, he starts to fear what may be occurring and voices his concern, “Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look / He thinks too much. Such men are dangerous” (I.ii.204-205). Caesar keeps up a facade throughout his leadership and rarely lets himself show unease. After stating his worry over Cassius, Caesar attempts to rebuild his facade of strength by claiming, “I rather tell