The Assassination Of Brutus In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

Despite the play being named after him, Julius Caesar is not the protagonist or the main concentration of the story, instead focusing on the assassination of Caesar. In doing, so Shakespeare does not allow the audience to verify claims made about Caesar. Instead his arrogance, fragility, and ambition are neither explicitly confirmed or denied. However, actions speak louder than words, and Caesar’s actions only demonstrate how noble he is. One such action takes place early in the story when Caesar refuses the crown not only once, but thrice. Despite the fact that Mark Antony is offering him the highest power in the Roman Republic Caesar displays his modesty and intelligence by refusing the crown. Even though Brutus and Cassius are told by Casca,

In fact, Caesar seems valiant when he states, “Cowards die many times before their deaths; / The valiant never taste of death but once.” Therefore, “...Caesar shall go forth; for these predictions / Are to the world in general as to Caesar.” (page 29). Caesar decides to go of his own accord even before Decius and the other conspirators arrive to persuade Caesar. Even when Decius is persuading Caesar to go to the senate-house he does not only use the crown to appeal to Caesar. In fact Caesar does not react strongly to the fact he may be offered the crown. Rather, he feels shame for believing the omens and his wife, stating “How foolish do your fears seem now, Calpurnia! / I am ashamed I did yield to them.” (page 31). After Caesar dies, Antony reads his will in front of a crowd of Roman people in order to reveal Caesar’s last noble acts. Caesar loved the Roman people and left the people who loved him back seventy-five drachmas “...To every several man” and parks and gardens for “[the people’s] heirs for ever; common pleasures, / To walk abroad and recreate” (page 51). This proves that he not only loved Rome, but did what he thought was