Is Brutus A Hero Or A Villain

Gladys Butler
Korey
March 1st, 2023

In life, nothing is ever truly black or white. In Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, the complicated character Brutus can be seen as both a hero and a villian. He is a hero because he attempted to end the tyranny in Rome, but he is also a villain because he murdered his best friend which led to chaos and destruction in his country. Brutus’ attempt to prevent tyranny in Rome and his selfless love for Rome can give him a heroic image in the play. He was the only conspirator who decided to kill Caesar for the good of Rome, and not for personal gain. In act five Antony states, “This was the noblest Roman of them all. | All the conspirators save only he | Did that they did in envy of the great Caesar; | He, only in general honest thought | And common good to all, made one of them” (Shakespeare 68-72). Furthermore, Brutus just wanted to save

This act can seem villainous because Brutus’ actions did more good than bad. In act three after Antony’s speech the citizens cried, “Revenge! About! Seek! Burn! Fire! Kill Slay! Let not a traitor live!” (Shakespeare 201-202). Evidently, the anger that radiates off the crowd can represent all of the damage the murder of Caesar has created. This was the worst thing that Brutus had done because he did the exact opposite of what he was aiming to do, and killed the person he loved the most in the process. Branching off of that, Brutus killed his father figure and best friend because of a fear that he and others had. After Caesar realized Brutus was in on his murder, you could feel the hurt of the betrayal through the text, “Et tu, Brute?” (Shakespeare 78). This line captures the extent of Brutus’ betrayal and highlights his villainous qualities. As was said, Brutus ended up doing more harm than good and hurt a person he cared about in the process, which makes him