“Et tu brute?” With this question, Caesar draws our attention to Brutus, the real protagonist of this play (Crowther). Caesar is more of a passive figure around which the action of the play revolves. He is not the catalyst for the action and there is not much insight into his character. Brutus is the real protagonist of the play because of his loyalty, arrogance and nobility. Brutus’ loyalty establishes him as a true protagonist. First, he is loyal to his dear friend Caesar and loyal to his country. “Brutus states that he loves Caesar” (Julius). As the plot to murder Caesar develops, Brutus has to balance his personal loyalties with his loyalty to country. “Brutus fought in the civil war not for the political power he might gain but for the common good of the Roman people and for the continuation of the Roman Republic”(Julius). …show more content…
“Brutus' hubris derives from his arrogance” (Julius). “Brutus commits disastrous acts of misjudgment while exhibiting signs of extreme self-confidence”(Hudson).“He is also so sure of the virtue of Caesar's assassination that he does not believe anyone can convince the Roman people that Caesar's death was murder. So unaware is he that he allows Antony to speak to the crowd, convinced that not only Antony but also the people will be loyal to the cause” (Julius). He is extremely arrogant to his wife, Portia. “She knows something is bothering her husband and is hurt that Brutus does not open up to her” (Shakespeare). Portia feels very hurt by this and “Brutus learns that Portia has died; a little later, he learns that Portia's death was a
I. Introduction In the wake of perusing Julius Caesar by Shakespeare there are numerous verbal confrontations on regardless of whether Brutus was a loyalist or a double-crosser. He did everything possible to secure his nation. He indicated genuine fearlessness and grit when his companion was yielded for what he thought was more note worthy’s benefit of society. Truly, Brutus was a nationalist.
In Act 3 Scene 2 Brutus said during his speech, “If that friend then demands to know why Brutus turned against Caesar, this is my answer: Not because I cared for Caesar less, but because I cared for Rome more”. Brutus had courage to kill Caesar, not because he wanted to, but for the good of Rome and its people. During the entirety of the story, Brutus
Change is inevitable. In the play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, many characters changed drastically throughout this work. Some Changed for the good, and some changed for the bad. The character that changed the most was the brave and noble, Marcus Brutus. This primary character was the protagonist that deception and manipulation had changed him internally and externally and caused him to murder his lifelong friend, and coworker, Julius Caesar.
Brutus gave up his morals and allegiance to Caesar because he believed it would support Rome. He was set up by Cassius, who placed letters from "citizens" in strategic locations. This is done to convince Brutus that Rome wants him to betray them and sacrifice his friendship
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
Brutus is the main protagonist of the play because he is a part of the conspiracy and prevents Rome from getting angry over the death of Caesar. In the beginning of the play, Cassius tries to convince Brutus to join the conspirators. Cassius says to him that all of Rome respects him and calls him
After the conspiracy he is considered a murderer and flees his own country, eventually committing suicide. “I would not Cassius, yet I love him well.” (I.II.83), “I killed not thee with half so good a will.” Dies (V.V.51). These two quotes strongly highlight Brutus ' change throughout the play.
In William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Brutus’ involvement with the conspiracy has made him impatient and secretive towards Portia, in which is weakening their marriage. In Act 2, scene 1, Portia has noticed Brutus’ odd behavior and attitude, so she claims that “I should not know you, Brutus”(255). Brutus is slowly becoming unrecognizable to Portia, for he is now short-tempered and disrespectful to her by angrily waving his hand to make her leave the room. Their marriage is based love and respect for each other; however as Brutus continue to be involved with the scheme, their marriage slowly crumbles. Brutus is alienating and not taking care of himself because of his association with the conspiracy; which leads Portia to become more concerned
He is devoted and utterly selfless for the good of his country. For instance, Brutus stabs Caesar because he is tricked into thinking that the citizens fear Caesar. Keeping this in mind, Brutus kills Caesar to satisfy and ease his people, demonstrating that he prioritizes his country over his friendship with Caesar. Though Brutus ended Caesar’s life, Brutus still holds some loyalty to friends and says, “Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved/ Rome more.” (3.2.50-60)
(II, i, 53-55) which allows to say that he wants Rome to be just and do whatever it takes to maintain it away from any threat. Indeed, Brutus states this very clearly when he says, “If it’s for the good of all Romans, I’d do it even if it meant my death. Let the gods give me good luck only as long as I love honor more than I fear death.” (I, ii, 86-88), he explicitly says that the good of the majority is over any feeling or personal benefit which in this case is the love of Caesar for him and viceversa, and the throne. To conclude, Brutus is a complex character that is characterized by three recurrent traits: his well-intention, his hypocrisy, and his naivet.
Finally, the third reason that Brutus is a hero is because he process several heroic qualities and attributed unlike the other conspirators and characters in the play. Therefore, it is clear that despite different opinions regarding the character of Brutus he is the hero of Julius Caesar. (7 sentences) 168 Brutus is a hero through and through in Julius Caesar, it is clear that he is a hero because he repetitively stands up for what he believes in, no matter the circumstances or the people who will be effected by his actions. Brutus believes that Rome should be run by a voting system and of group of senates instead of one man who holds all the power. When Brutus states “Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.
Brutus is the last person to stab Caesar in Shakespeare’s version. After being stabbed by Brutus, Caesar died with the last words of “Et tu, Brute” (3.1.79). Caesar likely said nothing after his death. Many believe “Caesar was in much distress after everyone else attacked him” (O’Leary). William Shakespeare only added the line for dramatic effect and to show how Caesar felt about Brutus’s betrayal.
Brutus has negatively affected the outlook of Rome and created more harm than good for the situation. Not only did it harm Rome, but it brought his own demise and hallucinations of Caesar’s ghost. Brutus’s speech to the plebeians after Caesar’s death, about his dilemma and his viewpoint towards Caesar, influenced the viewpoints of the plebeians and causes them to believe he is the best roman until Antony speaks to them. Brutus’s idealism led to his own death later on and brought him more misery than his idealism could
Brutus was a lifetime friend of Caesar 's that was deceived by a man that feared tyranny to betray Caesars trust and become an accomplice to his murder. “Not that I loved Caesar less, but I loved Rome more.” (III, II, 21-22). Brutus loved Rome more than Caesar and he
Brutus is an honorable man who respects the people of Rome and will do whatever it takes to keep the peace. When he realizes his best friend is becoming too powerful he decides to take matters into his own hands. Caesar’s Ambition had him killed by one of the most respectable