Reading first, Brutus enlightened the crowd of Rome’s oppressed fate under Caesar’s reign, and questioned, “…Who here is so vile that will not love his country?” (Julius Caesar Act III. sc iii. lines 23-24). Antony’s rhetorical question was better because he logically disproved Caesar’s kingly ambitions by stating a specific instance. Brutus evoked a feeling of patriotism in the crowd, which may have been more effective if he had spoken second.
Thus, telling him that he is low in status and dishonourable is quite striking to Brutus due to being a righteous soldier and Shakespeare is possibly using this as a way to get him to listen to what Cassius has to say in order to break these weak titles. Thus, this entire quote is hinting that if he doesn’t do anything about Caesar’s power, he will be a dishonourable man of Rome, the country will be controlled by ‘one man’ and he will remain helpless. This
He had won them over until Antony began his speech. Mark Antony started off with a dramatic entrance, he entered the pulpit carrying Caesars lifeless body. Antony then began his speech with a contradiction, he talked about not praising Caesar but throughout most of his speech that is exactly what he did. Not only did he praise Caesar but he also tore at Brutus and the other conspirators image by repetitively and sarcastically calling them “honorable men”. He began to turn the crowd against the conspirators by convincing them that there was nothing ambitious about Caesar and he loved Rome more than he did himself.
Literary texts challenge audiences to question thematic concerns within. Thus, by presenting conflicting perspectives of various characters, events and situations in Julius Caesar, Shakespeare creates a political parable that warns his Elizabethan context of the devastating effects of the Machiavellian struggle for political dominance. Four centuries later, Michael Dobb’s political moral fable novel, House of Cards, and Rob Sitch’s television satire, The Hollowmen, also present conflicting perspectives to present similar thematic concerns, thus demonstrating the diachronic relevancy of Shakespeare. These texts have the moral responsibility to warn contemporaries of the danger of self serving ambition, vengeance and jealousy that lie behind a façade of integrity, tainting social order. In order to warn his audience of the dangers of creating false heroes, Shakespeare presents conflicting perspectives between the illusion of honour, and the private reality of Caesar, who believes himself to be the defender of Roman honour, tradition and democracy.
The ways concepts are represented shape how the audience will perceive them. The central conflict of Julius Caesar, leading to Caesar’s assassination, is the clash of views about how Rome should be governed. Even though it is clear that Shakespeare disapproves of the conspirators and their murder, he also disapproves of Caesar’s manipulation to become sole ruler and is sympathetic to Brutus’ fears about the loss of the republic. On several occasions in the play Caesar is represented as deceptive and insincere, merely acting a part to get what he wants. The rejection of the crown, in particular, shows us Caesar at his most manipulative and self interested.
In contrast to Brutus , Antony speaks to the plebians as if they are his equals . He respects their intelligence to understand a speech given in verse . In a roundabout manner , he needs to use rhetoric to 1) make the people doubt brutus's honor and excuses . 2) to stir pity and increase the achievements of caesar and to 3) incite the crown into mutiny . He starts out by adressing them as "friends" because he wants to come to them as a friend rather than a ruler trying to get power .
Cassius decides to write letters to Brutus that are seemingly written by many angry and bitter yet powerless citizens in an effort to make Brutus believe that killing Caesar is the right, even though not necessarily morally, action to take; as a result the thought of killing Caesar starts to appear as the honorable thing to do. Furthermore Shakespeare comments, “Three parts of him is ours already, and the man entire upon the next encounter yields him ours” (Julius Caesar 1.3.154-156). Cassius believes that they have accomplished in winning over Brutus to their side; therefore, Brutus hass nearly been completely persuaded to commit treason against Caesar. The conspirators
This essay will examine these questions and illustrate the justification of Marcus Brutus betraying and killing Julius Caesar. Marcus Brutus is sometimes considered to be a “tragic hero” because of the role he played in the assassination of Caesar, the tragedy of his father’s death and the outcome of his choices in life. Looking into the underlying flaws within the tragic hero reviles a trustworthy nature which inhibits his ability to judge the character of others. Plutarch described Brutus as a marvelous lowly and gentle person, noble minded, and would never be in any rage, nor carried away with pleasure and covetousness; but had an upright mind and would never yield to any wrong or injustice. Brutus' tragic flaw is that he is nationalistic, very gullible, and is too honest.
He was, arguably, ell bent on a path of war, not the type to hesitate to take what he wanted by force. Caesar had crushed Pompey, another supposedly honorable man, as well as his army. He was also of the “falling sickness” or epilepsy, and this would have inhibited his abilities as a tactful and empowering ruler of Rome. Even Marc Antony and Octavius, Caesar’s closest friend and his nephew, had considered Brutus an honorable Roman in the end, to the point of housing his lifeless body within Octavius’ tent, a standard only for the bravest of
In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Brutus is the first to speak about the assasination, he gives a reasoned prose speech that convinces the crowd Caesar had to die. He gives the Romans reasons for the plans made and then carried out in killing Caesar, telling them 'he was ambitious' and tries to sway them into believing it was for the benefit of Rome by contrasting the idea that "it is not that [he] loved Caesar less, but that [he] loved Rome more". Brutus' oratory skills and emotional appeal stir the hearts and play on the Roman people's regard for their civic freedoms leaving them to agree with everything Brutus says. The people do not want to 'die as slaves'