Julius Caesar is a play deeply concerned with the idea of rhetoric, or persuasion. The play is driven by persuasion. Cassius convinces Brutus that Caesar must die, setting the story in motion. The resolution of the plot is decided by Antony's speech to the plebeians. Shakespeare sees rhetoric as one of the most powerful forces in the world; able to topple kings and crown them.
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.
It is likely that without the presence of Caius Cassius, Brutus never would have even considered murdering Caesar, a man among his most beloved friends. Cassius was one who appeared to make it his own personal duty to plant the seed of deceit within Brutus against Julius Caesar. From only the second scene of the play, Cassius is already speaking ill of Caesar to Brutus. He tells Brutus that he will his be “glass,” or mirror, to reflect to him what Brutus himself cannot see. The following dialogue seems to be set up in a way to manipulate Brutus so that he may join Cassius in his plot against Caesar.
The audience is initially memorized by the Brutus they love, and are grateful for the ‘honorable acts’ he committed. This element of coercion helps him achieve his intentions of blindsiding the people to all aspects of the truth. But no worries, Brutus’ kind friend Antony will be sure uncover all and nothing but the truth for the commoners to second guesses Brutus’ words. 2nd Textual Quotation: “If, then, that friend demands to know why I rose up against Caesar, this is my answer: it’s not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more. Had you rather Caesar were living and die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live all free men?...Who is here so rude that would not be a Roman?
Compare and Contrast Essay for Julius Caesar William Shakespeare penned two of the most famous funeral speeches ever written. Marcus Brutus aimed to persuade his audience that he and his conspirators had good reason to kill Julius Caesar. Mark Antony, speaking second, convinced the crowd that they wronged the beloved Caesar. Brutus and Antony used the rhetorical strategies of rhetorical question, parallel structure, and epistrophe; however Antony’s use of epistrophe was the most effective. Both Mark Antony and Marcus Brutus used the rhetorical question to persuade the crowd that their thoughts were correct.
In the play of Julius Caesar, written by the famous William Shakespeare, it begins with the celebration of Caesar’s arrival after defeating Pompey in battle. After the celebration, omens, and arguments, Brutus along with Cassius and other conspirators murder Caesar. Antony and Octavius go to war against Brutus and Cassius over the matter later on in the play. This story is mostly seen through Brutus’ view; According to Aristotle, tragic heroes are characters that are often noble or great and appear perfect, but have flaw(s) which lead him or her to their unavoidable downfall. The tragic hero’s defeat is partly, if not entirely, the character’s own fault, though the downfall usually is worse than the character deserves.
Yes, he is honoring the gods by taking on this challenge, but he was also promised by Apollo that it is not his fate to die at this time. Therefore, he knows he will defeat the Achaean who steps forward, and he is confident of the honor he will receive when he wins this battle which is, in Hector's words, “what the heart inside me urges” (7.79). Towards the beginning of Hector's speech, he sheds light upon Zeus' impatience with the war when Hector claims, “...and all the Father decrees is death for both sides at once” (7.82). Hector advocates that, in Zeus' eyes, the fighting has gone on long enough, and it is time for things to get serious and the two armies need to reach their final goal in sacking the city of Troy. When Hector begins to speak directly to the Achaean army rather than the entire battlefield, he shows respect to the Greek warriors and admires their honorable individuals.
Tragic Hero Essay A heroic figure that possesses a character flaw which eventually leads up to his or her defeat is know as a tragic hero. This character is known to be both good and noble, but suffers many flaws that do not bring out the best traits that he or she has. In the play “Julius Caesar” by William Shakespeare, Marcus Brutus qualifies to a high extent as the tragic hero. One of Brutus’ flaws has was that he had a lust for power. Others easily manipulated him into any situation, which resulted in him joining the conspiracy.
Brutus's tragic flaw was that he was too trusting. He frankly and honestly felt that he had had to kill Caesar in order to save Rome from tyranny. He trusted Antony not to blame the conspirators in his speech at Caesar's funeral. Antony broke that promise and got Brutus and the others into deep trouble. Brutus also trusted Cassius.
This fools Brutus into thinking he can trust Antony, so he allows him to give a funeral speech over the body of Caesar to a large crowd of Roman citizens. Brutus foolishly assumes that the Roman citizens will listen and heed his words because they were full of truth and reason. He explains to the crowd the reason why he assassinated their much respected leader, saying, “Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.” (Shakespeare 681). Brutus insists that Caesar was a great man, but he was also ambitious. Brutus doesn’t want the Romans to be slaves under Caesar’s leadership.