Brutus doesn’t want the Romans to be slaves under Caesar’s leadership. The citizens cheer for Brutus and his apparent kindness saying that he should be the new Caesar. They believe Brutus’s words and that Caesar was a tyrant who needed to be assassinated. However, the citizens’ fickle attitude shows when Antony gives his funeral speech. Antony tears down Brutus’s defenses saying that Caesar wasn’t ambitious because he thrice refused the crown.
He had to weigh his choices and in Act 3, Scene 2, Brutus kills Caesar only because he is afraid of what will happen to Rome if Caesar remains ruler. He knew the commoners’ lives would be difficult with the ruling of Caesar. This is shown again in the same Act and Scene when Brutus allows Mark Antony to speak at Caesar's funeral even though
Brutus wanted Romans to feel free so they wouldn’t have to die slaves. He needed a conspiracy to show that more than one person wanted Caesar dead. Brutus said that he did love Caesar, but he loved Rome more. Antony was also a friend of Caesar. He was ashamed of Brutus and the other conspirators.
Brutus publically confesses his love for Rome, and by doing so, he reveals that he holds the welfare of the people over his own desires because he knew that assassinating Caesar would make him lose everything. Altruism is the rejection of one’s own desires for selfless concern of the well-being of others. The intentions of Brutus were purely altruistic, and altruism is the highest form of nobility. In Act III, sc. I, line 77 of the play, Brutus delivers Caesars deathblow at which point Caesar exclaimed: “Et the Brute!
His reasoning for killing Caesar was the fact that Caesar was too ambitious. Although this was a good reason it was all an assumption and he gave no evidence on how Caesar was ambitious. Although Brutus did hypothetical situations to the countrymen to convince them further that Caesar could of became a tyrant. For the love of Rome is why Brutus murdered Caesar and that convinced the people that there was no man nobler than Brutus. He had won them over until Antony began his speech.
Gaius Cassius Longinus, the main conspirator in the assassination of Caesar voted to kill Lepidus V as well, but was prevented from doing so by Marcus Junius Brutus, who argued that two killings could no longer be justified as a political coup. After the assassination, the remaining members of the senate worked to keep the peace in Rome. The death of Caesar had greatly upset the middle and lower classes, to the extent of riots and public violence. In a thirst for power, Mark Antony and Lepidus V worked together in secret to turn the Plebeians
He appeals to their emotions by saying that his love to Caesar was no less than that of any dear friend of Caesar’s and that he did this “not that I loved Caesar less but that I loved Rome more. Through this he wants to show that he did not kill Caesar out a jealous rage but rather he did it for the better of the Roman people. This is effective in bringing a solid reasoning to his seemingly crazed killing. Brutus now continues by suggesting that if Caesar were to live they would all become slaves. He questions if anybody there “is so base that would
But he had a decision to make which was if he loved Rome more than he will kill Caesar with the conspirators on the ides of March. Another definition for a tragic hero is that he must be physically or spiritually wounded by his experiences possibly resulting in his death. A quote from Brutus, “Not that I loved Caesar less, but I loved Rome more. Had you rather Caesar were living and die all slaves than that Caesar were dead to live all freemen? As Caesar loved me I weep for him; as he was fortunate, I rejoice it.
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.
Brutus sincerely believes that what he is doing will save Rome. He says himself “Brutus would rather be a villager than the repute himself as a son of Rome.’’ From this quotation, we can see Brutus is a very noble man. Second, Brutus was too trusting. Cassius states: “Be you content. Good Cinna, take this paper, and look you lay it in the praetor’s chair, where Brutus may but find it, and throw this in at his windom.” Cassius forged the letter and Brutus trust Cassius and believes that the people of Rome really want him to kill Caesar.