The Three Mistakes of Brutus In the play Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, Brutus makes three important mistakes that lead to his ultimate demise. Brutus makes the mistakes of letting Marc Antony give a funeral oration over the body of Julius Caesar, refusing to kill Marc Antony, and joining the conspiracy to assassinate Julius Caesar. Brutus allowing Marc Antony to give his funeral oration to the citizens of Rome is a grave mistake with many severe consequences. When Antony hears about the assassination of Caesar, he sends word to Brutus and the conspirators that he loved Caesar but will now vow to serve Brutus if Brutus promises not to punish him for being once loyal to Caesar. 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 questions the national pride and character of the Roman citizens when he asks who “is so base that would be a bondman…so rude that would not be a Roman… [and] so vile that will not love his country?” Brutus utilizes an anthypophora to confirm his nationalist feelings toward Rome and impose his reasoning behind Caesar’s death on the citizens, not allowing them to voice their own opinions. By expressing his love for Rome as his justification for killing Caesar and questioning the nationalist qualities of a Roman, Brutus utilizes a tactic that does not allow the Romans to challenge his opinion, but rather convinces the citizens to unite under their mutual love for Rome. Marc Antony, however, applies a different persuasion tactic as he repeatedly asks the commoners if “this
After the climactic point in the play, Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, the characters Brutus and Antony both give speeches at Julius Caesar’s funeral. Brutus’ purpose in making this speech is to put the plebeians’ minds at ease and to explain why Julius Caesar was just assassinated. Brutus shows his love for the people of Rome to show that all he wants is to better the audience's lives. Antony has a much more sinister purpose for making his speech and that purpose is to seek revenge upon the people that have killed Caesar. He uses a sorrowful tone to bring out the anger within the plebeians.
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
In Caesar’s funeral oration, Antony abides by his agreement with Brutus not to place blame on the conspirators. However, he manages to turn the mob against them. How does he manage to do this? Use examples from the speech to support your answers. Julius Caesar is a play deeply concerned with the idea of rhetoric, or persuasion.
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
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.
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.
Additionally, Brutus died for his people. Brutus recited following the death of Caesar. you will remember something that Brutus promised everyone. Brutus ended that speech saying “With this I depart, that, as I slew my best lover for the good of Rome, I have the same dagger for myself when it shall please my country to need my death.” The people had all been at war just a few days ago, and Brutus realized that the only way lives could be saved was to kill him self, which would then end the battles. Brutus did as he promised by killing himself with the very dagger he had used to kill Caesar.
Thou art fled to brutish beasts, and men have lost their reason. Bear with me; my heart is in the coffin there with Caesar, and I must pause till it come back to me” (3.2.103-106). However, Brutus had a more difficult job as he had to convince the crowd to forgive him for the murder of the head of the Roman Empire. “Had you rather Caesar were living and die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live all free men” (3.2.20-21). One of the rhetorical appeals that Antony used in his speech was pathos.