Macbeth Vs. Brutus

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MMacbeth Vs Brutus Macbeth and Brutus are the tragic heroes in the plays Macbeth and Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. Both of them murder their ruler and have tragic flaws. In Julius Caesar, Brutus helps the conspiracy assassinate the Roman leader, Julius Caesar because he is afraid that Caesar might misuse his power, but later realizes that the murder was not essential. Macbeth murders the King Duncan of Scotland in order to become the king himself. Both characters show signs of guilty conscience later in the play and eventually die for their tragic flaws. Brutus and Macbeth have similar situations; however, there is much difference in the characteristics and personality of the characters. Brutus’s intention is reasonable and straightforward while Macbeth commits the crime because of his ambitious and corrupt characteristics. Brutus murders Caesar for his country and well being of the people whereas Macbeth does it for his own self gain. Brutus is a Roman nobleman who loves his country greatly. He is a good friend of Caesar and has a deep respect for him. But when Caesar tries to take over Rome, he is afraid that Caesar might become corrupted, and all the prosperity and power of Rome might degrade. Although he has never seen Caesar changed by power, he believes that Caesar loves the honor and would do anything for it in the future because he is acquainted with Caesar’s personality. He compares Caesar to the egg of a serpent “which, hatched, would as his kind grow mischievous”; Therefore, he has to “kill him in the shell” (Act II. Scene i. Lines 33–34). His purpose for killing Caesar is purely based on his true patriotic feeling for Rome and nothing else. When rationalizing his crime he says, "If then that friend demand why Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer: not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more."(Act 3, Scene 2, Lines 21-24).
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