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!
A tragic hero is characterized as good and noble. Brutus shows this characteristic, but he is too noble. He loves Rome and he is will to do everything for Rome. Brutus has nothing against Caesar personally, but he is afraid that Caesar will become too ambitious which is not good for Rome, so he kills his friend Caesar. Brutus sincerely believes that what he is doing will save Rome.
“Let’s kill him boldly, but not wrathfully. Let’s carve him as a dish fit for the gods, not hew him as a carcass fit for the gods” (act 2.1 172-174). This is a quote directly from Brutus speaking to the conspirators on the night before the ides of March. This is showing Brutus’ leadership of men. 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.
He would only try to win the crowd and use them for his own good. The honorable Brutus saved Rome by killing Caesar. If Caesar didn’t need to die then why did he accept that he was going to die? Caesar said, “Et tu, Brute? Then fall Caesar.”(3.1.85) When he said that, he was saying that he was okay with dying by his friend, Brutus.
Initially, Brutus was a man for the people who did what he believed was necessary. Cassius had forced Brutus into thinking that Caesar was in fact ambitious, Brutus believed him and thought that by murdering Caesar, it would save the lives of the Roman people in the long run. Whereas many of the conspirators killed Caesar because they feared the possibility of him becoming too powerful, Brutus killed him so the people could someday live freely. Brutus loved Caesar dearly, in yet he still had the Roman people in his heart as his first priority. Additionally, Brutus died for his people.
Antony was the person who instigated the war. If they had killed him, he would not have had the chance to turn the people against the conspirators. Another mistake Brutus made, was that he allowed Antony to speak in Caesar's funeral. When the conspirators were discussing it, Cassius thought it to be a bad idea, but Brutus, as naive and trusting as he is, said yes, but only as long as Antony let him speak first and promised not to say anything bad about them. When they left, Antony, in his soliloquy, spoke of revenge.
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.
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.
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.
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.