Brutus: Tragic Hero

In the play, The tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, Marcus Brutus, a real person in ancient Rome, was a honorable man and respected by the people of Rome until he killed his best friend, Caesar, thinking it was for the good of Rome. Brutus is the perfect example of a Shakespearean tragic hero. William Shakespeare’s definition of a tragic hero includes traditional elements. These elements are a person usually of noble birth, one who suffers a catastrophe, and one who has a tragic flaw. In act I, Cassius talks about Brutus’s nobility “You and I have heard our fathers talk of another Brutus-your ancestor-who would’ve let the devil himself reign in his Roman Republic before let a king rule” (Crowther). That ancestor is Junius Brutus who defeated the tyrannical Tarquin Kings and established democracy in Rome. Brutus suffered a catastrophe, and that was he joined with the people who may have killed Caesar for dishonorable reasons for envy and greed. Brutus has a tragic flaw. His tragic flaw was that he is at war with himself. An example of this is in Act I, scene ii when Brutus is talking to Cassius and says “Cassius, don’t misunderstand. If I have seemed distant, it’s because
Brutus wants to maintain the democracy in Rome and wants the best for Rome. On the other hand however, Brutus also does not want to kill his best friend, Caesar. An example of Brutus’s goal of maintaining democracy in Rome is when Brutus said “the only way is to kill caesar. I have no personal reason to strike him-only the best interest of the people”(Crowther). The reader can also see that Brutus does not want to kill Caesar by reading that quote. This quote become a turning point in the play. Shakespeare uses soliloquy to show one a deeper understanding of a character’s inner self. In Act II scene i, Brutus is alone in his orchard thinking about what he should