Preview

Julius Caesar- Brutus & Cassius: Who Is the better leader?

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2170 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Julius Caesar- Brutus & Cassius: Who Is the better leader?
In William Shakespeare?s Julius Caesar, Brutus and Cassius are very influential characters. Each character makes many mistakes with the assassination plans and the strategies at Philippi. Each man has his reasons for their mistakes, if it is either their idealism, being uncompassionate or not, fully thinking for their actions. Brutus and Cassius are very contrasting people; one man is better suited to be a leader of a battle and an Empire, than the other. That man is: Marcus Brutus. Although Brutus makes many consequential mistakes, his errors are made because his nobleness outranks his intelligence. Whereas for Cassius, his mistakes are made from poor decision making. Brutus himself knows that he is often too honourable and not as realistic as he should be. ?I am not gamesome; I do lack some part / Of that quick spirit that is in Antony? [Act I, Scene II, L 28 ? 29]. By knowing this, that makes Brutus a better and stronger leader, since he is able to admit to his weakness.

Cassius is a very mischief person. His reasons to assassinate Caesar are far less noble than them of Brutus. Cassius?s intentions to kill Caesar are of jealousy. He is jealous that has become more powerful than Cassius. As well he is selfish in his reasons for the killing. Earlier in the times of Pompey, Cassius fought against Caesar. Which demonstrates him wanting Caesar dead. He shows his jealousy/selfishness towards Caesar to Brutus. ?For once, upon a raw and gusty day, / The troubled Tiber chaffing with her shores, / Caesar said to me ?Dar?st thou, Cassius, now / Leap in with me into this angry flood, / And swim to yonder point?? Upon the word, / Accoutred as I was, I plunged in / And bade him follow; so indeed he did. / The torrent roar?d, and we did buffet it / With lusty sinews, throwing it aside / And stemming it with hearts of controversy; / But ere we could arrive the point propose?d, / Caesar cried ? Help me, Cassius, or I sink!? / I, as Aeneas, our great ancestor, / Did from the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Julius Caesar Composition

    • 600 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In “Julius Caesar” Cassius is willing to do anything to make Brutus the ruler and convince Brutus to help him kill Caesar. For example, Cassius tells Brutus that people are talking about him and says “I have heard where many of the best respect in Rome, speaking Brutus”(I, II, 58-60). It shows that the people of Rome want Brutus to be the ruler of Rome. This shows that Cassius want Brutus to be…

    • 600 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Free Will In Julius Caesar

    • 1009 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Cassius begins the conspiracy, inciting the conflict with Mark Antony which escalates to war. During battle, Brutus hopes to “end that work the Ides of March begun” (V i 113), as all of the trouble has been caused by the plot to kill Caesar, which Cassius initiates. Cassius continues on the fights when he is “levying powers” (IV i 42), which means he is raising an army to fight Mark Antony. Cassius could have left Rome in Mark Antony’s hands and fled, saving his life in the process, but instead he chooses to rage war against him and Octavius. It is Cassius’ pride and ambition for the power over Rome that leads to his death. Finally, Cassius chooses to take his own life. He decides he is “fresh of spirit and resolv’d/ to meet all perils very constantly” (V i 90-91) before the battle has even begun, accepting his upcoming death. Cassius conspires to kill a man, then wages a war against the man’s avengers. He finally understands mistake by the end, calling out “Caesar, thou art reveng’d/ even with the sword that kill’d thee” (V iii 45-46). Cassius was the root of the dilemmas of the tragedy, and ended his life because of…

    • 1009 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Cassius admits that Caesar is treated like a god and recalls events of Caesar’s physical weakness. Caesar was a powerful man who planned to become the supreme ruler of the Roman Empire in order to solve the many economic, political and military problems the empire was against. While, there were people that feared such a powerful man because this dictator threatened his/her position. Cassius voices his reason for Caesar being unfit to rule, Cassius says, “Men at some time are masters of their fates: The fault, Dear Brutus is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings” (Shakespeare, I, i, 139-141). Saying that it is not his/her fate to blame, but that is his/her own fault that they have not done anything to make them great. Cassius blames his and Brutus’s lack of will to grant Caesar to power. Cassius and Brutus’s jealously of Caesar makes it unjustifiable to kill him. In her article, Alice Shalvi argues, “Shakespeare implicitly condemns the conspiracy, then, on two scores: firstly, because it inevitably involves moral corruption even in the best and noblest of men and, secondly, because murder is always no matter in what…

    • 545 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Cassius vs Brutus

    • 379 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Cassius formed the conspiracy with motives based solely on envy, and he believed that Caesar was not going to be a good enough ruler. He says: "...it doth amaze me A man of such feeble temper should So get the start of the majestic world And bear the palm alone." (I,ii,128-31) Cassius also thought that he was also much stronger than Caesar. Cassius says: "...Caesar said to me, `Dearest thou, Cassius, now Leap in with me into this angry flood, And swim to yonder point?' Upon the word Accoutred as I was, I plunged in and bade him follow; so indeed he did. The torrent roared...but ere we could arrive the point proposed, Caesar cried, `Help me Cassius, or I sink.'...So from the waves of Tiber Did I the tired Caesar: and this man Is now become a god and Cassius is A wretched creature...". (I,ii,102-117) Cassius had to save Caesar from the river, which draws him to the conclusion that he deserves recognition for his strength over Caesar. One of Brutus' flaws is that he is not very bright. He is an idealist; he doesn't think about the consequences of Caesar's murder. For example, when Cassius presented the idea of swearing an oath of secrecy within the conspiracy, Brutus assumes that all of the other men were as noble as he and would not tell…

    • 379 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the play “Julius Caesar”, the decision to murder him was made because of jealousy for a several reasons. Cassius’ jealousy is one reason that Caesar was killed. “And this man is now become a god, and Cassius is a wretched creature” (Shakespeare, 1.2.115-117). This quote shows how Cassius wants the nobility of Caesar, and his power. One of the reasons that Julius Caesar was killed was because Cassius believed that Caesar wasn’t fit for the position of ruler of Rome. He wanted Brutus to become as powerful as Caesar almost was. “Brutus and Caesar: what should be in that ‘Caesar’? Why should that name be sounded more than yours? (Shakespeare, 1.2.142-143). This quotation is basically Cassius asking Brutus why he is no better than Caesar, and why Caesar gets the amazing power that he does, and not Brutus. He tried to trigger the thought in Brutus’ head that he could be just as good or a better ruler than Caesar, which is what Cassius wants for his plot to kill Caesar. Also, Brutus displays some jealousy of Caesar; despite saying he has no jealousy for the man. “I am nothing jealous” (Shakespeare, 1.2.163), “I will consider; what you have to say I will with patience hear” (Shakespeare, 1.2.167-169). This shows that Brutus does want to listen to what Cassius has to say about Caesar and how he thinks Brutus would be a better leader than him. These points explain how jealousy was a main factor in the plot to murder Caesar, and how facts about the…

    • 682 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Brutus loves Caesar so much, he will do almost anything for him, but Caesar was reaching close to becoming a king, and Brutus feared for the Roman Citizens. “What means this shouting? I do fear the people choose Caesar for their king.” (1:2:85-86) Cassius listens to what Brutus says, and prepared to build up his argument against Caesar. Brutus still loved Caesar, but Cassius’ lying and manipulating convinced Brutus to finally join the conspirators. After Brutus has received the letter Cassius wrote as another individual for him, he decided to do something about Caesar. Brutus participated in the murder of Caesar purely for the greater good of Rome.…

    • 986 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Cassius is jealous of Caesar and only wants to keep his wealth and lifestyle. For political…

    • 888 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Cassius on the other hand tries to get Brutus to agree with him on several occasions but gets turned down every time. “Cassius: Let Antony and Caesar fall together. Brutus: Our course will seem too bloody, Caius Cassius,/ To cut the head then hack the limbs,/... Let us be sacrificers not butcherers, Caius.” (Act II, I, 173-179) Cassius tries to convince Brutus to kill Antony along with Caesar because he is afraid Antony would turn the crowds against them, unfortunatly Brutus ignores him and Antony does exactly that.…

    • 550 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Cassius Domino Effect

    • 805 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Cassius’s is seen as the leader of the conspirators, the manipulative master behind the cruel plan. He, with many others, disdain Caesar for his arrogance, yet Cassius encompasses the same exact trait. His arrogance is shown in Act I, when he and Brutus are talking, and Cassius notices the unease in Brutus’ eyes when they believe Caesar is crowned. He says, “I was born as free as Caesar,” (1.2, 104). In this speech Cassius is trying to convey the idea that Brutus is as good as Caesar so that Brutus will be more inclined to join the conspiracy, but Cassius uses the first comparison of Caesar to explain that Caesar is no better than he. His cunning, manipulative nature bleeds through in his very first speech, his arrogance is clearly shown and his motives laid down. Cassius’ jealousy leads to his revulsion of Caesar. Only Caesar’s death being the answer to Cassius’ insecurities.…

    • 805 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Continuing that, although it is Cassius who first approaches Brutus and tries to persuade him to join their cause, he has previously already given some thought to the notion of killing Caesar. He says to Cassius, “What you would work me to, I have some aim. How I have thought of this and of these times, I shall recount hereafter.” These lines show that before Cassius even talked to Brutus about removing Caesar, he had already come to that conclusion by himself. Most people tend to think that it was Cassius’s words that made Brutus…

    • 532 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Marc Antony, Brutus, and Cassius are all critical characters in William Shakespeare’s famous play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. Due to their distinctive personalities and values, there is no trait that all of these characters share, although they do share some traits with one another. Firstly, Marc Antony and Cassius are manipulative in nature, while Brutus is not. Secondly, the root of Brutus and Cassius’ failure is their personality flaw, while Marc Antony proves strong in all the ways they prove weak. Lastly, Antony and Cassius, unlike Brutus, do not separate their private affairs from their public actions while acts only with honor and virtue and completely ignores his personal concerns.…

    • 642 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    At the beginning of the book Brutus wants to kill Caesar. He wants to do this for the good of the people. He truly and honestly thinks that if he kills Caesar that the town will be better off. I don't think that he is trying to be rude or trying to sabotage. He is scared that if Caesar becomes king that the town won't be ruled by and noble and good person. He says "if it be aught toward the general good" (1,2, pg.8 line 19). this shows that he really thinks killing Caesar is for the better of the town. he also gets Cassius on his side to kill Caesar. Cassius didn't want to kill Caesar in the first place. Then when Brutus told him what he was doing and why, it made Cassius more willing to do so. "Then Brutus I miss took your passion" (1,2, pg.7 line 15). That shows a lot of Brutus actions in the first part of the book.…

    • 561 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Julius Caesar Flaws

    • 766 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Killing Caesar was not a thoughtful decision, however it shows Brutus embodied the tragic flaw of pride. The flaw of pride originated when Brutus got too caught up in the conspiracy. When Cassius dropped off the letters forged by the Roman people to Brutus, the letters were planted to give pride and honor to Brutus. Cassius’s tactic flattered Brutus, as his pride was unstoppable. Brutus joined the conspiracy not because he “loved Caesar less, but loved Rome more” ( Shakespeare 151). He joins under the impression to prevent Caesar’s tyranny, to save the people Rome. Once allied into the conspiracy, his trust is gained towards the motive of the…

    • 766 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    He knew he couldn’t live his life like this if he were the king of Rome. So, I believe, he told Cassius to kill him on the “ides of March” wearing a purple robe, which showed his wealth, and to be with the Queen of Egypt, which showed his royalty. But why would he not kill himself if it was honorable then? I think he didn’t believe he was honorable enough to do so because he may have known he was not doing a good job and felt he is making the people and senators dislike his ways. Also he could of thought what Brutus believes in the story, “It’s for the good of Rome”. So, Cassius then accepted his order, but changed a few things. Instead of killing Caesar at the time he wanted to be killed at, Cassius wanted to kill him earlier in the same day so Caesar wouldn’t either change his mind or do something stupid at the last minute that would get him in…

    • 1031 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Cassius didn’t like Caesar personally. Cassius has his negative aspects. Cassius is a passionate and devious manipulator striving to use Brutus to gain his ends. According to the text, Cassius wrote letters stating that they’re from the people of Rome and sends them to Brutus to make it seem like the people of Rome are concerned about Caesar’s power. Cassius believes that the nobility of Rome are responsible for the government of Rome.…

    • 318 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays