The Tragedy of Julius Caesar depicts the rise and fall of great leaders whose character traits can be seen as strengths but also as their biggest weaknesses. This play by William Shakespeare is about the tragedy of Julius Caesar but it is also the tragedy of Brutus. Brutus shows his battle between his friendship with Caesar and the greater good of the Romans through the internal conflicts his has with himself.
Brutus’ most prevalent downfalls within the play are his honor and idealism. From the beginning of the play Brutus has an internal conflict with giving his support to Caesar as king because he is a friend and believing that he is not what is best for the Romans ( Act 1 : Scene 2: Lines 83- 89). Brutus’ friendship with Caesar comes into play with Brutus’ choices and in some instances is used as an excuse for Brutus to not lose his principles while others try to persuade him into undergoing in dishonorable tasks.
The loyalty Brutus has for his fellow Romans outweighed that for his friend Caesar. When the forged letter from Roman citizens arrives Brutus is forced into finally making a decision about which direction he will choose. (Act 2: Scene 1: Lines 44- 58) This scene shows how easily persuaded and manipulated Brutus was because he had no thoughts on where the letter came from but took it as a personal calling for him to get rid of Caesar for the good of the Roman people. The extreme case of Brutus’ idealism is shown and brought forth through this scene. Even after Brutus has joined the conspirator’s side his honor and friendship to Caesar still influence his decisions (Act 2: Scene 1: Lines 163- 184). Brutus makes the fatal error of not wanting to kill Mark Antony along with Caesar and his honor and naïve idealism get in the way of tactical decision making.
Brutus’ attitude begins to take a turn as the assassination of Caesar is underway. After the assassination (Act 3: Scene 1: Lines 104- 111) Brutus feels confident that the public will understand the reasons behind the death of Caesar and his idealism again comes into play with his belief that allowing Antony permission to speak at Caesar’s funeral will strengthen the image of the conspirators. Woodrow Wilson was a person in history whose idealism was in the forefront of all of his decisions. Wilson’s actions, ideas were guided by his morals and principles. Unlike Brutus, Wilson’s idealism was not his downfall but in turn it was what made him great. Though Woodrow Wilson had opponents that felt instead of focusing on idealistic things he should focus on strategic plans. Through Wilson’s idealism he tried to bring about freedom, justice and peace to the world. ("Woodrow Wilson - Biography". Nobelprize.org. 1 Mar 2013 http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1919/wilson-bio.html)
Brutus’ tragic flaw was his idealism. Throughout the play his idealism led him to make unfit choices which later were his downfall. In the end Brutus believed he was doing what was best for the greater good of Rome. Brutus tried to see the best in every situation which led him to make poor decisions but through it all he tried to lead with his morals and principles. Even at death Brutus was still the noblest Roman of them all.
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