Julius Ceaser

Marcus Tullius Cicero once said “Nothing is more noble than fidelity. Faithfulness and truth are the most sacred excellences of the human mind.” Marcus is expressing that being loyal to someone was top priority in a relationship; he viewed it as a sacred act and a honorable trait for any human to have. I share a similar opinion in this regard; faithfulness, honesty and loyalty are the core components to any relationship, without any of these components a relationship cannot thrive. In Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare, the character Brutus was an ignoble friend. Brutus lacked loyalty and faithfulness to his friend Julius. His disloyalty moved him to turn his back against Julius and kill his best friend without any remorse. Brutus could never be honest with his wife Portia after the many requests made by her. Character Portia is portrayed with nobility. To prove her loyalty to her husband Brutus she stabbed her thigh with a knife to show him that she would rather suffer pain then to betray his trust.

Shakespeare characterizes Brutus as ignoble, because this character doesn’t portray the three qualities of loyalty honesty, and faithfulness. He isn’t as honorable as he is featured to be, I personally agree. For example when Brutus says “It must be by his death and for my part I know no personal cause to spurn at him But for the general.” It shows how he was trying to justify his disloyalty and unfaithfulness to Julius Caesar. Secondly, during the stabbing of Julius Caesar, Brutus had an opportunity to spare Caesars life. He further showed his disloyalty by taking Caesar's life. Thirdly, despite Portia’s devotion to her husband he could not bring himself to make her happy by being honest with her. This is shown by her words “Tell me your counsels. I will not disclose 'em. I have made strong proof of my constancy, giving myself a voluntary wound here in the thigh. Can I bear that with patience, and not my husband’s secrets?”

Shakespeare characterizes Portia as