The Tragedy Of Marcus Brutus In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar
The Tragedy of Marcus Brutus
At times it seemed as if Julius Caesar and Marcus Brutus’ fortunes are tied to each other. While one is successful, the other has to make sacrifices. Brutus sides with Pompey, and then Caesar kills his ally. Both of their lives are complicated and entwined into a horrible, confusing mess. Caesar is adored by the people who give him power, and then Brutus kills him. They are never quite on the same page at the same time. Still, they suffer together, in varying degrees. Caesar sees all of his friends betray him, but Brutus sees all of his friends turn into a shell of themselves and soon pass away. Undeniably, Brutus’ tragedy is more intense and drawn out than Caesar’s.
Rome, the city that Brutus loves, turns its back on him. He is descended from the man who …show more content…
Brutus is a believer in the philosophy of Stoicism; Mastin reports that this emphasizes the importance of ethics and reason. It is a way of life that requires devotion and perseverance, and Brutus is no stranger to obstination. If he believes it to be right, he will devote himself to pursuing it. He truly feels that he is acting to protect Rome from tyranny. When he suspects that Cassius is accepting bribes, he tells him to remember the day that they killed Caesar (IV. iii. 18-19). Brutus feels the need to remind Cassius that what they did was in the name of justice, so they should continue to reflect their devotion to order in their own actions. He still wants to feel as if he is a good man despite what he did to his friend. In the rest of his life after Caesar’s death, Brutus questions his morals and doubts his virtue. This brings such pain, that in the final scene of Act V, his last words are the apology, “Caesar, now be still: / I kill’d not thee with half so good a will.” His actions are so torturous that they unceasingly weigh on him. He continues to see ghosts and is crippled by guilt until his final
At times it seemed as if Julius Caesar and Marcus Brutus’ fortunes are tied to each other. While one is successful, the other has to make sacrifices. Brutus sides with Pompey, and then Caesar kills his ally. Both of their lives are complicated and entwined into a horrible, confusing mess. Caesar is adored by the people who give him power, and then Brutus kills him. They are never quite on the same page at the same time. Still, they suffer together, in varying degrees. Caesar sees all of his friends betray him, but Brutus sees all of his friends turn into a shell of themselves and soon pass away. Undeniably, Brutus’ tragedy is more intense and drawn out than Caesar’s.
Rome, the city that Brutus loves, turns its back on him. He is descended from the man who …show more content…
Brutus is a believer in the philosophy of Stoicism; Mastin reports that this emphasizes the importance of ethics and reason. It is a way of life that requires devotion and perseverance, and Brutus is no stranger to obstination. If he believes it to be right, he will devote himself to pursuing it. He truly feels that he is acting to protect Rome from tyranny. When he suspects that Cassius is accepting bribes, he tells him to remember the day that they killed Caesar (IV. iii. 18-19). Brutus feels the need to remind Cassius that what they did was in the name of justice, so they should continue to reflect their devotion to order in their own actions. He still wants to feel as if he is a good man despite what he did to his friend. In the rest of his life after Caesar’s death, Brutus questions his morals and doubts his virtue. This brings such pain, that in the final scene of Act V, his last words are the apology, “Caesar, now be still: / I kill’d not thee with half so good a will.” His actions are so torturous that they unceasingly weigh on him. He continues to see ghosts and is crippled by guilt until his final