Brutus is the Tragic Hero of Julius Caesar Essay - 858 Words

Brutus is the Tragic Hero of Julius Caesar Shakespeares play Julius Caesar is a tragic play, where the renowned Julius Caesar is on the brink of achieving total control and power by becoming emperor of the Roman Empire. Ironically enough, when he thinks he is one step away from pulling it off, his friends (most from the senate) decide to overthrow him, with Caesars most trusted friend, Marcus Brutus, acting as leader of the conspirators. Though the fall of Caesar from the most powerful man in the world to a man whos been betrayed and stabbed 30 times is a great downfall, he is not the tragic hero. Shakespeares main focus is Marcus Brutus, a noble man who brings upon himself a great misfortune by his own actions,†¦show more content†¦Moreover, Brutus is a high-powered man who holds great prestige before all Romans because of his nobility. As noble and great as Brutus might be, all tragic heroes have some tragic flaws and make some errors of judgment, which leads them to their downfall. In this case Brutuss great flaw is that he is too honorable, and hes too naà ¯ve when he is dealing with people. An example of an error of judgment is when Brutus underestimates Antony, and thinks him incapable of being dangerous after Caesars death, For Antony is but a limb of Caesar...he can do no more than Caesars arm When Caesars head is off. This turns out not to be the case. One example of Brutuss excessive honor being damaging to him, is when he decides that only Caesar should die and no one else even if they seem to threaten his cause, as Cassius warns repeatedly that Antony does. Brutuss poor decision-making and faults bring about his downfall, though they alone are not totally responsible. Brutus decision to exempt Antony and let him make a speech in Caesars funeral incites the crowd to go against the conspirators. This brings Antony to great power, which he then uses to pursue all the conspirators. Brutuss dire decisions bring about many misfortunes for Brutus. The first tragedy Brutus encounters is the disturbing death of his beloved wife, Portia,Show MoreRelated Julius Caesar Essay: Brutus as the Tragic Hero1043 Words   |  5 PagesBrutus as the Tragic Hero of Julius Caesar  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   Shakespeare’s tragedy, Julius Caesar, displays Brutus as a tragic hero, blinded loyalty and devotion. Brutuss heroic belief of honor and virtue was so powerful that it drove him to perform villainous actions and lead to his destruction. The tragic hero is presented as a person neither entirely good nor entirely evil, who is led by some tragic flaw to commit an act that results in suffering and utter defeat. (Morner, Kathleen RauschRead MoreJulius Caesar: Who is the Better Tragic Hero, Caesar or Brutus?1446 Words   |  6 PagesThe Search for the Perfect Hero In the world today people consider a hero to be someone like Superman or Spider-Man. 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