Brutus the Tragic Hero Essay - 1059 Words

Shakespeare’s complex play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar contains several tragic heroes; a tragic hero holds high political or social esteem yet possesses an obvious character flaw. This discernible hubris undoubtedly causes the character’s demise or a severe forfeiture, which forces the character to undergo an unfeigned moment of enlightenment and shear reconciliation. Brutus, one of these tragic heroes, is a devout friend of the great Julius Caesar, that is, until he makes many execrable decisions he will soon regret; he becomes involved in a plot to kill the omniscient ruler of Rome during 44 B.C. After committing the crime, Mark Antony, an avid, passionate follower of Caesar, is left alive under Brutus’s orders to take his revenge on†¦show more content†¦Similarly, by not destroying Mark Antony along with Caesar, let alone allowing him to speak in Caesar’s funeral, Brutus engineers his future’s demise. â€Å"‘. . . Antony is but a limb of Caesar. Let’s be sacrificers, but not butchers . . . let’s kill him boldly, but not wrathfully . . . and for Mark Antony, think not of him; for he can do no more than Caesar’s arm when Caesar’s head is off’†(916). This is an even greater fallacy than the first. Antony’s rage and passion is enough force alone to drive him and the Roman army to kill every last conspirator, gossiper, and senator who was set against his great Caesar. The fiery drive behind Antony was an imminent threat to Brutus and the conspirators, yet because of Brutus’s flawed logic, Antony lived and they died. Another illustration of this is when Brutus makes the decision to allow the silver tongued Antony to speak in Caesar’s funeral. After a weak, unconvincing speech given by Brutus to the public, Antony takes center stage, capturing the hearts, minds, and attention of the people, essentially turning them on their former leader. â€Å"‘ Oh most bloody sight!’ ‘We will be revenged.’ ‘Revenge! About! Seek! Burn! Fire! Kill! Slay! Let not a traitor live!’†(954). Brutus’s most prominent, fatal flaw is his lack of sound judgment. Furthermore, the climax in Brutus’s journey as a tragic hero is when he ultimately realizes his mistakes and takes full responsibility for them. When the ghost of Caesar appears toShow MoreRelatedWas Brutus A Tragic Hero772 Words   |  4 Pagesthat brutus was just a backstabbing friend, or really a tragic hero? Marcus Brutus from William Shakespeare’s, Julius Caesar, was a tragic hero in my opinion. I am going to try and convince you that he was and why he was a tragic hero in this essay. Brutus meets all of the criteria of a tragic hero. He is arguably the protagonist of the play; he has a fatal flaw that leads to his downfall, which he cannot recover from. He had good qualities like patriotism, and he was honorable. 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While we read through this play we can see many examples of Brutus failuresRead More Brutus is the Tragic Hero of Julius Caesar Essay858 Words   |  4 PagesBrutus is the Tragic Hero of Julius Caesar      Ã‚  Ã‚   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 mostRead MoreThe Tragic Hero Of Marcus Junius Brutus Minor Essay1418 Words   |  6 Pagesblock October 27, 2015 Tragic hero Marcus Junius Brutus Minor was the son of Marcus Junius Brutus Maior and Servilia Caepionis. 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