Cassius Manipulation of Brutus, the Noblest Roman of Them...

Brutus is a good man who is easily turned evil by men filled with abhorrence and jealousy. In the play, Julius Caesar, Brutus is a Roman who is easily manipulated, decisive, and proud. These contradicting traits of Brutus show us why the reader does not want to believe that Brutus is an antagonist in the story. Brutus is shown as being easily manipulated in the play. This trait is shown a few times in the play. At the beginning, Brutus is tricked by Cassius into believing that killing Julius Caesar would be for the better of Rome (1, 2, ll. 32-321). Cassius is able to deviously influence Brutus into thinking that Caesar is no different from Brutus. He says, â€Å"Brutus and Caesar: what should be in that Caesar?/ Why should that name be†¦show more content†¦In truth, Antony only wants to gain the conspirator’s trust to be able to defeat them through the citizens of Rome. We can easily see how Brutus was manipulated in this part of the story by the conspirators and Mark Antony. Brutus has great sense of honour and he thinks that others think the same way. It is this weakness in Brutus that makes him so easy to be manipulated. Brutus is also shown as being decisive in the play. He easily makes decisions that are followed without a moment’s hesitation. At first he displays this useful trait when he discusses with the conspirators about whether to include Cicero in the assassination of Caesar. Brutus rejects this idea and states, â€Å"O, name him not: let us not break with him:/ For he will never follow anything/ That other men begin† (2,1). Another time when Brutus shows his abilities to strongly make decisions occurs when he and Cassius debate over which battle strategies to take when facing Octavius and Antony’s army (4, 3, ll. 202-223). Cassius disagrees on what to do at first, but Brutus is able to win him over. Brutus’ decisive trait helped him very much in the play Julius Caesar. All though being decisive was a good trait of his, his most important one was pride. Pride is one of Brutus’ greatest trait and he showed how proud he was many times in the story. In Act 2, Scene 1, Brutus rejects the idea of making an oath with the conspirators because of his nobility and pride. Here he says that if the good of Rome is notShow MoreRelatedEssay on Madness and Ambition in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar903 Words   |  4 Pages â€Å"Even the noblest men can be seduced by power; it has the power to kill, to distort, and to corrupt† Through this passage, Matthew Sims captures in essence how individuals often turn to betrayal and deception in order to gain their heart’s desires. This characteristic is not only present in life, but can also be seen in modern and classical literature, including the well known work of Julius Caesar. In Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, the lust for power transcends any one individual and ultimatelyRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Julius Caesar1819 Words   |  8 PagesJulius Caesar Many of Shakespeare’s tragedies illustrate the concept of power through different forms. Shakespeare (1564-1616) wrote plays through the Elizabethan era. Shakespeare’s plays were performed at the Globe theatre in London and were highly regarded by nobles, with the legacy of his body of works immense having written 37 plays and 154 sonnets. He is considered the most influential writer of English Literature. Many of Shakespeare’s works reflected the values and anxieties of the ElizabethanRead MoreWhy Is Julius Caesar A Tragic Hero1619 Words   |  7 Pages In Shakespeares theatrical-dramas there is a consistent trend of there being a tragic hero of some sort. In Shakespeares Julius Caesar the tragic hero just so happens to be Marcus Brutus, this is quite obvious because he fits some of the set standards that makes up a tragic hero in any of Shakespeares stories. Brutus is the tragic hero in Julius Caesar, because he posses a great trait of good, then it becomes his downfall in the end. He makes many errors in judgement which leadsRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s The Tragedy Of Julius Caesar1508 Words   |  7 Pages William Shakespeare’s play, â€Å"The Tragedy of Julius Caesar† was mainly based on the conspiracy to assassinate Julius Caesar. â€Å"Julius Caesar† is a play based on rhetoric and politics. Rhetoric is the science of manipulation. Marcus Brutus, a Senate and a beloved friend of Caesar stood as the face among the conspirators leading the assassination of Julius Caesar. Aristotle said, â€Å"A man doesn’t become a hero until he can see the root of his downfall†. He defined a tragic hero as someone who is highlyRead MoreJulio Caesar by William Shakespeare Essay884 Words   |  4 Pagesclearly demonstrated in Shakespeare’s tragic play Julius Caesar (1599) and Jason Reitman’s satirical film Thankyou for Smoking (2005). While the Elizabethan context informs Shakespeare’s differing perspectives of Caesar’s assassination in relation to human beings’ complexities and the manipulation used to gain power, centuries later, Reitman also explores the multi-faceted nature of an individual and the persuasion involved with gaining control against a 21st century backdrop. All individuals, includingRead MoreBrutus Is A Tragic Hero And A Sympathetic Figure2436 Words   |  10 Pagesâ€Å"Julius Caesar is a play about people who make mistakes-costly ones, for themselves and their country† (Julius Caesar, Introduction line 1). This quote is from the first line of the introduction to the play of â€Å"Julius Caesar† and I think that this line is the best way to start off this essay. If we took a look at each main character in this play, except for Antony, we can see how their mistakes usually would lead to their downfalls. For example, Caesar mistake of not listening to the warnings, theRead MoreCompare and Contrast Between Shakesperean Tragic Heroes1386 Words   |  6 PagesCompare and Contrast Essay Shakespeare Tragic Heroes: Macbeth and Brutus Kyla Yu English 11 August 4th, 2008 William Shakespeare is a world renowned English poet and playwright famous for many tragic plays such as Macbeth and Julius Caesar. These two plays both contain tragic heroes with Marcus Brutus from Julius Caesar, and Macbeth from Macbeth. A tragic hero is defined as a protagonist of high standing with heroic or potential heroic abilities who must oppose some external or internal