Brutus Compliments In Julius Caesar

In Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Cassius wishes to convince Brutus to join the conspiracy against Caesar, because he and his co-conspirators believe Caesar is unfit for ruling Rome, and that Caesar would bring about the fall of their great city. In this passage, Cassius persuades Brutus through his self-image and emotional connection to Rome, his trust in Cassius’s nature and judgements, and his reasoning as to why Caesar becoming ruler is dangerous for Rome. Cassius capitalizes on Brutus’s emotions in that he gives compliments for the purpose of inflating Brutus’s ego.This is shown when Cassius says Brutus has “hidden worthiness”, (1,2,57) and his worthiness earns him “many of the best respect in Rome” (1,2,59). Cassius utilizes these compliments

To demonstrate his point, Cassius elaborates about how “[He] was born free as Caesar; so were you/ we both have fed as well, and we can both/ endure the winter’s cold as well as he” (1,2,97-99). Cassius gives these examples to show Brutus that Caesar doesn’t have any special traits that make him better than them, and proceeds to build upon this point by highlighting Caesars faults. Specifically, how Caesar grew up in the same circumstances as them, but acts without thinking and is overdramatic. This is shown when Caesar challenges Cassius to a swim, but does not judge the distance correctly, and begged “Help me, Cassius, or I sink” (1,2,111). Another example is how Caesar acted powerlessly when he became ill, and cried for help “As a sick girl“ (1,2,128). Cassius first points out how Caesar doesn’t have any special traits over Brutus and himself, and then points out his faults in order to portray Caesar as less qualified than them, and in turn help convince Brutus Caesar is not qualified to lead Rome. By providing examples that back up his claims, Cassius uses logic to persuade Brutus that Caesar does not possess the qualities that are needed to be the leader of Rome, which provides Brutus with another consideration as to why he should conspire against Caesar and they should go against him. In the passage, the ways in which Cassius attempts to persuade Brutus to betray Caesar make themselves abundantly clear. He exploits Brutus’s emotions by complimenting him and telling him how much the Romans respect and admire him, and how Caesar puts the future of Rome in peril. His trust by utilizing Brutus’s trust for his character, and by claiming that he sees Brutus more clearly than he sees himself. And his logic by giving examples of how Caesar does not have the qualifications to lead