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Emotions In Julius Caesar

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All human beings are subjected to the flaw of submitting to their emotions, as seen in the characters Brutus and Cassius in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. Brutus and Cassius are prime examples of how emotions can have overwhelming effects on the judgment of humans, no matter how strong or logical they may seem to themselves or others. Ultimately, these characters were forced to surrender under these emotions leading to the characters internal conflict and their downfall. Cassius and Brutus are prominent characters in the play and are known for their expertise in politics and warfare. Cassius is a skilled politician and military leader who becomes the driving force behind the conspiracy to assassinate Julius Caesar. Brutus, on the other hand, …show more content…

His inner turmoil leads him to make poor decisions and ultimately, his downfall. As William Shakespeare wrote in Julius Caesar, "Between the acting of a dreadful thing / And the first motion, all the interim is / Like a phantasma, or a hideous dream"(II.1.63-65). This quote suggests that the period between deciding to commit a terrible act and actually carrying it out can be filled with fear and uncertainty. For Brutus, these emotions of fear and uncertainty manifest as guilt, leading him to make impulsive decisions. His decision to allow Antony to speak at Caesar's funeral is a prime example of this as it highlights one of the moments where his guilt is most evident. Brutus justifies his decision to let Antony speak by saying "It must be by his death: and for my part, / I know no personal cause to spurn at him, / But for the general. He would be crowned: / How that might change his nature, there's the question"(2.1.10-13). Brutus attempts to justify his decision by stating that he has no personal resentment toward Antony and only wants what is best for Rome. However, this statement reveals his guilt, as he admits that Caesar's death may have been unnecessary and resulted in unintended consequences. This was a fatal mistake, as Antony was able to sway the civilians to join against the conspirators as well as gain the support of the people of Rome. Had Brutus been able to control his guilt, he may have made a different decision and perhaps changed the

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But it turns out to be a fatal mistake as Antony is going to hunt down the conspirators. Antony saw Brutus motives not like the other conspirators he knew he did out of patriotism. Antony looks down at Brutus dead body after defeating his army and says “This was the noblest Roman of them all” Antony acknowledges that brutus did it out of patriotism and love for the roman people but he did not agree on how brutus made his decisions and how he expressed his

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Brutus clearly shows this when he states, “Had you rather Caesar were living, and die all slaves” (III,ii. 21). Brutus justifies his reasoning by reassuring that the people do sincerely want Caesar dead. He accomplishes this when he gives a non-fictional example to the people that will make them not regret Caesar’s death. In contrast, Antony desperately tries to persuade the people into feeling remorse for the killing of Caesar and possibly inspiring a rebellion against Brutus. He says, “I thrice presented him a kingly crown, which he did thrice refuse” (III,ii. 91-92).

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Brutus’s tragic flaw was that he was naive. He trusted people to easily, especially the conspirators. They used him to make their actions seem honorable and just. When reality they just wanted Caesar dead for their own personal gain. Caesar was Brutus’s friend so it took him some convincing for him to be able to justify his actions.

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772 Words | 4 Pages

Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar, is an extreme representation of the problems that happen in society. It shows how far a hero can fall, it shows how misinterpretation can ruin a life, but more than all, it demonstrates manipulation and the massive effect it can have on a person. The play's simple representation of both emotional and logical manipulation gives students a way to recognize when they are being manipulated and gives them an easier path to not letting others manipulate them, for these reasons Julius Caesar should still be taught in schools. One way the story demonstrates emotional manipulation is through the character of Brutus.

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When Brutus was talking to the conspirators Brutus was going back and forth think if he should help the conspirators kill Julius Caesar. He was going back and forth because he was thinking of the power he could have and could rule Rome. The reason behind Brutus killing Caesar was for the better of Rome. If Brutus would not have killed Caesar, Rome would have turned into a dictatorship, and in turn it would have ruined Rome and all of its people. Brutus did not kill Julius just for the power to rule Rome, he killed Julius to save Rome from Caesar’s dictatorship.

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960 Words | 4 Pages

Brutus blindly believes Antony’s loyalty towards Rome and the conspirators, which gives Antony the chance to foil their plans. After Caesar’s death, Antony immediately sends his servant to deliver a message to Brutus saying, “If Brutus will vouchsafe that Antony / May safely come to him” and give the reason why “Caesar hath deserved to lie in death” (Shakespeare III.i.145-147), then Antony “will follow / the fortunes and affairs of noble Brutus” (III.i.149-150). Knowing that Brutus is the least likely person to kill him out of the conspirators, as he is an honorable person, Antony takes advantage of Brutus’ overly trusting nature. In his message to Brutus, Antony acts sincere by pledging his loyalty to him in order to save himself and to be in an advantaged

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Brutus fled his country where he eventually killed himself. While Brutus experiences an impactful turning point, Cassius ' actions and personality remain fairly constant within the negative traits. He represents gloominess from the beginning of the play; he is jealous, manipulative and pessimistic. “O coward that I am, to live so long to see my best friend ta 'en before my face.” (V.III.34-35).

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/ Why should that name be sounded more than yours[, Brutus]” (I, ii, 142-143). From this conversation, Brutus is shown to let his naive and too trusting personality overcome him to the point he could be guided by his close friends as seen with Cassius in following whatever path they consider to be noble. Moreover, Brutus is shown to have a weak personality, a characteristic of a tragic hero, since he is easily persuaded in following Cassius’s idea that Caesar is indeed not fit to rule Rome as an emperor and should be taken down, and this naivety of his leads to his own downfall by trusting the wrong person. In addition, due to this tragic flaw, he is taken advantage of by his friends. For instance, when Brutus trusts the words of Mark Antony, a man who is very loyal to Caesar and hates the conspirators who killed Caesar, as Brutus asks him to promise that he “shall not in [his] funeral speech blame [the conspirators]” (III, i, 245) to which Antony, taking advantage of Brutus’s flaw, says “[b]e it so, I do desire no more” (III, i, 253), but as Antony does his speech, he describes

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804 Words | 4 Pages

These decisions include Brutus ignoring Cassius’s suggestion to kill Antony, along with Caesar because Antony is a close friend of Caesar. Caesar trusts Antony very much and it is a good suggestion to kill Antony along with Caesar. Cassius also told Brutus that Antony should not speak at Caesar’s funeral, but Brutus did not listen and allowed Antony to speak at the funeral. Because Antony was allowed to speak at the funeral, he was able to persuade the citizens and have them turn against Brutus and the conspirators. Brutus also made the decision to go Phillipi and fight Octavius and Antony, however, Cassius warns Brutus making that decision would be bad and they should let Octavius and Antony come to them.

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This is because Brutus presented tragic flaws that would lead to his downfall, later in the play. There were three tragic flaws, based on Brutus’s poor judgment, that would soon contribute to his own downfall. These reasons included: Brutus’s inability to realize that Cassius manipulated him, his allowance for Antony to live, and his competence for Antony to speak at Caesar’s funeral. These tragic flaws would eventually lead up to the conspirators’ defeat. If Brutus had slowed down, and really thought about his decisions, the play may have had a different outcome.

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935 Words | 4 Pages

In this order of ideas, Brutus’ traits can be analyzed and

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449 Words | 2 Pages

In Act 3, Scene 2, Brutus is swayed by the passionate speeches of Cassius and the other conspirators and agrees to join their plot against Caesar. This shows that Brutus can be affected by the influence of others and is susceptible to manipulation and persuasion. This is a common human trait, where people can be influenced by the opinions

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1099 Words | 5 Pages

Brutus’ emotional wound ultimately deals with his internal conflict of the decision to kill Caesar in order to better Rome. In addition, he deals with such difficulty over the decision since his reasoning to kill Caesar does not come out of hatred or jealousy, but due to his fear of life under Caesar’s rule. In Act I, scene ii, lines 39-40, Brutus says, “Merely upon myself. Vexéd I am / Of late passions of some difference” (Shakespeare 848).

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951 Words | 4 Pages

Brutus is without a doubt the most noble character in this play. Nonetheless, his impeccable sense of morality also blindfolds him to other people’s sordid motives and makes him easy to be manipulated. Indeed, Brutus is easily manipulated by Cassius in Act 1, Scene 2. In hope to convince Brutus to join the conspirators, Cassius says “Men at some time are masters of their fates: The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings” (1.2.150-152). As a result, Brutus starts to believes that it is his job to murder Caesar, as he says in Act 2, Scene 1: “It must be by his death: and for my part, I know no personal cause to spurn at him, but for the general” (2.1.14-16).

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792 Words | 4 Pages

He is losing all of his honorable traits, including the ones he earned in his political position as senator, by going against his fellow senator, Caesar. This affects the work as a whole because of the themes of the play, ambition, and conflict, have a strong impact on what Shakespeare is ultimately trying to express between the main characters. Ambition has an effect on the plot because Caesar is a very ambitious man. This alone and the numerous letters Brutus has been receiving leads him to think that he is no good for Rome, Caesar’s ambition worries Brutus. Cassius is a man of great ambition also.

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