Julius Caesar Nobility Quotes

Individuals who carry themselves as noble and virtuous often have a flaw of their own which tarnishes their reputation. They come to an epiphanous moment where their actions meet their eventual consequences. Often they are sympathized due to the relatability of their struggles. In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Shakespeare portrays the tragic hero Brutus as a noble and honorable man, whose naivety leads to his downfall. Brutus’s ability to maintain a noble reputation allows him to be respected by others around him. After Brutus requests Lucius to go and grab him a taper, Brutus has a moment to himself and says, “It must be by his death” for if he is “crowned:/ How that might change his nature, there’s the/ question” (Shakespeare II. i. 10-4).

After Brutus and Cassius hear cheering and shouting Cassius begins to express his concerns to Brutus about his loyalties Despite Brutus' "love" for Caesar, he reaffirms his loyalties to Cassius by "set[ing] honor in one eye and death i[n] th[e] other" and looking on both with "indifferent[ce]" (I. ii. 89-96). Brutus believes that he can maintain his core principles and still come out unharmed, but Cassius knows that is not going to happen. Cassius is aware of the danger and begins to urge Brutus to take action before it's too late. Brutus displays his naivety by believing that he can remain impartial when making a crucial decision. When the conspirators are discussing what to do after the murder of Caesar, Brutus brings up the point, "Let's be sacrificers, but not butchers, Caius. / We all stand up against the spirit of Caesar, / And in the spirit of men there is no blood" (II. i. 179-181). Brutus is explaining to Caius that they should be careful not to be seen as murderers, but as honorable men who are standing up for the good of Rome. His naivety prevents him from seeing that their actions will be seen as treason and that they will be left with the stigma of traitors. He is living in a delusion where he believes his actions will have no repercussions. As the conspirators begin to gather around at Brutus's house to prepare for the murder of Julius Caesar, Brutus asks, “Good gentlemen, look fresh and

When Brutus is alone he ponders about joining the conspiracy and says, "Between the acting of a dreadful thing / And the first motion, all the interim is / Like a phantasma or a hideous dream" (II. i. 66-8). Brutus' accepting the consequences of joining the conspiracy demonstrates that his internal loyalty to Rome outweighs his external love for Caesar. This causes mental turmoil as he weighs the pros and cons of taking action against Caesar. His experience of undergoing this kind of struggle is compared to a nightmare, something that is unreal and terrifying. After Brutus has run into the sword which Strato held, his final words are, “Caesar, now be still. I killed not thee with half so good a will” (V. v. 56-7). Brutus regrets the part he played in the assassination of Julius Caesar after seeing the repercussions. Brutus views his demise as payback for his involvement in the plot. He recognizes that his fight for loyalty is what led to the downfall of him and Rome. After Antony discovers the dead body of Brutus, he gives a eulogy and says, "This was the noblest Roman of them all./ All the conspirators save only He/ Did that they did in envy of great Caesar/ He only in a general honest thought/ And common good to all made one of them” (V. v. 74-8). The death of Brutus was tragic because it signified the end of a noble and