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Julius Caesar Tragic Hero Essay

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In the Tragedy of Julius Caesar, a tragic hero is not always the main character. A tragic hero is described as someone with good intentions, strength, and somebody a tragedy happens to. In the play, both main characters make a good case for who the tragic hero is, Brutus or Caesar. Julius Caesar is who most people would think is the tragic hero. At the start of the play he defeats Pompey in battle to be the leader of Rome. But his biggest problem is that he is arrogant. He didn't listen to Artemidorus when he tried to warn him about the conspirators. Julius Caesar was also egotistical by ignoring his wife's warning to not go to the Senate. He is full of pride for himself; he compares himself to the Northern Star, saying, “But I am constant as the Northern Star (III,i,65-68), of whose true fixed and resting quality there is no fellow in the firmament” saying he is irreplaceable. …show more content…

Brutus was easily persuaded by Cassius to join the conspiracy by telling him he could make Rome a better place if he joined the conspirators in killing Julius Caesar. Brutus joins the conspiracy thinking that the only goal was for the better of Rome even though they all lied and wanted to overthrow Caesar. Brutus would end up killing Caesar but would regret it for the time he had lived from his conscience and Caesar's ghost eating at him. Before the killing of Caesar, they had one other big question: if they should kill Marc Antony or keep him alive. The other conspirators wanted to kill him, but Brutud wanted to keep him alive so they didn't seem greedy and gruesome. Marc Antony made a speech at Caesar's funeral, manipulating the people of Rome and causing riots and the people of Rome wanting all the conspirators dead. Not killing Antony would end up being Brutus' biggest mistake that cost his own life. Caesar would be most people's choice for a tragic hero, but in this play Brutus is the tragic

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