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Moral Independence In Julius Caesar Research Paper

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The Struggle of Moral Independence In Julius Caesar, Shakespeare uses the motif of Brutus’ moral independence to demonstrate the friendship between Brutus and Caesar, and how it goes against the highest form of love in Rome, a man and another man. Throughout the play Brutus is deciding whether to do what is right for the good of Rome, or to value his friendship. Caesar is a good friend to Brutus, but he fears that if Caesar were to become the king of Rome, then Rome would become corrupt. Brutus is put in a difficult decision at the start of the play, to choose between friendship with Caesar and friendship with Rome. Brutus wrestles with this decision throughout the entire play, and ultimately makes the decision to value his friendship with Rome higher.Brutus explains his final decision when he says: “If there be any in this assembly, any dear friend of Caesar's, to him I say, that Brutus' love to Caesar was no less than his. If then that friend demand why Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer: not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.” (3.2.19-24) When Brutus says he loves Rome more it shows …show more content…

Antony sees this as an act to try to convince him to stay on Brutus’ side, but isn’t fazed and stays loyal to his best friend, Caesar.This quote displays Brutus’ bipolar emotions because he just went from speaking angrily and viciously toward the killing of Caesar, to praising Antony for his loyalty to Caesar.(CA) Brutus can not make a decision for himself which causes his opinion to change multiple times throughout the book. Without knowing the end of the play ahead of time, people wouldn’t know what side Brutus would

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He shows this when he says “If I were to dispose, or stir your hearts and mind to mutiny and rage, I should do Brutus wrong…” He is pretending to care for the feelings of Brutus while making him seem worse to the audience while making Caesar seem as the righteous man Antony believed him to be. Antony’s speech about Julius Caesar was better than Brutus’ speech because he made the citizens believe it. Regardless of the things said, whether true or false he made the citizens believe in him which is important.

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Furthermore, in the speech antony says “ For Brutus, as you know, was Caesar's angel: judge, o you gods, how dearly Caesar loved him.” Antony uses brutus like how girl describe relationships these day, that one moment you are bestfriends and each others guardian “angels” but things change and one person must decide they don’t like. But why did it happen? As a reader may read this their emotion may change as well because everyone has experienced losing a friend, either by a fight or backstabbing. In conclusion, Antony expresses his grief of caesar in hope that the plebeians would grieve with him to

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By Act III, scene 1, when he meets the conspirators, it is easy to see that Antony is ironical and that he means different things in almost everything that he says. At the funeral Brutus is overmatched by Antony’s duplicity and oratory. Antony uses rhetoric and histrionics and incites the crowd into mob frenzy. His speech has the function to annul Brutus’ explanation of Caesar’s murder, hide his intentions of revenge against the conspirators, and also to leave their brutal actions out in the

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The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare is quite a rollercoaster of emotions. Caesar and Brutus were two very important people in Rome, they were also best friends. Caesar never expected the betrayal from the people he called friends, especially not from his most fond friend of all, Brutus. Although Brutus did regret the killing of Caesar, at the moment he did not. Brutus thought that Caesar’s death was what would be best for the people of Rome.

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While Caesar’s presence is a portion of the problem in Julius Caesar, throughout the book the actions of Brutus, who is the true tragic hero of the novel, with his tragic flaw of “Noble Authority” shows the difference between political justice and the justice between loyalty, we see him suffering for the actions that he had caused. Caesar, a bold character who is the Ruler of Rome to grow in his conquest for power. Brutus, a man of the people of Rome, states,”As I love the name of honor more than I fear death” (Shakespeare 1.2.88-89). Showing that Brutus will do anything for the people of Rome. Already, Brutus blinded by popularity has justified acts for the people of Rome, which Brutus would go off into killing his friend, Caesar.

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He does this to earn the people’s trust and to make him come across as a friendly person. This was effective to the audience because it made him seem trustworthy and the people believed him. Constantly throughout the speech, Antony is questioning the ethos of Brutus. He does this by saying “And Brutus is an honorable man” (act 3, scene 2, line 83).

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Brutus wants to make the crowd feel like he is in a way the victim. In order to do that he says "As Caesar loved me I weep for him" so in a way the people feel bad for him. This emotional appeal did not persuade the audience considering the fact that he was if he truly did love Caesar as much as he said he would, then he would have tried to find a different route in getting rid of Caesar as emperor. Antony goes with the approach of making the people of Rome feel guilty. He tells the citizens "You all love him once not without cause what cause withholds you then to mourn for him" so they could reflect on their attitude towards his death.

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Although Caesar, as the upcoming ruler of Rome in Julius Caesar, should be portrayed as the ideal leader of the play, he actually has too arrogant of a character to be so. Therefore, Shakespeare places honor in Brutus and allows Brutus to have the role of the idealistic leader of the story. Although Shakespeare writes this play in a controversial time period during England’s political turmoil, he allows the audience to be able to choose the true ruler of loyalty to the crown or the honor of a noble man through the understanding of the two contrasting character

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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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His love of Rome and its people came before that of his friend who he thought would turn if crowned. He did not want to see Rome change and people be slaves. Brutus shows his patriotism to Rome and it people when he promised justice will come by his hand: “Speak, strike, fix it!” Is this asking me to speak and strike? Oh, Rome, I promise you, if you’re meant to receive justice, you’ll receive it by my hand!

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Brutus in William Shakespeare's play "Julius Caesar" is often considered to be the "common man" because of his relatable motivations and struggles. Despite being a member of the Roman aristocracy, Brutus is torn between his loyalty to Caesar and his love for Rome. He ultimately chooses to join the conspiracy against Caesar because he believes that Caesar's ambition threatens the Roman Republic and the rights of the people. Throughout the play, Brutus grapples with the weight of his decision, and his internal conflict makes him a sympathetic and relatable character. As a common man he also reflects the idea of struggle between personal and public good which is often faced by common people.

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He successfully accomplishes his objective of convincing the mob that Brutus is a traitor and the conspirators are at fault. He played with emotions which was the right thing to do rather than applying logic. He used emotional phrases such as, "My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar" and "Oh judgment; thou art fled to brutish beasts". Which allows him to have a connect with the crowds feeling at the death of Caesar .Antony does not let the restriction of going against the conspirators hinder his speech. He begins not by attacking Brutus or the conspirators, but by praising Caesar.

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