Should Marcus Brutus join the conspiracy against Julius Caesar? In Act II Brutus is battling an internal conflict on whether or not he should save his dear friend or potentially save the Republic from the power abuse they expect from Caesar. Marcus Brutus should join the conspiracy against Julius Caesar. Caesar will be too powerful to be removed from power if they wait to assassinate him once he has been crowned, Brutus wants to follow the path of his ancestors and continue his family’s legacy and impact on Rome, and Brutus chooses the best interest of the people over his own best interest. Julius Caesar will be too powerful to be removed from power if they wait to assassinate him when he has demonstrated any abuse of power, so in order to save the Republic from the potential threat they must kill him now as he is weak and vulnerable. “And therefore think of him as a serpent’s egg— Which, hatched, would as his kind grow mischievous— and kill him in the shell (II, i, 32-34).” Brutus compares Caesar utilizing a simile to back his reasoning to kill Caesar now while he’s “in the shell” rather than to kill him when he’s hatched and dangerous. And he also uses an either/or fallacy to justify his decision saying that either Caesar will destroy …show more content…
Brutus' use of a simile comparing Caesar to an adder in its shell demonstrates this perfectly. While yes, Caesar showed little to be suspected of abusing power, as Brutus said, “And, to speak truth of Caesar, I have not known when his affections swayed more than his reason (II, i, 19-21).” This alone shows that Caesar clearly was not showing anything to be considered a reason as to him being power hungry or looking to abuse power, however the conspirators had little options as if he became too powerful, it’d already be too late for them to dethrone