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The Leadership Of Cassius And Brutus In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

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A quality all humans possess is questioning leadership. The reasons why we challenge or rebel against our leaders describe what kind of individual we are. Cassius and Brutus have different reasons for questioning Caesars power. Both characters have a common goal but exceedingly different values, thought process, and motives for killing Caesar. Cassius and Brutus are characters who have opposite values. In their introductory scene a discussion is taking place about Caesar's claim to the throne. Through this discussion the audience learns a lot about Cassius and Brutus’s values . It is revealed that Brutus is an honorable man who believes in the general good of mankind. He states, (1.2 84-89)“ What is it that you would impart to me?/ If it be aught toward the general good, / Set honour in one eye and death i' the other, / And I will look on both indifferently, / For let the gods so speed me as I love, / The name of honour more than I fear death.” . Through this the audience learns Brutus values his honor over everything and would go as far as dying for it. The audience learns Cassius is a leader and does not believe any of his equals have the right to be above to him. It is apparent Cassius declares Caesar as his equal when he states, (1.2 99-101) “ I was born as free as Caesar, so were you. / We both have fed as well, and we can both / Endure the winter’s cold as well as he”. …show more content…

After Cassius presents the idea of murdering Caesar to Brutus, he begins to take his manipulation a step further by sending Brutus forged letters from other senators. The letters leave Brutus to believe other senators

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One of the ways Cassius does this is by saying that Brutus can, “endure the winter's cold as well as [Caesar]” and that he has “fed as well” too (Shakespeare 20-21). This comparing Brutus to Caesar shows that they are equal and, therefore there is no reason that Caesar should be in power and not Brutus. He also does this when he states “Brutus and Caesar.. Why should that name be sounded more than yours?... Write them together, yours is as fair a name” (Shakespeare 20-21).

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305 Words | 2 Pages

Brutus and Cassius are two prominent conspirators in the play Julius Caesar; one of these two fits Aristotle's depiction of a tragic hero. The difference between a normal hero and a tragic hero is that the latter will have a tragic flaw that keeps them from succeeding. These characters are often sympathetic and will cleave to the reader's pity. Firstly, we shall discuss Cassius. He was a man of questionable character.

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In Act 3 Scene 2 Brutus said during his speech, “If that friend then demands to know why Brutus turned against Caesar, this is my answer: Not because I cared for Caesar less, but because I cared for Rome more”. Brutus had courage to kill Caesar, not because he wanted to, but for the good of Rome and its people. During the entirety of the story, Brutus

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Brutus believes that Caesar will do more harm than good to the people, and reap benefits for himself. Brutus has already said this, but had said it in his own words, (II, i, 12-14). He has no clue if Caesar will use his power for the good and betterment for the people, or use it for his own needs and other

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802 Words | 4 Pages

When Brutus was talking to Cassius he said, “I love / the name of honor more than I fear death” (1.2.95-96). Honor means so much to Brutus that he would rather die than be living a life with no honor present. Brutus would kill himself if that is what he had to do in order to keep honor in the world. Brutus talks to Cassius about Caesar becoming king and mentions this, “What means this shouting? I do fear the people / Choose Caesar for their king.

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974 Words | 4 Pages

But in the end, Brutus felt he had not made an honorable use of Caesar’s death and realized he made a mistake so he took his own life, and unlike Cassius, he died an honorable death for honorable reasons. “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”

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731 Words | 3 Pages

Marcus Brutus and Cassius are both strong characters in William Shakespeare 's Julius Caesar; but Brutus is the only character who experiences a crucial change towards the end of the drama, which makes him the dynamic character. Brutus can be considered the dynamic character in William Shakespeare 's Julius Caesar. Brutus ' role changes from the beginning of the play to the end while Cassius remains fairly constant. At first he is known as Caesar 's dear friend. He then joins a conspiracy to kill Caesar.

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In this quote Cassius describes a time when Caesar and him were by the river and Caesar dared Cassius to swim to the other side. When he was in, Cassius told Caesar to join him so he did but realized he couldn’t swim and yelled for Cassius to help him. Cassius described it as a time when Caesar was not a mighty god like he had been chosen to be but instead was a weak man. Last off, Cassius thinks that Caesar’s temper is dangerous. Cassius states;

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528 Words | 3 Pages

Cassius manipulates Brutus to the point of making him feel as if there are several people wanting Brutus to do something about Caesar. Cassius also wants to convince Brutus that “Caesar’s ambition shall be glanced at” so they can eliminate his power for fear that “worse days [may] endure”. Cassius is not the only senator wanting to eliminate Caesar’s growing

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381 Words | 2 Pages

This rational method of comparing Brutus and Caesar serves to emphasize Cassius’s argument through a logical method of persuasion. As evidenced by the techniques of pathos, rhetorical questions, and compare and contrast, Cassius uses persuasion in a skillful way in order to convince Brutus to overthrow

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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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1409 Words | 6 Pages

Unfortunately, Cassius uses Brutus’ altruistic characteristic and devout loyalty against him by sending fake letters with concerns regarding the crowning of Caesar for Brutus to read and be persuaded to join the conspirators. Cassius’ manipulation of Brutus serves as an example of how Shakespeare

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517 Words | 3 Pages

Cassius refuses to accept Caesar's rising power and deems a belief in fate to be nothing more than a form of passivity or cowardice. He says to Brutus: "Men at sometime were masters of their fates. / The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars / But in ourselves, that we are underlings" (I.ii.140-142).

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676 Words | 3 Pages

Brutus answers back that he will not allow Caesar to become king although he respects him very much. By this point, Cassius has shaken Brutus’ position. Pressing his advantage, Cassius challenges Brutus as to why he has allowed Caesar to be “like a Colossus, and we petty men walk under his huge legs” (sec. 10). To emphasize Brutus’ inferiority, he compares a Colossus to Caesar, while portraying Brutus in a negative light as a “petty” man. Thus, Brutus feels inadequate.

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1045 Words | 5 Pages

In William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, Cassius is a foil to Marcus Brutus, for Brutus is consistently described as honorable and kind, contrasting the always clever and self-centered, Cassius. Cassius acts as a character who goes against the virtues and weaknesses of the main character. Brutus announces, “Why man, he doth bestride the narrow World like a Colossus, and we pretty men Walk under his huge legs and peep about To find ourselves dishonorable graves” (Shakespeare I. 2. 142-145). By appealing to Brutus' feeling of honor and loyalty to Rome, Cassius hopes to persuade him to join the conspiracy against Caesar.

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