Dible 1

Jourdan Dible

ENGL 4165

K. Swenson

12 Dec 2012

Heroes and Villains

William Shakespeare’s tragedy Julius Caesar could have easily been titled

The Tragedy of Brutus. Brutus faces both external and internal conflicts throughout

the tragedy. Brutus is both noble and honorable. He lives for democracy. His

actions and words are for the people of Rome. He loves Caesar, but his love for

Rome and for democracy is greater. Mark Antony would argue that Brutus is a

villain. Brutus leads the conspirators to murder the great ruler of Rome-Julius

Caesar- a ruler that the people love . Yet, Brutus openly says that he loves Caesar

and is his friend , but his personal moral code obligates him to do what he believes is

the most honorable thing . Brutus believes in doing what is best for the people of

Rome. Brutus’s love for Caesar and his concern for the Romans are the two

conflicting ideas in Brutus’s mind . Because of the dichotomy that exists within his

character, it is difficult to determine whether Brutus is a villain or a hero.

 Dible 2

Brutus is concerned for the well being of the people . He fears that Caesar will

become a tyrant . When Cassius approaches him, he admits he has been thinking

about Caesar (1.2. 45-50). He loves Caesar as a friend, but he fears that he will be

corrupted by power (1.2.85-86). Cassius pulls Casca aside from the party that is

with Caesar. Cassius and Brutus ask Casca what has happened . Casca tells them

that Mark Antony offered Caesar a crown. All three times that Antony offered Caesar

the crown, Caesar declines taking the crown with more and more hesitation every

time it is offered (1.2.245-261). Brutus fears that Caesar is going to become a

dictator and he needs to be stopped before he becomes power hungry. Cassius

wants Brutus to join him in the plot against Caesar . Cassius voices his complaints

against Caesar to Brutus . Brutus shares his fears are for Rome and what Caesar

may become if he is granted so much power .

Brutus does not want to kill Caesar for vengeance or personal gain. He is not

blood thirsty or power hungry. When the conspirators come to Brutus they want

Caesar and Mark Antony to fall together (2 .1.170-174). Brutus defends Marc

Antony’s life even though Marc Antony is a strong supporter of Caesar . Brutus says

to the conspirators, “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” (2.1.179-181)

as a way of saying that this is not meant to be a vicious murder. Caesar’s death will
 Dible 3

be a sacrifice for the betterment of Rome and its people . Brutus wants to save the

Romans from falling under the rule of another king . In killing Caesar, the

conspirators also want to kill Marc Antony because they believe he is too close to

Caesar and so he must die. Brutus warns that killing Antony would be too violent

and it would not help their basis for the assassination plot . The brutality does not

meet the cause justly. Their intent is to rid Rome of a tyrant, not to make a bloody

mess in the senate. Brutus speaks to glorify Caesar’s assassination. His intent is

not to murder Caesar in cold blood, but sacrifice him for the freedom of Rome.

Brutus justifies Caesar’s assassination as a revolution for Rome and instead of

thinking of it as murder to think of it as an offering to the Gods. Caesar’s death is

never meant to be cruel . Brutus’s mentality is against what he fears Caesar shall

become, but not against Caesar himself. Brutus believes he is doing the honorable

thing in making a stand against Caesar in the way his ancestors freed Rome from its

last king .

Brutus is compelled by his own sense of morals and justice to join the plot . He

admits to Cassius that he is bothered lately (1.2 .45-50). Brutus commits to the plot

when he receives the fake letters from Cassius pretending to be citizens of Rome

(2.1.10-36). Brutus gives explanation in a monologue as to why he must join the

conspirators and why Caesar must fall (2.1.10-36). Brutus compares Caesar to a
 Dible 4

serpent in its egg. It poses no threat to the world until it hatches. Brutus says then

that when the egg hatches and the serpent is born they become like all other snakes

and so it is better to kill the serpent before it hatches . Brutus fears that Caesar , if

crowned, would become so corrupt with power that the democracy would fall apart .

This monologue is where Brutus makes a final decision to take action against

Caesar. Brutus is more fearful of Caesar becoming a dictator and becoming corrupt

with power is more terrifying than the prospect of murdering him . Brutus reads the

fake letters that have been planted by the conspirators to encourage him to action .

Brutus believes the letters are real and that the Romans are calling him forth to free

them from Caesar’s rule . Brutus’s ancestors over threw the last king of Rome.

Brutus believes that it is his duty to see that Rome does not come under a monarchy

again. When Brutus arrives at this conclusion he makes the decision that he must

keep the Romans free. Brutus justifies that they must assassinate Caesar for the

good of Rome because it is his duty to protect the citizens .

Brutus is a tragic hero. He chooses to make the difficult, right decision

instead of the easy, wrong decision which could lead Rome to fall under the power of

a tyrant. Brutus fears that if he does not assassinate Caesar, Caesar will undermine

the democracy that he cherishes. He joins the conspirators not out of hate for

Caesar, but out of love for his fellow Romans . He is morally obligated by his
 Dible 5

personal code of honor to act violently in order to protect the Romans from corrupt

government.