Julius Caesar Essay: Marcus Brutus As A Tragic Hero

There are many ways to define a tragic hero. But the most commonly accepted definition is Aristotle’s. He stated that a tragic hero must have five specific qualities; they must be born into nobility, they must have a tragic flaw that leads to their ultimate demise, their flaw must then cause their downfall, they must have a tragic realization that they made a mistake, and the audience must feel empathy that this character died. In William Shakespeare 's The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, all of these traits are attributed to one character, Brutus, he is born of noble birth, he has a hamartia, a peripeteia, an anagnorisis, and the audience feels catharsis when he reaches his demise. Marcus Brutus firstly fits the definition of a tragic hero because he is born of noble blood, which fuels his noble personality. In act one, scene three, the conspirators are discussing how they will be able to overpower Caesar, Cinna then suggests they recruit Brutus. Cinna insists “O Cassius, if you could/ But win the noble Brutus to our party-” it is obvious he says this because Brutus is a noble man and it would be more accepted by the Roman people if they killed Caesar and Brutus was a part of their group (I. iii .140-141). Brutus was born as a descendant of old Brutus, the man that helped overthrow the monarchy Rome was hundreds of years before the Brutus was born. Cassius explains this when he …show more content…
He exhibits every single element of a tragic hero according to Aristotle. He was born itno noble blood, he has a tragic flaw that leads to his downfall, he falls from grace, he has atragic reconigition, and the audience feels empathy yet satisfaction when he reaches his end. Brutus fits the tragic hero definition better than anyone else in this play. He is an example for everyone as a hero but a warning because of his tragic