Shakespeare explores many aspects on whether characters are heros or villians in his play Julius Caesar. There especially is much controversy over whether one of his main characters, Brutus, is a villain or a hero. Brutus does many good things for Rome, but he also has bad aspects to his character which add to the plot. However in my opinion, for the reasons and examples I found, I believe Brutus is a villain instead of a hero. Even though I believe Brutus is a villain in the story, I don’t believe he is a bad person. Brutus may have done bad things and was senseless in some of his actions, but like a tragic hero, throughout the story he does do many positive things to benefit Rome. An example of him putting Rome first is said in the quote,
…show more content…
Alike John Wilkes Booth, who killed Abraham Lincoln, Brutus was also under the assumption that he was doing good on behalf of the people. Brutus, while under the influence of others opinions, thought that Caesar would not be a good leader and his rule would not benefit Rome or it’s people. One way he was under the influence of others is the quote where Cassius states, “I will this night, In several hands in at his windows throw, As if they came from several citizens, Writings, all tending to the great opinion That Rome holds of his name”(Shakespeare 1. 2.). Cassius plants fake letters from the “citizens” because he knows he can not change Brutus’s mind about joining the conspiracy but he knows the citizens can. In John Wilkes Booth diary entry it states, “I struck for my country and that alone. A country that groaned beneath this tyranny.”(Booth). The quote explains how his own view and opinion of his leader corrupt him and lead him to make a foolish decision. This is a perfect example of why Brutus made one wrong choice and his character turned from a hero to a villain, even though he believed he was not a villain and that he was doing the right
Alike John Wilkes Booth, who killed Abraham Lincoln, Brutus was also under the assumption that he was doing good on behalf of the people. Brutus, while under the influence of others opinions, thought that Caesar would not be a good leader and his rule would not benefit Rome or it’s people. One way he was under the influence of others is the quote where Cassius states, “I will this night, In several hands in at his windows throw, As if they came from several citizens, Writings, all tending to the great opinion That Rome holds of his name”(Shakespeare 1. 2.). Cassius plants fake letters from the “citizens” because he knows he can not change Brutus’s mind about joining the conspiracy but he knows the citizens can. In John Wilkes Booth diary entry it states, “I struck for my country and that alone. A country that groaned beneath this tyranny.”(Booth). The quote explains how his own view and opinion of his leader corrupt him and lead him to make a foolish decision. This is a perfect example of why Brutus made one wrong choice and his character turned from a hero to a villain, even though he believed he was not a villain and that he was doing the right