Julius Caesar : A Tragic Hero Essay

Multiple plays by Julius Caesar feature a tragic hero, and in Julius Caesar that tragic hero is Brutus. Aristotle wrote that a tragic hero is a person of nobility who suffers misfortune or defeat due to a flaw or weakness in their personality. From the play there is obvious evidence that Brutus suffers misfortune due to the death of Caesar. Said act was commuted because Brutus is extremely naive. More than once the story conveys Brutus as someone who believes people without question. He is also undeniably noble, which is stated throughout the play. However, Brutus ' misfortunes and defeat are what often distinguish him as a character.
After killing Caesar in act 3 scene 1, Brutus begins to suffer multiple misfortunes that lead up to his defeat. Caesar ruled Rome at the time and killing him causes Brutus many tribulations. The first to occur is being forced out of Rome. A servant reports to Antony, "I heard him say, Brutus and Cassius are rid like madmen through the gates of Rome." (III:ii:268-269). This occurs right after Caesar 's death, and indicates that the pair of conspirators are driven out of Rome by the citizens. Leaving behind both his wife and his home is a major misfortune, causing Brutus grief and despair. Later on, Cassius-Brutus ' partner in battle-commits suicide. Brutus is led to Cassius ' dead body and proclaims, "We shall try fortune in a second fight." (V:iii:110). He is saying they will try their luck in a second fight and acknowledges that losing…