Is Idealism Good or Bad?
Idealism. Envisioning situations the way you want or think it should be, when, in fact, it is unrealistic. Is it bad for a person to have idealistic views? Is having idealistic thoughts wrong? An example of an idealistic belief is bringing about world peace. Having positive thoughts and goals are good to have, but trying to achieve something of this magnitude seems unattainable. But does this mean we shouldn’t try to fix it? In the play, Julius Caesar, Shakespeare demonstrates how idealism causes people to make mistakes because of their inability to see things as they really are. The main character and tragic hero, Brutus, portrays idealism bringing about his own downfall when he realizes his own flaw, yet in the end, he is …show more content…
He realizes he is the cause of his own downfall, so out of despair he kills himself; however, his enemies still honor him and treat him with respect. Before Brutus kills himself, his last statement is, “Caesar, now be still, I kill’d not thee with half so good a will” (Shakespeare 103). This final quote of Brutus shows that he finally realizes his mistake: killing Caesar. He understands that because of his poor judgment and idealism, he has brought upon his own downfall. After the death of Brutus, Antony states that, “This was the noblest Roman of them all: … He only, in a general honest thought and common good to all, made one of them…This was a man!” (Shakespeare 103) In other words Antony is saying that he believes Brutus loved Rome greatly and all the decisions he made were based off what he truly thought was good for the republic. Throughout all of the misjudgments and flaws of Brutus, he is still considered an honorable man, which even further demonstrates that Brutus is the tragic hero in the play, Julius Caesar. The audience feels pity for Brutus since he was so honorable and fortunate but ends up loosing everything including his
Idealism. Envisioning situations the way you want or think it should be, when, in fact, it is unrealistic. Is it bad for a person to have idealistic views? Is having idealistic thoughts wrong? An example of an idealistic belief is bringing about world peace. Having positive thoughts and goals are good to have, but trying to achieve something of this magnitude seems unattainable. But does this mean we shouldn’t try to fix it? In the play, Julius Caesar, Shakespeare demonstrates how idealism causes people to make mistakes because of their inability to see things as they really are. The main character and tragic hero, Brutus, portrays idealism bringing about his own downfall when he realizes his own flaw, yet in the end, he is …show more content…
He realizes he is the cause of his own downfall, so out of despair he kills himself; however, his enemies still honor him and treat him with respect. Before Brutus kills himself, his last statement is, “Caesar, now be still, I kill’d not thee with half so good a will” (Shakespeare 103). This final quote of Brutus shows that he finally realizes his mistake: killing Caesar. He understands that because of his poor judgment and idealism, he has brought upon his own downfall. After the death of Brutus, Antony states that, “This was the noblest Roman of them all: … He only, in a general honest thought and common good to all, made one of them…This was a man!” (Shakespeare 103) In other words Antony is saying that he believes Brutus loved Rome greatly and all the decisions he made were based off what he truly thought was good for the republic. Throughout all of the misjudgments and flaws of Brutus, he is still considered an honorable man, which even further demonstrates that Brutus is the tragic hero in the play, Julius Caesar. The audience feels pity for Brutus since he was so honorable and fortunate but ends up loosing everything including his