?William Shakespeare has written many plays that touched millions of people throughoutthe centuries. His works are still the most controversial ones favored by many Literature criticsbecause his plays generate spontaneous debates on issues such as friendship, revenge, humanambitions and moralities that lead to dynamic discussion among people. In the play The Tragedyof Julius Caesar, friendship vs. duty is one of the major themes that is developed. One’s struggleover the choice between friendship and duty is depicted through the main character, Brutus, as hebattles himself to choose between his duty to carry out people’s will and his own conscious hittingon his faithfulness to his best friend Caesar.
Although Brutus himself was skeptical if he made theright decision, he joins the conspiracy that plans for the murder of their leader Julius Caesar. Thetragic aspect of the play Julius Caesar is that even though Brutus ‘s motives were immaculate, hisfear toward Caesar’s ambition, Cassius’ persuasion, and his tragic flaw, idealism deluded him tomake a tragic mistake of assassinating Caesar. While human ambition is considered an important requirement in achieving one’s goal, itoften leaves negative impressions to others. People do fear ambitious men because strong desireoften leads to selfishness and dictatorship.
As Caesar’s popularity became more evident, hisfellow officers and the nobles were worried that people of Rome might crown Caesar. As early asAct 1 scene one, two tribunes of Rome, Flavius and Marullus show concerns toward a possibilityof a new dictatorship in Rome and remind themselves of their duty to protest against such powerexercised by one person. Not surprisingly, the rumors of Caesar being crowned have beenbothering many people in high political position like Brutus, a well- respected and honored manand his brother-in-law, Cassius. Cassius, who does not want Caesar to have all the power inRome, plans to form a conspiracy to kill Caesar, and other nobles, who believe that Caesar’sdeath is the only way to save the Roman citizens from a tyrannical ruler and to retain republicangovernment, were easily persuaded to join the conspiracy with Cassius. However, althoughBrutus agrees that Caesar should be killed for the better of the country, joining the conspiracywas extremely pressing and strenuous for him, because Caesar was his good friend. “ Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.
Had you rather Caesar were living, and die all slaves, than that Caesar were dea, to live all free men? AsCaesar loved me, I weep for him; as he was fortunate, I rejoice at it; as he was valiant, I honor him; but as he was ambitious, I slew him”(Act 3, Scene 2, 25 – 27)As Brutus was struggling with his mind, (Cassius speaks of an idealized “Rome” of thepast in which kingship was unthinkable. “ Rome, thou hast lost the breed of noble bloods!. . . O, you and I have heard our fathers say, There was a Brutus once that would have brooked Th’ eternal devil to keep his state in Rome As easily as a king” (Shakespear 1. 2.
151 – 161) Cassius’ reminder of an idealized “Rome” draws Brutus’s heart toward joining theconspiracy with Cassius, because he realizes that while Cassius and he were different in the natureof joining the conspiracy, both equated Rome with the republic. They see themselves as Romansbecause they believe in the Republic. They repudiate kingship, so that power can be sharedamong the elected rulers, the aristocratic patricians who make up the Senate. Therefore, Cassius,and certain nobles who are willing to risk their personal safety to resist one who abuses powerjoin in the conspiracy, and they are convinced that they must turn the commoners against theambitions of Caesar. Their justification is that no one man can dominate Rome therefore, Caesarshould be stopped before he grows stronger and become tyrannical like many others who weregiven a total dictatorship.
Brutus also draws his heart toward joining the conspiracy because hefears that if the nobles of Rome give Caesar so much potential power for evil that he will nolonger be able to resist the temptation to suppress the rights of Roman citizens. )(Mowant, P. When Brutus’ heart was moving toward the conspiracy, Cassius, with his eloquent tong,persuades Brutus even more. Cassius wants Brutus to be the chief of the conspirators to gain thepublic’s justification and respect for their assassination. (He has already stirred his friends againstCaesar: they all agreed and promised to take part with him.
) (Daniell, P. 335) (In Cassius’passionate argument in act one, scene two, he blames Caesar for the power he has accumulated,and the weak willed nobilities of Rome for letting Caesar have all the power. He also mentionsCaesar’s desire to rule with a god like authority and that with the increased power he will becomeeven more tyrannical. However, it was still hard for Brutus to reach a conclusion becausealthough Julius Caesar was ambitious, he has never shown any signs of becoming a totalitarian.
Suddenly, a shout from the crowds attending Caesar, offstage, startles Brutus, and he accidentallyspeaks his thoughts aloud: “I do fear the people choose Caesar for their king. ” (Shakespear 1. 2. 79) The word ‘fear’ encourages Cassius to proceed with an attack on Caesar. Cassius points outthat Caesar is being treated as if he were a superhuman.
He recalls two instances when Caesarshowed weakness, but Cassius speaks as though the weakness were moral, and not merelyphysical. Here we can see Cassius’ mean spirit, but Brutus does not notice this because the shoutfrom the crowd distracted him. ) (Roma, P. 4 – 15) Though Brutus was unable to fault Caesar, he resorts to a generalization, a “commonproof,” which says that ambitious men, at the height of their power, will corrupt. “ More than his reason.
But ‘tis a common proofThat lowliness is young ambition’s ladder,Whereto the climber upward turns his face;But when he once attains the upmost round, He then unto the ladder turns his back,”(Shakespear 2. 1. 21 – 25)Then, Cassius returns to flattery, reminding Brutus of his own reputation and that of hisancestor, the Brutus who expelled Tarquini, a tyrant, from Rome. This statement moves BrutusIn act 2, he concludes that Caesar must be considered as a snake’s egg, which would hatchand become a powerful atrocity.
Therefore, he must be killed before he becomes a king. “ And therefore think him as a serpent’s eggWhich hatched, would as his kind grow mischievous, And kill him in the shell ” (Shakespear 2. 1. 32 – 35) To come to such a decision, Brutus’ idealism is one of the factors that supported hischoice of his country over his friendship with Caesar. (His motives for joining the conspiracy arewholly pure, and he intends to maintain this purity in everything. He is very conscious of hisposition among people.
He is well respected of his noble nature and honored by many. His dutyis to carry out general people’s will and his duty solely for people’s benefit. His background alsohas a role in providing another motive for him to kill Caesar. He is descended from patriots, andhe is often reminded of the Lucius Junius Brutus who drove Tarquin from Rome and helped tofound the first republic. Brutus, once he is convinced that Caesar would be crowned, sees him asdestined to repeat his ancestor’s heroic mission: by killing Caesar, he will, he thinks, restore thetrue “Rome” – the republic. (Mowant, P.
215 – 216) Therefore, despite his friendship withCaesar, Brutus kills Caesar because he thinks the country will be better without a king. Brutuscontinues this ritual act by having rejecting the suggestion that they should swear an oath ofallegiance. His ground for objection was that honorable man acting in a just cause need no such“Swear priests and cowards and men cautelous, Old feeble carrions and such suffering sould That welcome wrongs; unto bad causes swear Such creatures as men douubt; but do not stain The even virtue of our enterprise,Nor th’ insupressive mettle of our spirits, To think that or our cause or our performance Did need an oath; when every drop of blood That every Roman bears, and nobly bear, If he do break the smallest particleOf any promise that hath passed from him. (Shakespear, Act 2, scene 1, 129 – 140)Also, he objects the suggestion for killing Antony along with Caesar because he thinks thatAntony will be nothing without Caesar and he does not want to kill anyone unnecessarily. Brutussays, “ Let us be sacrificers, but not butchers. ” (Shakespear, Act 2, scene 1, 166) Here, we cansee Brutus’ idealism is strong and Cassius is overruled again.
(Although Cassius persuadesBrutus to lead the conspiracy, it was Brutus, blinded by his idealism, who persuaded himself tojoin the conspiracy. ) (Wright, P. 22)(The trouble with idealism is that it can so easily blind those who possess it, and Brutus isblinded by his idealism. His tragic flaw, idealism, makes him to make initial decision, arrived atwith such difficulty, that Caesar has to die. Brutus is wrong.
Yet when we read carefully, thesoliloquy in the garden, it becomes obvious that Brutus is deceiving himself. He confesses that hehas “no personal cause” to fear Caesar and furthermore, that he has never known of potential oftyranny in Caesar. His honor and nobility were manipulated by Cassius and at the end, he finisheshis life tragically by suiciding. The tragedy of Brutus lies here. Not that he attempted to free therepublic of Rome from a tyrannous dictator and was killed in the action; but that, with the best ofmotives, he was responsible for the murder of Caesar.
) (Mowant, P. 23 – 25)“ Thou art the ruins of the noblest man That ever lived in the tide of times.” (Shakespear, Act 3, scene 1, 256 – 257)Bibliography:Julius Caesar
