Citizens Trust Brutus example essay topic

Brutus believes that honor is one of the most important values in life. When presented with a problem his focus is on what he considers to be honorable. Each decision he makes is based on what he believes to be admirable and right. He further believes that honor is an important value of everyone. This idealistic view of honor allowed him to only see the goodness in people. This lead to his downfall as he sees others as honorable as him.

After much conflict within himself he concludes that killing Caesar is the honorable thing to do. Brutus, a respected man in Rome, believed that Caesar was becoming too powerful and joins a team of conspirators thinking he is protecting Rome but fails to see the motives of the conspirators, which in the end lead to his tragic death. Brutus was respected, trusted, and honored by many men but his weakness of not listening to his friends and not being able to see the bad in people lead to his downfall. Casca talks to Cassius about Brutus joining the conspiracy. ".. His countenance like richest alchemy, / Will change to virtue and worthiness" (Julius Caesar 1.3.

159-60). Casca knows that the plot to kill Caesar, would be against the principles of the Roman citizens. Because Brutus is so highly respected, if he were to join the conspiracy, the people would see this as something that is right. Cassius gives an example of one of Brutus's ancestors to persuade him by saying.

".. There was a Brutus once that would have brook'd / Th' eternal devil to keep his state in Rome / As easily as a king". (1.2. 159-61). Cassius mentions Brutus' ancestor who turned Rome into a Republic as he did not want a king to rule.

Cassius augments Brutus's fear that Caesar, as king will have too much power and destroy the Republic. The other conspirators do not want Caesar to rule because of jealousy. Brutus fails to see the underlying motives of Cassius and the others. Brutus characteristics of only seeing good in people is exploited by both Cassius and Antony. Brutus is lead to believe that Cassius wants to slay Caesar for the protection of Rome.

Caesar's last words before he died " Et tu, Brute?" (3.1. 85) shows that even Caesar believes that Brutus is an honorable person and recognizes there must be a valid reason for his murder if Brutus is involved in it. When Brutus makes his speech after the killing of Caesar he says", Believe me for mine honor, and have respect to mine honor that you may believe " (Julius Caesar, , ii, 15-18). Brutus has built his life around being honorable. He thinks himself as an honorable person who would not do wrong. After killing Caesar which he thought was an honorable decision, he has to persuade the Roman citizens that what he did was right.

He somewhat persuades them by saying he is honorable and all that he does is honorable. Antony giving his speech at Caesar's funeral speaks of Brutus as. ".. Caesar's angel... ". (3.2. 178).

Antony tells the citizens of Rome how much Caesar trusts Brutus and believes him to be an honorable man. Not only do the citizens trust Brutus and see him as honorable, but he naively trusts them and ignores advise he feels not important because of his honor and it conflicts with what he feels is right. Brutus's doesn't realize, until it is too late, that his inability to recognize his mistakes and his disregard of Cassius's advice diminish his ability to convince the Romans that the killing is justified. Cassius suggested to Brutus "But what of Cicero? Shall we sound him? ... ". (2.1.

141). Cassius believes that having a great orator on their side would help them persuade the Roman citizens that the killing of Caesar is for their benefit. Brutus rejects the idea because. ".. he will never follow anything / that other men begin" (2.1. 151-2). Cicero being a great orator has the ability to influence the citizens. Brutus does not feel he will need to convince the Romans of the killing because of the trust he has for people and feels the citizens respect his honor and character.

When Brutus speaks at the funeral, however, he is unable to fully persuade the Roman citizens of his patriotism and that the killing of Caesar was for the good of Rome. Cassius further presents the idea of. ".. Let [ing] Antony and Caesar Fall together" (2.1.

161). Cassius is concerned because Antony is a follower and friend of Caesar who may cause trouble later on. Brutus also rejects this suggestion given by Cassius, saying. "..

Our course would seem to bloody, ... / For Antony is but a limb of Caesar" (2.1. 161,165). He ignores the advice of Cassius because of his trust of Antony and he himself is an honorable man and does not believe in killing for no reason. This mistake allows Antony to turn the citizens against the conspirators and seek revenge, leading into the battle of Philippi. Cassius tells Brutus.

".. Do not consent / That Antony speak in his funeral. / Know you how much the people may be mov'd... ". (3.1. 232-3). Cassius objects to Antony speaking as he believes that Antony has the ability to convince the people, and they could be moved more by his speech than Brutus's. Cassius also does not trust Antony, thinking he will speak bad of the conspirators.

Brutus does not listen to Cassius, and tells Antony: .".. You shall not in your funeral speech blame us, / But speak all good you can devise of Caesar, ... ". (3.1. 245-6). Again the trust which Brutus has of people allowed him to permit Antony to speak.

Antony's speech turns the Roman citizens against the conspirators and lead Brutus into battle. Another instance of Brutus having poor judgment relates to Cassius statement of not going to Philippi and how it. "... ' Tis better that the enemy seek us; ... ". (4.3. 199). He suggests that if they wait the enemy will exhaust their supplies, and the men will be tired.

Brutus thinks the opposite about the strategy. ".. There is a tide in the affairs of men, / Which, taken at the flood, lead on to fortune; / Omitted, all the voyage of their life / Is bound in shallows and in miseries... ". (4.3. 218-221). Brutus explains his reason by saying that opportunity only comes once and if you fail to take it then there is a possibility of not having another chance.

Cassius thinks this is a bad idea, but Brutus makes the decision to send troops to Philippi against the advice of Cassius, a more experienced soldier. Brutus continuously ignores suggestions of others because of his virtuous character, and these mistakes bring about his downfall. Following Brutus's death, he is still seen as an honorable man because all his reasons for joining the conspiracy were for the good of Rome. As Brutus said in his speech " Not that I loved Caesar less, but I loved Rome more" (3.2. 21-22).

The well being of his country had taken primacy over his love for Caesar. Although having to decide between his love for Caesar and his loyalty to Rome, Brutus' part in the conspiracy is for the protection and well being of the citizens. He felt that if Caesar became king the people would live as slaves instead of free men. Lucilius, Brutus's servant, tells Antony "When you find him, or alive or dead, / He will be found like Brutus, like himself" (5.5. 24-5).

Brutus is such a noble person, that no matter what state you see him in, weather it be dead or alive, he will be acting as his noble self. Brutus says before he dies. ".. Caesar, now be still, / I kill'd not thee with half so good a will" (5.5. 50-1).

Brutus tells the ghost of Caesar that he can now rest because he has revenge on all the conspirators, and that he, Brutus had killed him with good intensions. In the end he gives an explanation for his actions to convince others that what he had done was right. Brutus gives up his life because he sees nothing his army can do to win, and believes his time has come because of Caesar's ghost warnings. When Antony and Octavius found the body of Brutus, Antony said. ".. All the conspirators, save only he, / Did that they did in envy of great Caesar; / He, only in a general hones thought / And common good to all, made one of them... the elements / So mix'd in him that Nature might stand up / And say to all the world, 'This was a man' " (5.5.

69-72, 73-75). He states how Brutus is a heroic man, well regarded by all and made up of the four elements, equally balanced, which creates a noble person. All the conspirators, except Brutus, had killed Caesar because of jealousy but Brutus killed him for the good of the people. Octavius shows he honors Brutus in saying "According to his virtue let us use him, / With all respect and rites of burial. / Within my tent his bones tonight shall lie, / Most like a soldier, ordered honorably... ". (5.5. 76-79).

Octavius gives Brutus a proper burial, and his honorable name back. Though Antony, and Octavius fought against Brutus they still viewed him as honorable because of his non-selfish acts. They felt Brutus had good intentions toward the interests of the citizens, because of his belief that the deeds he did were for Rome. Through out the play Brutus made numerous decisions that he believes are honorable. His extreme position about honor and trust affects his judgment as he bases his decisions on ideas that are honorable. His decision of not wanting an orator as part of the conspiracy, ignoring Cassius' advice to not let Antony speak at the funeral and going against the advice to kill Antony are all honorable.

Even the dishonorable act of murdering Caesar he justifies as the idea of protecting Rome is honorable. In each decision Brutus acts out of honor, and believes that others also will act honorably. Because of his trust of others and their failure to act honorably, the consequences of his decisions which are based on honor lead to his downfall and then to his death.