![]() ![]() He has been thinking about the problem that Caesar represents to Roman liberty for an unspecified time when the play opens. His private life is destroyed, and he also has difficulty avoiding the taint of dishonor in his public life.īrutus makes moral decisions slowly, and he is continually at war with himself even after he has decided on a course of action. In the tent at Sardis, after learning of Portia's death and believing that Cassius is bringing discredit on the republican cause, Brutus becomes most isolated. In his scene with Portia, Brutus shows that he has already become alienated with his once happy home life because of his concentration on his "enterprise," which will eventually cause him to lose everything except the belief that he has acted honorably and nobly. He does not realize that his speech has only moved the mob emotionally it has not prodded them to make reasoned assessments of what the conspirators have done.īrutus is endowed with qualities that could make him a successful private man but that limit him severely, even fatally, when he endeavors to compete in public life with those who do not choose to act with the same ethical and moral considerations. He presents his reasons for the assassination, and he leaves believing that he has satisfied the Roman citizens with his reasoned oration. Brutus as a naive thinker is most clearly revealed in the scene in the Forum. He underestimates Antony as an opponent, and he loses control over the discussion at the Capitol following the assassination by meeting Antony's requests too readily. He does not recognize the bogus letters as having been sent by Cassius, although they contain sentiments and diction that would warn a more perceptive man. He is unable to see through the roles being played by Cassius, Casca, and Antony. Brutus' reputation is so great that it will act to convince others who are as yet undecided to join.īrutus' concentration on honorable and noble behavior also leads him into assuming a naive view of the world. Ironically, his widely reputed honor is what causes Cassius to make an all-out effort to bring him into an enterprise of debatable moral respectability. Consider his anguish when he drinks a toast with Caesar while wearing a false face to hide his complicity in the conspiracy. He speaks of them often to Cassius, and he is greatly disturbed when events force him to act in a manner inconsistent with them. Unfortunately for him, he consistently misjudges the people and the citizens of Rome he believes that they will be willing to consider the assassination in abstract terms.īrutus is guided in all things by his concepts of honor. Consequently, thinking of the assassination in terms of a quasi-religious ritual instead of cold-blooded murder makes it more acceptable to him. ![]() He cannot justify, to his own satisfaction, the murder of a man who is a friend and who has not excessively misused the powers of his office. One of the significant themes that Shakespeare uses to enrich the complexity of Brutus involves his attempt to ritualize the assassination of Caesar. He is the only major character in the play intensely committed to fashioning his behavior to fit a strict moral and ethical code, but he take actions that are unconsciously hypocritical. He is proud of his reputation for honor and nobleness, but he is not always practical, and is often naive. Brutus is the most complex of the characters in this play. ![]()
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