A Man Of Admirable Exploits Essay, Research Paper
Everyone is his own person, and he is entitled to his own opinion and judgment of subject in a society. It is difficult sometimes to determine who is the tragic hero of a story without reasons and proof. In William Shakespeare play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, there were two characters to choose from that were fit of being the tragic hero. They are Marcus Brutus and Julius Caesar. According to Aristotle, a tragic hero must have prosperity, virtue, a great reputation, and tragic flaw. Marcus Brutus and Julius Caesar have those features of being the tragic hero, but only Brutus could be judged as the real tragic hero of the play.
Both characters showed strong points of a tragic hero. However, Brutus, a friend and conspirator who killed Caesar, Et tu, Brute? Then fall Caesar (3.1.77), is truly the tragic hero. It was because of Brutus honorable reputation with the public of Rome that made the killing of Caesar seem reasonable (2.1.90-93). The people of Rome held him in high regards for his honorable traits, such as his prosperity and nobility. Brutus obtained his great reputation of being the nobleman, that he is, and a senator, who cares about the goodness of Rome and its people. He prosperous because had he had wife, Portia, who loves him and respected him greatly (2.1.261-278). Brutus, a noble Roman, who had inherited a great title from his ancestors that the public had respect for, Give him a statue with his ancestors (3.2.51). Though Brutus was brave and courageous, his tragic flaw of being too gullible that trusted Antony to speak, in support of the conspirators at Caesar funeral (3.1.218-231), which led the mass to turn against him (3.2.233), thereafter caused a war (4.1&2). In that war Brutus failed to be the victor, then eventually taking his own life (5.5.50-51).
Caesar was known for his victories and bringing home riches from the countries that he had defeated. He was also known for his arrogance, his pompous personality and tyranny (3.1.58-73). Many people respected him for his prosperity, but he was also feared His prosperity included not only money but also his wife, Calphurnia. She was always by his side and tried to convince not to go to the capitol because she had dreamed that Caesar would bleed and that his killers would bath in his blood (2.2.13-26). Caesar tragic flaw was the fact that he was too eager to become king (2.2.92-96), which eventually caused his murder (3.1.76-77).
Brutus is really the tragic hero of the play. He had more lines than Caesar, and he was alive in all five acts, which proves that he is main focus of the play, while Caesar died in the third act (3.1.76-77). At the end of the play, Antony, who was Brutus enemy, commended him on being the noblest Roman of all (5.5.68-75). Brutus was dutiful, courteous and was strong Roman, who would do anything to save Rome from tyranny, and therefore he was loved and supported by many Romans (3.2.50-54). Caesar, on the other hand, is ambitious, weak and arrogant; who only cares about become Emperor of Rome. Caesar s physical imperfections include the fact that he is deaf in one ear (1.2.213) because he had to turn his head to hear the soothsayer speak (1.2.17), which the conspirators exploit as signifiers of feminine weakness. Compounding this defect, Caesar is also subject to epilepsy when he faltered at the very moment that he was to receive the crown (1.2.247-254). His weaknesses and tyranny are unfitting of being a tragic hero! While Brutus death was tragic in a way that laments the hearts of his enemies (5.5.68-81).
The predominance of Brutus being the tragic hero over Caesar has been proven by legitimate evidence from the play. Although the title is The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, the play evolves around the character Brutus, who killed Caesar. Brutus saved Rome from tyranny. It is in fact a tragedy that Brutus had to kill himself, but that is what separated him from Caesar s death, which ends his dictatorship. Some people might not agree to the idea that Brutus is the tragic hero, but the strong traits of Brutus. He is, by far, the spotlight of the play and his death is tragic, for he could become a great leader.