Paper
Julius Caesar by William ShakespeareSome tragedies are classified as classical tragedies and they may contain a tragic hero. This is true in William Shakespeare s Julius Caesar in which Brutus is the tragic hero. The play Julius Caesar contains many characteristics to classify it as a classical tragedy. The character Marcus Brutus has many characteristics to classify him as a tragic hero. In the play Julius Caesar many characteristics are present in order to categorize it as a classical tragedy. The play itself, excites pity and fear which leads to catharsis. Brutus recognizes that fact when at the end of the play he takes his own life by falling on his own sword. Human values are present in Julius Caesar the play. Caesar valued his common men so much that he refused to read Agamemnon s letter to Caesar which, in turn, might have saved his life. All the men had free will which drove them to commit their crime. All of Brutus s followers chose to stab Caesar one at a time, while court was in session, killing Julius Caesar. While man has the power of free choice, he then is forced to take responsibility for actions. All of the assassins either are killed by Caesar s followers, or kill themselves knowing what they had done was wrong. All of those characteristics are incorporated into the play and characterize it as a classical tragedy. Marcus Brutus had many characteristics which classify him as a tragic hero. Marcus Brutus was a highly renowned person. His leadership qualities were what allowed him to be in control of the group of assassins which led them to carry out their plot. Brutus was not either a saint or a sinner. His actions reflected his love for the republic and his willingness to preserve it at any cost. His fall was contributed to hubris, which caused him to think he was better than any other individual. He made the poor judgment of letting Mark Anthony speak at Caesar s funeral, shifting the support of the mob from Brutus to Anthony. Brutus suffered all out of proportion to his offense. His death at the end was worse then what he deserved, by having to land on his own sword rather than having a companion kill him. Brutus contained all of those characteristics which made him tragic hero. Julius Caesar is a classical tragedy and Brutus is its tragic hero. The play Julius Caesar is about Marcus Brutus the tragic hero, not Julius Caesar. In life, men have free will and base their decisions on what is in their brain. Sometimes the decision is correct and sometimes it is not.