Andie Daniels

Andie Daniels
Ms. Meyer
H. English 10
3/23/15
Romes True Hero
What makes a tragic hero? Perhaps its fate, but maybe its something else. A tragic hero is
someone of noble birth with heroic qualities fated to fail in their task, according to Sacramento
State. The play Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare is a somewhat historically accurate
retelling of the assassination of Julius Caesar. In the end, most of the characters end up dead, so
that takes care of one requirement for being a tragic hero. There is more to being a tragic hero
than dying, though. Although many people argue that Caesar is the tragic hero of the play, Brutus
makes it very apparent that that title belongs to him.
To begin, Brutus was a man of noble birth and noble status. Even his personality was
noble. Arguably being Caesars son, he acts as a true leader should. He is always truthful to
whoever he may talk to, and is always very honorable, and shows this many times. After they
stab Caesar, he persuades the conspirators not to kill Antony as well, for he trusts that Antony
would see their side to the story and they could count him as an ally. Brutus shows his nobility
again when he chooses to take his own life for he feels that his time has come. When Antony
sees his body, he even exclaims This was the noblest Roman of them all. (Act 5, scene 5, page
5, line 68), for only he did not kill Caesar out of envy, but for the good of Rome. As said by
Brutus was an honorable man. And honorable people are respected. (Qualmsoffyre).
Also, what makes Brutus the tragic hero is that he was loved by many and most all
because he was nice and honest to all he encountered. When the conspirators first tried to get him

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to join the murder of his beloved Caesar, he originally refused for he did not want to betray such
a good friend. When he did decide to join them, he did not murder Caesar because the love had
left his heart. He helped kill him for the good of the Roman citizens. He was looking out for
millions of people without them ever realizing his true intent.
Lastly, Brutus also had the trait that all tragic heroes have; his fatal flaw was that he was
too trusting of everyone. One of the major plot points happened because Brutus trusted Antony
not to speak out against the conspirators at Caesars funeral. Again, he was too trusting in the
false letters he had received from the Roman Citizens, which were really from Cassius. He
believed that no one would try to deceive him with fake letters, so he believed them to be true,
and this decision prompted him to join the conspirators in murdering Caesar. In the end, his trust
led to his demise, which was him taking his own life. Because of his errors and flaws, a tragic
hero such as Brutus experiences death and downfall. says author Vigorous.
Overall, the position of tragic hero in the play Julius Caesar is obviously given to one of
Caesars closest friends, Marcus Brutus. A man as noble as he is fits the part perfectly. His
honorability and amiability fit the hero part, where his trusting nature pulls it all together to be
tragic. Many people lost their lives because he attempted to do what was right, yet did what was
wrong. (vigorous). Brutus having this role is a major part in what drives the plot of the play. His
actions in this position prompt him to murder Caesar and himself.

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Works Cited
Qualmsoffyre,. "Brutus and the Honor Meter." Brutus and the Honor Meter. N.p., n.d. Web. 24
Mar. 2015.
Vigorous. "Brutus: A Tragic Hero, an Essay Fiction | FictionPress." Brutus: A Tragic Hero, an
Essay Fiction | FictionPress. N.p., 7 Dec. 2007. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.