Brutus In William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

Every cloud has a silver lining. There is always some good to be found, no matter how bad someone or something is. In William Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar, a few conspirators kill Caesar in a coup d’état. Brutus is one of these conspirators. The other men, such as Cassius and Casca, kill Caesar out of spite and envy. On the other hand, Brutus is Caesar’s friend, and he is persuaded to kill for the good of the people. He is this group’s silver lining, because he kills for the good of the people, not just because he is jealous. Brutus brings righteousness to the group of conspirators with his noble causes, but his naïve morality and ideology also causes his demise.
Brutus is a noble man who only killed for the good of Rome. Brutus juxtaposes
Brutus is undecided on whether he should join the conspirators. Cassius provides a cogent argument, and Brutus is persuaded to join them. Cassius asks Brutus what is so magnificent about Caesar, and he asks him, “Why should his name be sounded more than yours” (1.2.8). Cassius also calls Caesar too ambitious, even when Caesar has refused the crown three times. The conspirators are afraid of a ‘King Caesar,’ even though he is not king yet, and he has refused to become king even when he had the chance to seize power. Even so, Brutus is heavily swayed by Cassius’s argument, and Brutus joins them. Brutus also makes this group seem more justified in their killing. The other conspirators are enemies of Caesar, but Brutus is a dear friend. Caesar is even suspicious of Cassius, and says that Cassius has “A lean and hungry look”(1.2.9) Caesar goes on to say that Cassius is dangerous, and that he “Should avoid” him (1.2.9). Without Brutus as their leader, it would seem to the people of Rome that they killed Caesar out of envy and hatred. With Brutus though, the group seems justified in their cause of killing Caesar. Once Brutus explains his reasoning to the people, they rejoice at Caesar’s death, and they even want to “Give him a statue”(3.2.45). The people love this group of killers, at
Brutus tries to find ways to justify this killing in his own mind. Killing Caesar was wrong, because he had not yet shown his ‘ambition.’ This group killed under the assumption that he was king, even though Caesar refused the crown three times. Brutus is unrealistic in believing that they can stab Caesar 33 times, and still seem as though they are “not butchers”(2.1.23). Brutus’s ideology, and strict ethical code cause the death of this tragic hero. Brutus is also naïve in believing that Antony is only “ A limb of Caesar,” when Cassius wants Caesar and Antony to “Fall together”(2.1.23). Not only does Brutus let Antony live, he also lets this skilled orator speak at Caesar’s funeral. Antony sways the crowd. At first, they are praising Brutus and the conspirators, but once Antony has finished the people think that “They are traitors”(3.2.48). Brutus is foolishly trusting in Antony. Brutus lets Caesar’s friend talk to the people even when there are clues that Antony has not truly befriended Brutus and the other conspirators. Antony says that there is no better time to die than “Caesar’s death hour’(3.1.40). Even with clues such as these, Brutus believes that Caesar’s loyal friend is on their side. This gullibility is Brutus’s fatal