How Did Brutus Caesar Be Punished

I, as a juror in Brutus’s trial, am responsible for examining Brutus’s intentions in killing Caesar and determining whether he should be punished for being part of the plot to assassinate the leader of Rome. The resolution of this case will either justify Brutus and the other conspirators’ act of murder or avenge Caesar’s death. Due to his overly ambitious nature and false claim that he did what was best for Rome, I believe that Brutus killed Caesar to gain power and therefore should be punished for his involvement in the murder.
Brutus’s actions when he gained power after Caesar’s death indicated that he acted not out of love of his country, but out of selfishness. When Brutus addressed the public at Caesar’s funeral, it was evident that he
was power hungry and arrogant, looking forward to replacing Caesar. He spoke highly of himself, using the third person, and was so confident that nobody would disobey him that he did not even stay at the funeral to hear Antony speak. I believe that Brutus aspired to become powerful when he killed Caesar.
Brutus did not act irrationally; he put much thought into his decision to assist in Caesar’s assassination. He admitted that he felt so conflicted that he could not sleep when he expressed, “I would it were my fault to sleep so soundly” (2.1.4). He said that he was jealous of his servant for being able to sleep when he could not. Brutus had plenty of time to ponder his motives for assassinating Caesar and possible repercussions that could follow. He knew exactly what he was doing when he helped Cassius kill Caesar and therefore is guilty and deserving of punishment.
Though Brutus and the defense team will argue that the defendant acted out of love for Rome and did what was best for his people, I disagree.
The people of Rome did not all share the same viewpoint as Brutus. It is clear that Commoners such as the Carpenter and Cobbler support Caesar’s rule when they disagree with soldiers on the street. The soldiers dislike Caesar because he killed Pompey, while the common people support him. These Commoners did not want Caesar to be dethroned. In addition, Brutus had to work to persuade the people that he made the right decision in killing Caesar. He gave a speech at Caesar’s funeral attempting to explain that his motives were solely for Rome. The only way for him to make the Plebeians take his side was by convincing them that if they did not support him, they were not true Romans. If Brutus truly did what was right for Rome, he would not have to convince everyone that his intentions were pure because they would already understand. Further evidence of the people’s love of Caesar can be found when Mark Antony reads Caesar’s will at the funeral. Upon being part of the will, the Plebeians cry out, “Most noble Caesar! We’ll revenge his death” (3.2.257). They did not want their leader to die; they believed he had their best interests at heart. Though Caesar did not leave much for the common people, the fact that he included them in his will indicates that he always thought of his people. If the Plebeians loved Caesar and he constantly thought about the needs of his people, then why would Brutus kill him for being a bad
ruler?
After reviewing Brutus and the Commoners’ actions, it is clear to me that Brutus acted to improve his own position and did not think about what the people really wanted. Brutus must be punished because he did not have a plausible reason to assassinate Caesar, the leader of Rome; he lied either to the people of Rome or himself when he claimed that he did it not for power, but for the good of the people.