Was Brutus Justified for Killing Caesar
Prompt: Referencing specific details from the play, identify whether you believe Brutus was justified for murdering Caesar, or whether you believe that Brutus made the wrong decision. You may also reference “The Soldier’s Dilemma” and/or current events to illustrate your point of view. Support your position thoroughly and logically.
According to dictionary.com, trust is a “firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.” This concept is prevalent in the play Julius Caesar; Caesar, a publicly loved figurehead, was assassinated by several conspirators, most notably, his thought-to-be trustworthy friend Brutus. Although Brutus may seem heartless for backstabbing Caesar, I believe he was justified, as Brutus foresaw potential problems with Caesar assuming the crown and eliminated any chance of occurrence before the issue escalated, an additionally reasoned that Caesar was far too ambitious for the public’s good. Brutus was justified for assassinating Caesar as he eliminated potential problems that could have arisen with Caesar taking the crown before the issues became too large to handle. This rationale was considered by Brutus when he first contemplated whether or not he should join the conspiracy. In the first scene of Act 2, Brutus reasoned with himself alone in the confinements of his garden. He thought,
“When he once attains the upmost round,
He then unto the ladder turns his back…
Scorning the base degrees by which he did ascend…….
And therefore think him as a serpent’s egg,
Which, hatched, would, as his kind, grow mischievous,
And kill him in the shell.” (II, i, 25-36).
From this, the reader finds that Brutus foresees Caesar turning his back upon his subordinates once he attains the highest power. Brutus ends his soliloquy with an analogy comparing Caesar’s status at the time to a serpent in an egg. When hatched, or when Caesar was given power, he would grow ‘mischievous’, or playful with power at the expense
According to dictionary.com, trust is a “firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.” This concept is prevalent in the play Julius Caesar; Caesar, a publicly loved figurehead, was assassinated by several conspirators, most notably, his thought-to-be trustworthy friend Brutus. Although Brutus may seem heartless for backstabbing Caesar, I believe he was justified, as Brutus foresaw potential problems with Caesar assuming the crown and eliminated any chance of occurrence before the issue escalated, an additionally reasoned that Caesar was far too ambitious for the public’s good. Brutus was justified for assassinating Caesar as he eliminated potential problems that could have arisen with Caesar taking the crown before the issues became too large to handle. This rationale was considered by Brutus when he first contemplated whether or not he should join the conspiracy. In the first scene of Act 2, Brutus reasoned with himself alone in the confinements of his garden. He thought,
“When he once attains the upmost round,
He then unto the ladder turns his back…
Scorning the base degrees by which he did ascend…….
And therefore think him as a serpent’s egg,
Which, hatched, would, as his kind, grow mischievous,
And kill him in the shell.” (II, i, 25-36).
From this, the reader finds that Brutus foresees Caesar turning his back upon his subordinates once he attains the highest power. Brutus ends his soliloquy with an analogy comparing Caesar’s status at the time to a serpent in an egg. When hatched, or when Caesar was given power, he would grow ‘mischievous’, or playful with power at the expense