a villager Than to repute himself a son of Rome Under these hard conditions as this time Is like to lay upon us (1.2. 171-174). Brutus’ noble character is established by both Cassius and Caesar. Brutus is a reflective man, dedicated to the principles of the Republic, to love and friendship, to duty, and to honor. For the sake of honor, he will even face death (as, in fact, he does at the end of the play). But as strongly as he holds to these ideals, he is just as strongly torn by conflicting loyalties to these ideals. Brutus makes decisions deliberately, and he is not quickly influenced by persuasive and passionate argument. He is torn between his love and admiration for Caesar and the anti-Caesar sentiments he admittedly shares with Cassius. The emotions of love and respect for Caesar that Brutus feels are authentic and deep. The effect is to make the political leadership against Caesar impossible. Again, Brutus’ conflict consists of his love for Caesar on one hand, and his concern for the social goodand welfare of the Republic on the other. According to historian Steven Ozment, Brutus “tends to rationalize his actions by altering his view of its desirability” (qtd. in Roberts 152). He can find no justification to gain the political leadership of the conspiracy against Caesar in Caesar’s past actions; therefore, he finds justification for it in what Caesar might become. He assumes that Caesar will develop into a somewhat bombastic and unbearable tyrant if he is crowned king. On the basis of this assumption, he decides to murder him. The flaw of his reasoning is that Brutus does not raise the question o...
