Cassius and Brutus Essay

In William Shakespeare's playwright of "Julius Caesar", honor is displayed as a main theme throughout the entire play. The definition of honor is to have great respect for others, regardless of their status in society. In my opinion Brutus is an excellent example of an honorable man, Cassius on the other hand, is not.

When these men joined the conspiracy to kill Caesar, they did it for very different reasons. When Brutus joined the conspiracy, he did it out of his love for Rome and because he honestly thought that if they killed Caesar, Rome would benefit. Brutus thought that if Caesar were to get the crown that his attitude would change and Rome would suffer from it. (Act II Scene I Line 12-13) Cassius joined the conspiracy out of his jealousy of Caesar. In Act I Scene 2 on lines 128-131 Cassius talks about how he thinks that Caesar would not be a good enough ruler for Rome.

These men have very different motivations that drive them throughout this story. Their main motivations are why they make the decision to join the conspiracy and why they want Caesar to be murdered. Throughout the entire play, Cassius says that Caesar is not strong enough to lead Rome and that he is much stronger than Caesar. One of Brutus biggest flaws is that he is an idealist and he doesnt think about the consequences of Caesars murder. For example, in the beginning of the play when the conspiracy is talking with him they bring up the idea of swearing an oath, but Brutus says that there is no need for one, even though one of the men from the conspiracy betrays them and warns Caesar about his death to come.

Cassius is smarter in that category in that he thinks before he speaks. Cassius thinks about the consequences that might happen in effect to his actions, so that there arent any bumps in the road later on. For example, when Cassius brings up the idea of killing Antony as well as Caesar. Unfortunately a definite weakness that Cassius has is that he will back down from his word if someone tells him otherwise. For example right after Cassius brought up the idea of killing Antony, Brutus tells him that if they were to kill two people their crime would be too bloody and Cassius doesnt go through with his idea of killing Antony. (Act II Scene I Line162-166) This trait unfortunately is not one that honorable men have, for one to be honorable, they must be able to argue their opinions and stand up for their thoughts and beliefs.

Throughout the play, Cassius and Brutus contrasting characteristics show how different these two men really are. The ways that these two men are different show that Brutus is a better leader than Cassius is. This is so because Brutus may be very conniving, but he gets things done, and he sticks up for what he believes in, unlike Cassius who backs down from what he believes in if others tell him not to. In conclusion, because of his confidence, Brutus is a better leader than Cassius in many ways and the decisions that these men make throughout the entire play make their character and show what kind of person and leader they really are.