Brutus’s Motivation in Julius Caesar
Although it can lead to dangerous and sometimes unwanted consequences, inward reflection when dealing with moral choices is extremely important. Acting on insufficient information or, even worse, conforming to the views of another person for popular support is an improper way to make a moral decision. When this decision is regarding someone’s life, it is of the utmost importance that it be thought out carefully and examined intricately. In Shakespeare’s tragedy Julius Caesar, Brutus is cleverly tricked into joining the conspirators in a plot to assassinate Caesar. However, he rationalizes his position by telling himself it’s for the good of the people. This makes him a tragic hero, and one that killed Caesar not out of greed, but out of love for the people. The conspirators only kill Caesar because they are wealthy nobles who can achieve more power through his death, thus making them greedy. Brutus had a better, more meaningful motivation then the corrupt senators. Thus, Brutus’s motivations were significant and expressive of his desire to act upon the wishes of the public.
The lead conspirator, Cassius, recognizes that they need Brutus on their side in order for the assassination to work. However, when Cassius brings up the idea, Brutus is staunchly against him, and realizes that his intentions are evil. Cassius decides to place fake letters from the people of Rome that urge Brutus to take action against Caesar. “ ‘O Rome, I make thee a promise, / If the redress will follow, thou receivest / Thy full petition at the hand of Brutus’ ” (II.i.59-61). As soon as Brutus sees the forged letters sent from the public, he knows it his heart what he must do. He becomes determined to please the people of Rome by sacrificing his common sense and donning his assassination robes. Cassius and his fellow conspirators realize that they have an important keystone in their plan, and that they will now be able to kill Caesar and gain more...