The title of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar is often criticized, saying that it should be titled Brutus, because Marcus Brutus is the tragic hero. However, the title is appropriate, because Julius Caesar, although insignificant as an actor in the play since he dies in Act 3 with a minimal number of lines, has a very significant impact on the characters in the play . The whole play revolves around him, not because he is the tragic hero, but because he is the one who influences how the story progresses and who makes the characters behave the way they do. Caesar therefore plays an important role in why Brutus is the tragic hero of the play. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Brutus' decision to kill Caesar becomes the focus of the play. His decision to assassinate Caesar was wrong, but it seemed right to Brutus since he was convinced that if Caesar became king, Rome would fall; thus, killing Caesar was necessary to save Rome. To him, his intentions were noble and determined, but they ultimately led to his own destruction. Aristotle defines the tragic hero as "a literary character who commits an error of judgment which inevitably leads to his own destruction", further specifying that a tragic hero must possess five specific characteristics. First, the character must have a flaw, Hamartia. Second, there must be a reversal of fortune, a twist, caused by an error of judgment and/or a flaw on the part of the hero. Third, the tragic hero must recognize that the reversal was brought about by his own actions, anagnorisis. Fourth, the tragic hero must have excessive pride, inordinate pride. Finally, the character's fate must be greater than he deserves. Brutus indeed fits into these five characteristics, hamartia, peripeteia, anagnorisis, hubris and a destiny greater than he deserves, thus making Marcus Brutus the tragic hero of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. Marcus Brutus has many faults, but his honor, his lack of judgment, and his idealism, truly lead him to his own destruction. Throughout the play, Brutus faces inner conflicts regarding the assassination of Caesar. Brutus convinces himself that once Caesar "reaches the highest tower, he then turns his back" on the people, therefore the only way to stop him is to kill him. Brutus is therefore easily manipulated by Cassius into believing that if Caesar becomes king, Rome will fall. Since Brutus already has a deep love for his country, he is easily convinced that Caesar's assassination is justified. He misjudges Cassius' motivations and therefore falls into his manipulative methods. If Brutus had not been so easily convinced by Cassius to participate in Caesar's murder, he might have met a different fate. Brutus's idealism clouds his judgment when he convinces himself that an ideal Rome is one without Caesar, and ultimately leads him to assassinate Caesar for "the general", instead of a "personal cause". Brutus has great honor and respect for Rome and believes he must save Rome from Caesar and the "danger he may" bring. He feels it is his responsibility to prevent his fall. His excessive idealism and poor judgment of people and situations lead him to assume that killing Caesar will save Rome. However, his actions actually provoke a war for Rome, but his good intentions lead him to be the hero. The incident is caused by Brutus's error of judgment; he trusts those he should not trust, miscalculates the actions of others and ultimately takes very baddecisions. At the beginning of the play, Brutus is easily manipulated by Cassius and others into believing that if Caesar becomes king, Rome will fall. He therefore participates in the murder of Caesar. After Caesar's murder, Caesar's funeral is organized by Brutus. Antony, one of Caesar's most loyal men, asks Brutus if he can "speak for Caesar's funeral." Brutus replies yes, but that Antony "must not" blame the conspirators, "but speak all well", he "can imagine of Caesar". This leads to the twist, as at the funeral the Romans initially agree with Brutus and his actions, but once Antony speaks, they oppose Brutus. The plebeians call the conspirators “evil, murderers” and “traitors,” then go on to assert that Caesar “will be avenged.” Brutus is naive and stupid to think that other men, like Antony, would quietly retire while another king takes over. Brutus becomes the perfect scapegoat. Allowing Antony to speak sets off a downward spiral for Brutus; one thing leads to another. Once the plebeians are incited to revolt, Antony builds an army to fight against Brutus, and a war begins that ultimately leads Brutus to his demise. Brutus' error in judgment created a situation that could have been avoided. His flaws stood in his way, thus leading to his tragic death. After Antony incites the crowd to rise up against those who murdered Caesar, Brutus admits that he is responsible for the reversal of his fortunes. He should have listened to Cassius and not let Antony speak; now Rome is against him. After Antony's speech, the servant tells Antony that Brutus and Cassius "rushed like madmen through the gates of Rome." By fleeing Rome, Brutus realizes the immensity of his mistake and the fact that he can no longer go back. Brutus was so certain of his righteousness in killing Caesar that he never anticipated that Rome would follow Antony and go against him. War and chaos are inevitable. As the war ends and the conspirators lose, Brutus makes the decision to commit suicide. Brutus thinks he will be captured and killed, so he asks Strato to help him commit suicide. Brutus' final words: "Caesar, now be silent." I did not kill you with half as good a will,” shows that Brutus regrets murdering Caesar. Brutus ensures that Caesar can now rest, as he commits suicide more willingly than when he stabbed Caesar. In the end, Brutus recognizes that his miscalculations and bad decisions cost him everything, but there was nothing more he could do to change the course of events and so had to accept them. Throughout the play, Brutus was overconfident in himself, whether it be his actions, his thoughts, or his words. After Caesar's death, Brutus, Cassius, and Antony have a conversation during which Brutus allows Antony to speak at Caesar's funeral. However, Cassius does not support Brutus' decision, so he tries to dissuade Brutus. Cassius said: “Do not consent to Antony speaking at his funeral, do you know how much the people can be moved by what he is going to say? ", in which Brutus says that he will speak first and give Antony certain rules to follow. Brutus believes that the Romans will understand the justification for his actions from anything Antony says and thus allow Antony to speak. Brutus is so confident in himself that he doesn't think the Romans will come after him. So Brutus speaks up and tells the Romans that it was "not that he loved Caesar less, but that he loved Rome more", and then he goes on to say that if Caesar had not been killed, then they would be “all dead slaves”. ”, instead of “living all in.