Which character emerges as the most credible (or, at least, the least devious), considering that every single one of them is driven by thirst for power -- which in Shakespeare's time, and presumably in imperial Rome as well, was a perfectly legitimate and even "moral" pursuit?
1) Post your own comment (we are not interested in what Shakespeare thought: we are interested in YOUR personal thoughts.)
2) REPLY to one of your classmates' comment: choose a comment that is particularly revelatory to you, something you had not thought about.
To me, Brutus was the most credible character in the story. Although he did conspire to, and, murder Caesar, he did not do so out of envy, like the others. He participated in the assassination because he thought Caesar's ambition and rise to power would lead to a change in his fundamental principles, making him a cruel dictator. He reveals this while contemplating his decision in private. He also says so during his funeral speech. He did it not because he didn't love Caesar. Brutus did love him. He did it because he loved Rome more. He also said that he wishes to share the same fate as Caesar if he, too, becomes a threat to the nation.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you completely. Unlike the rest of the conspirators, Brutus did indeed love Caesar, but he believed that by killing him he was doing greater good for Rome.
DeleteI think to a certain extent everyone is devious. However, I think Brutus is the least devious. Unlike the rest, who want to bring Caesar down for personal reasons (envy and rivalry), Brutus does it for the sake of Rome. Brutus would do anything for Rome. He believes that if he kills Caesar, he is helping (preserving) Rome.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I honestly think this is the only logical choice to the question. Cassius was obviously consumed by jealousy and the rest of the characters weren't developed well enough to argue their motivations. Brutus was a complicated character with layers. That ultimately made his storyline very interesting.
DeleteI do agree with your statement that every character to an extent is devious. Each character had their own motivations that if weighed by morality would not necessarily be considered moral. However, Brutus was definitely one of the least devious characters because, like you said, his actions were not soley for his personal ajenda.
DeleteI definitely agree with you that Cassius was consumed by jealousy and rage and probably the most devious character of all. I never considered the morality aspect of the story but I agree that none of the character's actions were considered moral
DeleteI agree that that the characters (beside cassius) were not fully developed enough to really understand. However, in a sense everyone is devious to an extent because even Brutus who says to he has a moral obligation to protect Rome, by default also means protect himself, which is selfish in a sense.
DeleteWhile I agree with everyone above me that Brutus is definitely one of the less devious characters, I believe that there could be an argument for Antony also being one of the least devious characters. Before Caesar's death, Antony displayed only admiration and loyalty to Caesar, and in extension to Rome. After Caesar's death, his actions were not done out of greed, but rather for vengence for his friend's murder. He believed that the people who killed Caesar, a man of and loved by the people of Rome, should not be left to hold power. Therefore, Antony was also acting for the good of Rome as well.
ReplyDeleteI think a case for Antony can be made as well, for his loyalty to Caesar seemed true. The death of Caesar only strengthened Antony's will to do what he felt was right and, as you said, prevent the group of assassins from gaining more control of Rome.
DeleteI agree and would rank Antony as 2nd behind Brutus as the least devious character. Up until the very end, he stuck by his allegiance to Caesar - requesting to be killed in the same hour and spot as his former leader and friend. When it looked as if Caesar was killed viciously (As all the men had blood on their hands), Antony was vehement in wanting to die. However, after hearing their reasoning ("one in which, if he were Caesar's son, would be good enough), he prioritized the state of Rome in changing course.
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DeleteI agree! They both had different intentions than many in the movie and did what they believed was right for the country. They weren't driven by hate or envy. They both had respect for Caesar, but their love for their country was greater. I feel like Brutus is the least, but hadn't thought of Anthony, I think they both hold the stance as least devious out of everyone in the movie.
DeleteOut of all the conspirators, Brutus was definitely the least devious. Although he also partook in the death of Caesar, he thought it would be best for Rome and the citizens of Rome. He saw Caesar was getting too powerful and feared a dictatorship. It could also be argued that Caesar was the least devious. He declined the crown three times and left the Roman citizens a part of his inheritance. Brutus thought of him as too ambitious, but his intentions might have been pure all along. However, he had too small of a part in the play and film to be able to determine this.
ReplyDeleteI actually did not take on the perspective of Caesar being a less devious character. But after reading what you wrote it did make me think back to that.
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ReplyDeleteAs others have mentioned, I too believe that Brutus was the less devious of the characters. In the beginning he seems almost naive and tempted by Cassius. We can see that Cassius is almost like a symbol of a serpent. He is clearly moved my greed and manipulates Brutus and plays on his concerned for his good friends. Like Gabriela mentioned he did partake in his death which does ultimately sully his character. It seems as though Brutus was just the pawn that Cassius needed to get closer to Caesar, but also to show the people that even Caesars close friends did not stand by him.
I have often wondered whether we, as observers of history and viewers of this film, are supposed to sympathize with Caesar or his murderers. In many ways, Caesar is unlikable and guilty of that which he is charged by the Senate -- he seeks absolute power and indeed is delighted by the thought of the crown. His belief that he is invincible ultimately leads to his death. It is not difficult to see how this would rub his friends the wrong way, yet most of them seek to remove him for their own gain, whereas Caesar's pompous qualities only aggravate their own selfishness. I believe it can be argued that Caesar was worthy of being head of Rome, for he had indeed led them to victory all across the world. It is true that this is a threat to the people of the Republic, but this in and of itself does not justify murder of Caesar because such conspirators as Cassius sought not to protect the sovereignty of the people but to expand his own power. Therefore Caesar can be considered the most credible.
ReplyDeleteWe don't know who you are. Impossible to give you credit for this. FGC
DeleteThis was honestly a very interesting point. While watching the film, I never really thought to sympathize with Caeser, other than when he was murdered of course - being that murder is so harsh. Even so, I always felt as if, for the most part, he deserved it. Although, while listening to your points, I do agree with you a bit. Even though Caeser seemed a bit ruthless, he did in fact work hard. And the people who killed him, although they stated to do it to benefit Rome as a whole, were really just interested i benefiting themselves. This is definitely something worth thinking about. Great point, and thank you for the alternative point of view!
DeleteCaesar is definitely a complex character and it is easy to see both sides of the situation. While he did revel in the attention and adoration of the Roman people, he refused to be their king even after Antony offered it to him three times. In this sense he was thinking of the republic and not himself.
DeleteHowever, on the other side of that, Caesar fed into his fame too much. A sensible and grounded politician would be modest and understand that the job is about working for the people rather than being adored. It's much easier objectively judging when you're not in that situation but we see this with politicians today. Their original intentions and promises always end up secondary to what will give them the most power. I think it's an interesting comparison.
I firmly believe that Brutus was indeed the least devious, and the most credible. Julius and Ceaser were friends, but Julius was under the impression that the citizens in Rome did not approve of Ceaser, and wanted him to be ruler instead. Many notes were planted for him by Cassius to make it seem like many different people felt this way. In result, Julius put aside his own friendship with Ceaser in order for the good of Rome and it's people, as a whole. Julius truly believed he was doing the right thing for the people of Rome, even though this was based on a lie. Although Julius easily being able to be manipulated is a character flaw, his stupidity and naiveness does not make him a bad person. All this people said, I do believe Brutus was the least devious of them all.
ReplyDeleteThroughout this I made the error of calling Brutus, Julius, throughout it, here is the correct version being that i can't delete it:
DeleteI firmly believe that Brutus was indeed the least devious, and the most credible. Brutus and Ceaser were friends, but Brutus was under the impression that the citizens in Rome did not approve of Ceaser, and wanted him to be ruler instead. Many notes were planted for him by Cassius to make it seem like many different people felt this way. In result, Brutus put aside his own friendship with Ceaser in order for the good of Rome and it's people, as a whole. Brutus truly believed he was doing the right thing for the people of Rome, even though this was based on a lie. Although Brutus easily being able to be manipulated is a character flaw, his stupidity and naiveness does not make him a bad person. All this people said, I do believe Brutus was the least devious of them all.
In my opinion, Brutus is the least devious. First, he demands a noble killing of Caesar - "one not of the killing of the hounds". Clearly, he is not after vengeful, bloody showcase - as Cassius is. Instead, his intent is purely for the liberties of the Roman people, even if this is under the pretense of a lie. In addition, he does not conform to Cassius' protests when Antony requests to speak at Caesar's funeral. Overall, Brutus appears to be a morally independent character, even though he still participates in murder. Compared to the others, he is not as evil and this can even be represented cinematically, when he is the last person to, hesitantly, stab Caesar before he dies. If anything, he exemplifies Shakespeare's most "moral" character in the film.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great point. I believe that that appearance as a morally independent character is what allows him to be seen as credible and uninfluenced. The fact that he stabbed Caesar last also shows that he was doing it bc it had to be done, not for himself which in Shakespeare time was a very moral and honorable thing to do.
DeleteThroughout the movie, I believe the least devious character was Brutus, because his goal was to achieve what he believed was the right thing for Rome. He was trying to protect his country from a ruling power that may harm his country due to overwhelming amount of power to just one individual. Many of those who conspired against Julius in the movie were against him because of envy as well as hatred towards the competition. They all had one goal, however, Brutus, didn’t have a personal reason for conspiring against Julius but more of a bigger picture, rather than his feelings or emotions, driving him to kill Julius. Throughout the movie, we see how emotions were a major factor in how people made decisions, and those emotions are what lead to Julius’s death.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that Brutus is the most credible in the film however that is not revealed until the very end. If we are discussing who EMERGES as the most credible rather than who "is" the most credible, I would have to make an argument for Mark Antony. The speech he gave to the Romans was using an ethos, logos, pathos narration and that allowed him the authority to turn Rome to riot with one simple speech. The connection that emerged between himself and the Roman people is due to the credibility that was assumed. People viewed him as the least devious because he was believed to be honest regardless of whatever ulterior motives he may have had.
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ReplyDeleteTo me, it felt that Brutus was the least devious of the characters.. Like others, Brutus had a major part in the death of Caesaer, but it seemed as though Brutus only partook in the killing of Caesar because of his love for Rome and he felt as though it were best for his country and his countrymen. Brutus was fearful of a dictatorship as it seemed Caesar was seeking absolute power and he and was fearful of what was to come in the future with Caesar in power. One thing that stood out to me is when Brutus said he seeked the same destiny as Caesar if this was what was necessary for the future of his country. This stood out to me because it proved that he was only taking down Caesar because he truly believed it was for the better of the country and not for personal gains. For these reasons I believe Brutus is the least devious of the conspirators.
I think the detail about Brutus wanting the same fate as Caesar if it were necessary for Rome is a great point to prove your argument. I think that shows that it wasn't about greed and power to Brutus, but it was more of what was best for Rome and it's future.
DeleteIn my perspective, I believe Brutus was the most credible/least devious character in the film. Although Brutus had taken part in the assassination of Julius Caesar, it was not out of greed or envy like the others. He took part in it while having the best interest of Rome and it's people at heart. His actions, although based on a lie, showed that it wasn't about having power or being in control, it was about the well being of Rome. All this being said, I do believe that this is what makes Brutus the least devious.
ReplyDeleteI would agree with most of the people on this blog that Brutus is the most credible and honorable character. Yes, he did collude and he did murder Caesar but he did so with a different intention than the rest of the politicians. Brutus truly believed that what he was doing was going to benefit the Republic of Rome and the Roman people. The others conspired purely out of jealousy and ambition.
ReplyDeleteBrutus was able to put the love he had for one person aside and think of the well-being of an entire society. Although I will admit that he was too easily manipulated by Cassius and that he was working off of false information. However his savviness has nothing to do with honor and credit. In a way he made the most selfless decision someone could make: to give up someone that you love for the betterment of mankind.