Et tu, Brute? Then fall Caeser

Untitled Part 1

Would the true definition of a friendship involve the plan of one's murder even if it's supposedly for the good of Rome? While attending a race at the festival of Lupercal, a soothsayer warns Caesar to be wary of the ides of march. Paying no heed Caesar moves on, once he has left, Caesar's trusted friend Brutus and Caesar's adversary Cassius meet together to discuss Caesar. Cassius's plan is to turn Brutus against his own friend to benefit "the good of Rome". Cassius starts to sway the utmost honorable Brutus's view into one that starts to plan the demise of Caesar. After some long words from Cassius and the help of some false letters from the supposed citizens of the empire itself, Cassius and some conspirators hook Brutus to the idea. In Brutus's mind they must carry out this plan of murder as a true act of liberation, yet the real thing differs from the original image. In the play Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, there are many similarities and differences between what Brutus imagined as Caesars critical death verses the reality of the actual murder.

The Conspirators assemble to discuss the plans to eliminate the almighty Caesar. As his "friend" Brutus wants to go about this in an honorable way, he wants to go about this in a way that the citizens of Rome won't be blind to the supposed good to come out of all this. "We shall be called purgers, not murderers" (2.1.193) The citizens will look past the evil in the deed and see the true reason for this act, to be purgers and to heal Rome of a leader such as Caesar. Brutus does not wish to take throne ,although he still looks upon him as his friend. If he could have it his way, they would remove Caesar's spirit and leave his body unharmed, but alas Brutus states that the dirty work of this is inevitable but no unnecessary mutilation will befall Caesar's body for Brutus imagines that they will "..carve him as a dish fit for the gods" (2.1.186). He later states along the lines of not chopping him up like the body of an animal with the intent of being feed to the dogs. What a great friend. The conspirators on the other hand don't seem like they really care on the condition Caesar's body will turn out to be but they agree to the following probably to get Brutus to move along with the plan. The discussion of Antony pops up, they question if he will turn out to be a threat. Brutus easily dismisses this notion for Antony couldn't possibly hinder the plan of Caesar's assassination. "And for Mark Antony, think not of him; For he can do no more than Caesar's left arm when Caesar's head is off" (2.1.194). Cassius isn't easily convinced that Antony wouldn't cause trouble, for he knows what Antony shares deep-rooted love and friendship towards Caesar. Brutus assures Cassius that Antony wouldn't do anything Against them, for all the harm he would be able to cause was to himself and that notion was very improbable. The plan was set, all that was left was to carry out the ghastly arrangement cloaked as the honorable murder of a mere tyrant.

The plan was a success, Caesar soon fell. Brutus then finds himself in front of the common people of Rome, he informs them of Caesars slain and brings out the whole "good for Rome" reason again. After his Oh so mighty and honorable speech the crowd is taken with him. The citizens of Rome easily agree with this powerful man in front of them, even going as far as shouting out things such even suggesting to dedicate a statue towards Brutus! As Brutus steps down up rises Antony with his Speech over Caesar's dead body. Antony delivers his speech and surprisingly is very clever about it. Antony easily persuades the crowd to see how wrong the killing of Caesar was. He praises the good Caesar and tells the people about his good works and his concern for the citizens. For example the crowd cried, "Most noble Caesar! We'll revenge his death!" (3.2.159). This is said from a crowd that not long ago was claiming Caesar was nothing but a tyrant. Antony, the man that Brutus saw no threat from has just now turned the crowd against the conspirators. After ruffling the crowd a bit more Antony brings out Caesar's body and removes the cloth covering the gruesome sight. One citizen shouts out "O most bloody sight!"(3.2.216), I don't know about you but i'm pretty sure Caesar's body is nowhere near "a carved dish fit for the gods". Nowhere in the crowd did any citizen voice any thought of how the conspirators were the great purges that Brutus imagined, yet murders they most definitely were called. "They were villains, Murderers!"(3.2.166).

Brutus never imagined this whole ordeal to end with the people of Rome against him. Although, some aspects of the plan were true to the original such as, the murder did take place on the 15 of March, and Caesar was surrounded and stabbed, nevertheless the ending of this all wasn't very satisfactory. Brutus wanted the people to agree with him and the conspirators but yet they did one of the one things he really didn't want them to, to see them as murderers. That's what the people saw them as after Antony's great speech. Was this all as very noble and honorable as Brutus saw it as? ,Is Brutus still considered a great friend of Caesar after all that's happened? For the good of Rome Brutus got together with conspirators and sorted out a plan for Caesar's murder, Brutus told them what he wanted and expected during and concluding this act. Once the plan took action, Brutus can see that what he planned and what truly took place had many differences.