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Introduction

Compare and Contrast- Cassius and Brutus The play "Julius Caesar" was written by William Shakespeare, the play is based on what really happened approximately 1500 years ago, with the king Julius Caesar's assassination. Here I will compare and contrast Caius Cassius and Marcus Brutus, two of the main characters in the play, the main men responsible for the murder of Caesar. First, I will describe the character of Brutus in as much depth as I can. Marcus Brutus was probably Caesars most trusted friend. "I would not Cassius, yet I love him well". Brutus: Act 1.2 82. However, he is pressurized into murdering him. Brutus is a strange character, his character varies constantly throughout the play, he can seem the bold warrior who will never back down, and then he can be the little man who is forced into a murder of his friend and King. Before the Murder, he is seen as one of the most respected members of society, honoured and loved by all. However, when he is asked to participate in murdering Caesar, he may have refused, but considering the circumstances, he gave in too quickly, from this we see he is respected and loyal, but easily pressurized. He could also be seen as a na�ve man, this is because after he refused to murder Caesar, Cassius managed to trick him into thinking it was for the good of Rome, how could murdering the most popular leader of Rome be good for it? ...read more.

Middle

He also smooth talks Casca into thinking nothing is wrong when he senses danger, saying that he is afraid of no one, and Caesars murder will be a success, this is where he becomes a much more arrogant character. Caesar actually thought Cassius was a thinking man who was should be seen as a threat. (He is right). "Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look; He thinks too much. such men are dangerous". Caesar: Act 5.5 194/95. He was in suspicion that Cassius was up to something, which was true. Being lean in the Roman times was a sign of not much wealth, as rich people could afford to eat as much food as they pleased. Caesar saw the thinking as a bad thing because he never knew what he was thinking. Therefore, Caesar sees Cassius as a poor and devious man! When Cassius and Brutus have the argument in the tents mid-way through the battle Cassius shows his bad temper. The shout at each other for a long period. Brutus doesn't really have a temper, but does shout back, but it is evident that Cassius gets angry easily, obviously not in the text, but in a version on video he is picking things up and getting ready to throw them at Brutus, he gets absoloutely livid over something, not really that severe. One very ironic characteristic that Shakespeare gave to Cassius is that he made it so he died on his birthday, which is what happened to Caesar, it in a way shows you that although ...read more.

Conclusion

The two men have very few similarities although they were on the same side. Both of the men are murderes, they both stuck a knife into Julius Caesar, they both played a part in killing him. They are murderers, however, it rolls of them quite easily, they don't get anxious about it later, Brutus shows begins to be unnerved when he encounters the ghost of Caesar in a dream. To their credit, both of them fought with great heart and refused to yield, However, they both died in the same sort of way, this being that they both realized defeat and did not want to be defeated in battle and both preferred to be killed out of battle. So to conclude, Cassius and Brutus are both essential members to the play, I prefer Brutus, as most probably would, as Shakespeare has made him to be the more honourable, likeable character. They were both members of the Senate, and both conspirators, they murdered Caesar, the two of them were good warriors, leaders, in a way. However, they had a fair share of differences, motivations, bravery, temper, and many more. Both men were essential to the plot in their own way. Cassius being the devious scheming man who tricks Brutus into killing Caesar, the evil in the play. Brutus, is the loyal friend who is pressurized in to killing Caesar which is the main part of the play, without him to go along, and Cassius to scheme Julius Caesar would've been just another, rich, beloved Roman Emperor! 9th December Sulmaan Butt ...read more.

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