Summary:
Brutus and Cassius differ in personality and in leadership, but are alike in handling crisis throughout Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare. Yet, they have an enduring friendship that withstands every test faced without breaking. Fittingly, the two men express this bond as they bid a final farewell at the beginning of the last battle in act five
Cassius and Brutus
Throughout William Shakespeare's play, Julius Caesar, two men take the forefront of the conspiracy against the title character, Cassius and Brutus. Brutus and Cassius, long-time friends before the very thought of a conspiracy arrived, grow even closer during the time spent planning the coup. While employing similar approaches in handling situations, Cassius and Brutus greatly differ in personality, and in leadership. These differences, and the high-stakes gamble they take to murder the ruler of Rome, test the boundaries of their friendship more than once.
As the play opens, Caesar is at the pinnacle of leadership, and is soon to be crowned the king of Rome. Fearing that Caesar will become a tyrant, Cassius convinces his friend, Brutus, to join him in a conspiracy to assassinate their new ruler. After much prodding, Brutus, who also counts Caesar as a friend, agrees and the insurgents quickly scheme to kill their would-be King. When he goes to the Senate house the next day, Caesar is murdered violently, in front of everyone there. Later, Brutus speaks at the fallen ruler's funeral, but he is not the only speaker. Antony, a non-conspirator, also addresses the crowd, inciting them to rebel against the rebels. This turn of events forces Cassius and Brutus to form an army against Antony and his comrade, Octavius. A battle ensues and ultimately a misinterpretation about the fate of Cassius' servant and best friend, Titinius, leads him to commit suicide. Without the help of Cassius or his men available, Brutus soon follows to the same fate allowing Rome to be seized by Antony and Octavius, Shakespeare 544-636.
While these two men are similar in some ways, their personalities definitely set them apart. Cassius wants to solve problems such as Caesar's rule and Antony's loyalty to the king. Brutus thinks more of honor than making sure every single problem is alleviated; keeping his honor intact is always his number one priority. Also, Cassius feels inferior to Brutus. Whenever opinions collide, Brutus' personality dominates, and Cassius rarely puts up much of a fight to contest him.
Another area of difference falls in the field of leadership. At the beginning of the play, Cassius is the leader and head of the conspiracy against Caesar. He develops the idea and gets all of the men united for the cause. After joining, Brutus takes command of every decision made by overruling Cassius' ideas with his own. Even if Brutus may be wrong, such as in the decision of whether or not to kill Marc Antony, he will win the argument undisputedly because of his position in the government and his status of seniority. This creates an unspoken barrier between the two that is never resolved. Cassius is always under the command of Brutus in some form throughout the play.
In terms of handling a crisis, Brutus and Cassius have some disparities, but are finally more alike than different. One difference is their thought processes in a trying time. Cassius is more emotional and spontaneous while Brutus rationalizes and thinks every situation through to the end. For instance, when the question of whether or not Antony, who loves Caesar, would kill the conspirators, Cassius immediately thinks that they should murder him along with Caesar. Brutus says that the people would frown upon that and think it "too bloody", pg. 568-569 act 2 scene 1 lines 155-183. On the other hand, they similarly respond in the heat of battle. Cassius has a misunderstanding about the fate of Titinius and immediately takes his own life, pg. 629-630 act 5 scene 3 lines 0-50. Brutus, although earlier expressing that suicide is a dishonorable death, also chooses to run on his sword rather than be paraded around Rome as a prize of Marc Antony, pg. 628 act 5 scene 1 lines 100-115. After his men have been overpowered by Antony and Octavius' troops, Brutus reasons that their victory is inevitable and takes his own life, pg. 635 act 5 scene 5 line 50. So, both men suffered the same fate, but Brutus' way of thinking was more rational, if suicide can ever be rationalized. Brutus and Cassius used their different thought processes, but come to the same conclusion.
Brutus and Cassius differ in personality and in leadership, but are alike in handling crisis. Yet, they have an enduring friendship that withstands every test faced without breaking. Fittingly, the two men express this bond as they bid a final farewell at the beginning of the last battle in act five, pg. 628 act 5 scene 1 lines 117-126. As to who was the better man, that is debatable. Regardless of who was greater, in the end, they each endured the same fate, forever signifying their ultimate similarity; they committed to a cause for which they lived and for which they died.
Works Cited
Shakespeare, William. Julius Caesar. Adventures in Appreciation. Ed. Fannie Safier and Kate Vignery. New York: Harcourt Brace, 1996. 544-636.
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