Cassius is concerned that Brutus is attempting to dissociate himself from him, saying he bears “too stubborn and too strange a hand over a friend who loves you” (1.2.36-40). Brutus, being the man that he is, uses his powerful words to placate the worried Cassius, even using laudatory terms like referring to Cassius as a best friend.
Brutus’s quote about himself reveals that he is a man with many friends and many troubles. Seeing this, it becomes evident that Brutus may be a man of a certain power or honorability in society - he is busy, he is stressed out, yet he is still loved …show more content…
This sets him up as a main protagonist for the rest of the play.
This passage provides more insight into the internal workings of Brutus - since nobody is around to hear him speak this, we get a glimpse at the truth behind Brutus’s ambitions. It is revealed that Brutus is a practical man who cares for the general public more than he cares about himself or his friends; yet, we also see that he is worrisome and cuts to conclusions.
Brutus, in this statement, appeals to logic (logos) to explain the most unbiased, impersonal reason for the imminent death of Caesar. He uses the ladder metaphor to describe Caesar’s “probable” greed-fueled societal ascension and also creates aphorisms about leadership such as “The abuse of greatness is when it disjoins remorse from power” (2.1.18-19) that make his argument sound.
Just the fact that Brutus is in a position where he is plotting to kill the most powerful man in all of Rome shows that he is a crucial character in the story. It is now unsure whether Brutus will be a protagonist or an …show more content…
His motives and his personality have not evolved, but his actions show a darker side to this “venerable” man.
Judging from this passage, it is clear that Brutus is a man with extremely strong morals. He is honest (“arm’d so strong in honesty”) and philanthropic (because he despises greed). He feels so strongly about these principles that he would rather be killed than be deceitful or gluttonous.
In this situation, Brutus is scolding Cassius for his dishonest ways and greedy intentions. He uses logic when he provides examples of Cassius’s dishonesty (denying him gold, etc); but, he embellishes these examples with words that contain strong connotation (“terror”, “gods”, “thunderbolts”, “vile”, etc.).
This altercation between Brutus and Cassius finally reveals that Brutus may be a “good guy” in this play. Brutus fights for morality, loyalty, and honesty while Cassius is shown to be greedy and deceitful.
It is evident now that Brutus is a virtuous man at his core. Readers now look toward Cassius, whom is made out to be a liar and a cheat in this passage, as the “bad guy”. We believe that Brutus was merely swayed by the fraudulent