In-class Essay on Brutus from "Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare: A Tragic Hero

A tragic hero is a character whose fatal flaw in character brings about his/her tragedy. Brutus is the tragic hero of William Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar". His downfall is that naïveté and his bad decision-making. Brutus is too trusting. When the conspirators gathered at his house, Cassius asked for an oath from each conspirator. Brutus, on the other hand, disagreed. He says that their honest faces are enough. …

…Antony leads to his death. Brutus's bad decision-making skill also led to his death. When Cassius and Brutus were discussing strategies, Brutus suggested that they attack now because there are at their strongest and Cassius suggested that they wait and let the enemies come to them so the enemies will be tired. Cassius had experience as a soldier, but Brutus does not listen. He orders them to attack anyways. A defeat for the conspirators resulted.