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Brutus. Act Three. Poor Judge of Others. Brutus believes that he will be respected for having sacrificed much by murdering a close friend for the good of Rome. He even thinks he can persuade Antony of the necessity for the murder: ‘Our reasons are so full of good regard,
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Brutus Act Three
Poor Judge of Others • Brutus believes that he will be respected for having sacrificed much by murdering a close friend for the good of Rome. • He even thinks he can persuade Antony of the necessity for the murder: ‘Our reasons are so full of good regard, That were you, Antony, the son of Caesar, You should be satisfied’.
Does Not Understand Ordinary Romans • Brutus speaks to the people, but he does so in prose rather than poetry. His speech is plain, probably because he believes the ordinary people will understand this better. • While he does persuade them that Caesar’s murder was necessary, he does not realise how quickly the mob can change its allegiance.
Clinging to Honour • Brutus tells the crowd that he will answer those who ask why he killed his friend. ‘…this is my answer: not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.’ • ‘I slew my best lover for the good of Rome, I have the same dagger for myself when it shall please the countrymen to need my death’.
Misjudges Antony • Antony is all that Brutus is not. • He descends from the pulpit to talk to the people and bowls them over with his rhetoric. • Brutus gave the people the facts as he saw them, but was not terribly emotional. He used argument where Antony uses persuasion.
Public Enemy • Brutus has made a terrible mistake in believing that Caesar’s murder would bring and end to his charisma. • The people now seek revenge on Brutus and the other conspirators, in Caesar’s name. • We will soon see that Caesar lives on in Brutus’ troubled mind just as he does in the Roman people’s hearts. Caesar’s ghost will appear to Brutus on the battlefield.