cchmssec4grjtmdmrahlit2016_practicing responding to the essay question
Julius Caesar Revision Essay Question and Guide (adapted from GCSE Bytesize) :
"This was the noblest Roman of them all." Discuss Antony's view of Brutus.
an alternative phrasing to
this question could be “Do
you agree with Antony’s
assessment of Brutus?
Original Sample Essay
Mr. AH’s kaypoh commentary
Antony goes on in his final speech to say
that, unlike the other conspirators, Brutus
stood against Caesar, not for selfish
reasons but in the interests of the
people generally. He also says that he was
a noble and well-balanced man, not
someone to awaken distrust, as Cassius
seems to do. Even early on in the play,
Caesar says as much:
Antony continues to say that “All the conspirators
save only he did that they did in envy of great
Caesar”. As seen in the example on the left, some
paraphrasing is okay, so don’t panic if you don’t
remember all of or the whole quote. Of course,
even if you cite just one word or a short phrase, it
can have an impact and strengthen your point.
“Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry
look; He thinks too much: such men are
dangerous.”
The conspirators know that the success of
their enterprise depends on having Brutus
with them, because he has the people's
respect. Cassius makes it clear at the end
of the second scene that he believes he can
persuade Brutus, however noble he may
be. He suggests that a man like Brutus is
vulnerable if he mixes with those that
are not as noble as him:
“Well, Brutus, thou art noble; yet I see /
Thy honourable mettle may be wrought
/ From that it is disposed; therefore it is
meet / That noble minds keep ever with
their likes;”
Brutus resolves that Caesar must die
because his ambition is dangerous for the
state of Rome. It is an important distinction
that Brutus makes. He has no personal
ambition and no personal hatred of Caesar;
the assassination is, in his view, necessary
for Rome:
“It must be by his death; and for my
part, / I know no personal cause to
spurn at him, / But for the general.”
After the assassination, Brutus speaks to
the people and they are on his side. When
Antony comes to speak to them to pay
tribute to Caesar, he is warned not to say
anything against Brutus. Antony has to
“the elements so mixed in him that Nature might
stand up and say to all the world “This was a
man.’”
nice quote, but not entirely relevant to this
question. It’s okay, a little bit of chili with ketchup
is ok…
Brutus does indeed sincerely believe in the virtue
of honour and integrity, but even he is
susceptible to manipulation by one as cunning as
Cassius.
Solid point here that directly tackles the question,
as it challenges the notion that Brutus is
completely noble…
solid evidence here as well!
I’ve bolded the important words and phrases
here, it’s not necessary to quote the whole line at
times (of course it’s cool if you could and if it’s
relevant of course!)
Brutus speaks of abstract ideals and notions of
honour – while the plebians may be impressed by
his stature and manner, they are not as swayed
by Brutus as they are by Antony, who uses
emotions skillfully to win the crowd over. As
noble as Brutus may be, he cannot see that not
everyone thinks like him.
cchmssec4grjtmdmrahlit2016_practicing responding to the essay question
work carefully, therefore, to change their
minds about how "honourable" Brutus is.
Although women do not play a major role in
the play, we are shown the marriages of
Brutus and Caesar. Brutus has a genuine
partnership with Portia and the relationship
reflects well on both of them. Brutus
recognises Portia's excellence:
“O ye gods,Render me worthy of this
noble wife!”
In battle, Brutus fights to the last but when
he knows that his cause is doomed, he
takes his own life, rather than face the
humiliation of capture. He follows the
convention of running on his sword. Before
Brutus faces death he finds the time to pay
tribute to the loyalty of all who served
him: "I found no man but he was true to
me."
Brutus is generally considered the tragic
hero of this political tragedy even
though it bears Caesar's name. Brutus has
no wish to kill Caesar, except for the good
of Rome, but by doing so he brings civil war
to Rome and loses his own life, as well as
killing his friend. He acts from the best of
motives and shows himself as noble and
honourable in doing so, but he is caught up
in the machinations of more cynical men.
Does this earlier ironic use of the word
“honorable” suggest that Antony is not being
sincere when he says Brutus is the “noblest
Roman”? I’m a bit more inclined to believe that
Antony does pay respect to Brutus as a noble
enemy fallen. He may have practical
considerations too, such as endearing himself to
Brutus’s former men. What do you think?
we could look at their scene together more
closely, to see how their relationship is much
closer than that of Caesar and Calphurnia
Brutus believes that suicide is “cowardly and
vile”, but the situation necessitates such action:
rather than be pushed into the pit by their
enemies, why not “leap in ourselves”?
Lucilius’s words prove true, that “no enemy shall
ever take alive the noble Brutus”.
the irony is that Brutus himself was not true to
his friend, Caesar…
There are some solid ideas and relevant quotes
here, but there are also some key points that are
not included. Please refer to the section below for
other possible approaches and insights
Tips
(1) Even in your first sentence, you are
making comments which take you
straight into the heart of the question.
(2) Make use of relevant quotations ideally not longer than two or three lines.
(3) The commentary is clearly directed
towards the terms of the question.
(4) Give close analysis that goes
substantially beyond the purely descriptive
into probing meaning and significance.
(5) Finish with a conclusion that is
relevant and summative but does not just
restate what has gone before.
one or two words is sometimes enough, and a
short phrase with key words is great. Sometimes
to show Shakespeare’s use of contrast or bring
out the full impact of dialogue or a poetic image,
the whole line may be necessary e.g. “The fault,
dear Brutus, lies not in our stars, but in ourselves,
that we are underlings…”
cchmssec4grjtmdmrahlit2016_practicing responding to the essay question
Let’s rephrase the question:
"This was the noblest Roman of them all." Do you agree with Antony’s view of Brutus?
Possible stand:
Of all the characters in this play, I do believe that Brutus is the “noblest Roman” of them all. Antony says
this upon finding Brutus’s dead body, after he killed himself to avoid being captured. I believe that such
praise was justified, as Brutus sticks to his principles, and does not waver, even when it is
disadvantageous to him. Antony goes on to say that Brutus was the perfect man, with the “elements so
mixed in him” that even Nature would stand up to say “This was a man”. In this respect, I believe that
Brutus was not the “perfect man”. Despite his noble intentions, he was easily manipulated by Cassius
and based his justification for killing Caesar on flawed reasoning. His honourable intention of saving
Rome from the possible tyranny of a dictator is at odds with his dishonourable act of murder and
alliance with men who had far less worthy reasons to kill Caesar.
Brutus is not an “easy” character: he could be seen as a heroic figure in the
play, and at least one who evokes our sympathy, especially given his
moving death and how much he has lost by the end of the play. However,
he is also deeply flawed, being idealistic to a fault. He can be selfrighteous and refuses to listen to better advice, seeing honour and
conviction as suitable qualifications for military leadership and political
leadership, when Cassius’s skill in these areas is superior. He is more of a
scholar and philosopher rather than a soldier or politician, yet he is still an
inspiring figure who commands great respect, even from his enemies, and
inspires great love and loyalty from his men and his friends.
for questions with a quote,
briefly establish the
context: who said it and
why. Then, define what the
quote represents so you
can discuss it on a broader
scale, across the whole
text.
Important points to include:
- It is clear that Brutus is conflicted about killing Caesar. He is having sleepless nights, and looks
troubled. Cassius notes that he has not the “same show of love” from Brutus that he was wont to have,
and Portia also notes the change in Brutus’s behavior, including leaving their bedroom in the middle of
the night. Brutus himself admits that he is with himself at war, his indecision over whether to kill Caesar
leaving him in a state akin to a “phantasma, or a hideous dream”.
-> this might convince us that his decision to assassinate Caesar was not taken lightly, and his motives
are indeed noble, for the “general” good.
-> although his intentions are honourable, his judgement seems clouded. After all, his reasoning is
flawed, based on the possibility that Caesar may become a tyrant, yet by his own admission, he has not
known Caesar’s “affections to be swayed more than his reason”.
- Brutus’s unshakeable belief in honour and nobility and insistence that his actions are beyond reproach
lead to his self-delusion. In order to make the killing of Caesar seem justified, Brutus insists that they
treat him like a “dish fit for the gods” rather than a “carcass fit for hounds”. He wants the conspirators to
be seen as “sacrificers” not “butchers”. Although the “spirit” of their enterprise matters to Brutus, it
does not seem to concern the other conspirators as much, who are more practical. Decius asks who else
should be targeted besides Caesar, and Cassius shrewdly identifies Antony as a threat. Brutus dismisses
this, saying “our course will seem too bloody”. Even when they propose to take an oath, Brutus rejects
the idea - “what need we any spur but our own cause?” he argues.
cchmssec4grjtmdmrahlit2016_practicing responding to the essay question
-> his desire to be seen as noble liberators of Rome and not cold-hearted murderers show how
important public perception is to him. Earlier, he recognized the dark, sinister nature of the conspiracy,
noting their “monstrous visage”. Significantly, he recognizes that they should “hide it in smiles and
affability”. This reveals that Brutus is not comfortable with the “native semblance” of the conspirators,
yet he still goes ahead with the plan. In his mind, perhaps, is the killing of Caesar for the sake of Rome so
important that he is willing to ally with such men?
-> Brutus’s noble ideals seem to conflict with the harsh realities of politics in Rome. He is not so
honourable that he will not commit murder, yet he is too honourable to do what is necessary to
eliminate threats to the conspiracy. This surely makes him the wrong man to lead the conspiracy. The
very reason Cassius recruited Brutus was so that “his countenance, like richest alchemy, will change to
virtue and to worthiness” the conspirator’s deeds, which otherwise “would appear offence”. Yet this
very nature of Brutus struggles to adapt to committing an evil deed, leading to poor judgement from
the perspective of the conspirators – he decides not to kill Antony, and even lets him speak at Caesar’s
funeral. He makes mistakes in strategy when it comes to the battle. He decides to march on at Philippi,
because, he claims, he wants to overwhelm the enemy forces before they get reinforcements. Could he
also have been influenced by Caesar’s ghost, who says they will meet at Philippi? Is his conscience
subconsciously fulfilling the ghost’s prophecy, and is this whole encounter conjured by his guilt? It is
hard to say what exactly drives Brutus’s decisions at this point, because he seems so overwhelmed by
the turn of events, including his wife’s death, that he is a shadow of his former self (note how angry he
is when he argues with Cassius, even almost provoking Cassius to violence), plunging into despair
towards the end of the play.
-> he does display valour and courage at the end, riding into battle to lead his troops. He can be accused
of bad judgement and being self-righteous perhaps, but Brutus is no coward.
- we might also want to point out how Brutus treats his wife: “render me worthy of this noble wife!”
- and how gentle he is towards Lucius, his servant
He is a man of high stature and is a well-respected figure in Rome, yet he also has a softer side to him
- as much as he claims to be stoic, Brutus does display his emotions, most notably in Act 4 Scene 3 when
he quarrels with Cassius
- he is obviously mourning the death of his wife Portia, but only lets Cassius, his close friend, see his
vulnerability. He tries to portray a stoic front in front of his men though when they think they are telling
him of his wife’s death for the first time. “We must die”, Brutus remarks, displaying philosophical
acceptance of his wife’s death and fortitude against hardship. This impresses Messala, and will likely
impress the other men when they are told of Brutus’s reaction.
- study Brutus’s scenes in Act 5 as well. Does he continue to display honour and nobility, up till the
moment of his death?
- how do his men regard him, and how does the way they treat him show the kind of man Brutus is?
-> We might conclude that Brutus was an honourable man who was too easily manipulated, and once he
committed himself, he struggled to reconcile his noble ideals with the harsh realities of the situation.
The only way his noble spirit could carry on after he participated in an evil enterprise was to convince
and delude himself into believing what he did was indeed honourable. He died a broken man, still
believing, tragically, that “I shall have glory by this losing day”.