William Shakespeare presents us with an important example of a tragic hero in his play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. Because they experience misfortune and loss, tragic heroes fall from a high status to a low, pitiful existence. This fall is caused by mistakes and defects in one's character. Brutus is one of the tragic heroes who appear in this literary work. He begins as a popular senator in the democracy of Rome plotting to overthrow his superior. Because of Caesar's murder he begins a journey towards the ruin of his own creation. His poor judgment and mistakes, the tragic loss of his wife and home, and failure to achieve his goals, lead to enlightenment and, ultimately, his tragic death. A tragic hero must have a flaw that will ultimately lead to his own death. Brutus' flaw is his poor judgment of people's character and intentions. He believes he sees what people don't see. He is blinded by his dislike of the monarchy to which he believes Caesar's path will lead him. This hatred creates flawed logic and leads to many more mistakes on his part. “I fear that the people will choose Caesar as their king” (892). He justifies his actions and decisions in his mind, without providing evidence. He believes Caesar is ambitious, but can show no proof. “And so think of him as a serpent's egg that would hatch, as his kind would become spiteful and kill him in the shell” (911). Another fatal mistake in Brutus' premeditated plan was to allow Antony to live. “And as for Mark Antony, think not of him; For it can do nothing but Caesar's arm when Caesar's head is severed” (916). Brutus's major flaw was his lack of judgment in making critical decisions for those implicated in the conspiracy. He believes it's best to leave Anton... middle of paper... His cause seems honorable, but as murder and loss warp his judgment, we begin to see that he was wrong. His errors in judgment led to the fall of Rome, creating the monarchy he wanted to prevent. For a period of time, it may have delayed the fall of democracy in Rome, but it did not prevent it. Brutus' mistakes led to the end of a democratic system and the beginning of a long reign of dictatorship and monarchy. He receives enlightenment and commits suicide due to his poor judgment and self-inflicted blindness, the death of his wife and country, the ineffectiveness of his choices, and the loss of empathic attributes. By bringing about his own downfall, Brutus proved himself to be an exemplary tragic hero in William Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. Works cited Elements of literature. Orlando: Holt, Winston, Rinehart, 2007.