In William Shakespeare's classic tragedy “Julius Caesar” the characters are all placed on a path that leads them to a terrible and disastrous end. Some destroy themselves for the greater good of Rome or simply because of their selfish greed for power. Some characters proceed to destroy others in hopes of protecting the greater good, but lose those closest to them. Cassius leads a dark conspiracy and kills Julius Caesar, but later kills himself. Mark Antony and Octavius ​​track down and kill the assassins who killed Caesar, but lose those they care about most along the way. A true hero will face adversity and face a situation head on to defeat the problem or his enemies; however, a tragic hero can do just the opposite. A tragic hero, due to errors in judgment and personal flaws, combined with fate and forces often beyond his control, will also fail and bring down those around him. No hero has ever been so tragic in literature as Marcus Brutus. Brutus, through the persuasion of others, poor decisions, and his personal fears of those around him, meets a tragic end. When his beloved wife, Portia, kills herself, he is then forced to do the same. Brutus's character flaws determine his ultimate downfall, which has been judged by critics throughout the centuries. Brutus allows his flaws to overshadow his quest to do good, making him appear as a weak character. Brutus' mistakes begin when he allows his thoughts to be infiltrated by Cassius. Brutus admits that he has a constant struggle within him as to where his loyalties lie. When Cassius first presents the idea of ​​overthrowing and assassinating Caesar to Brutus, Cassius begins by saying that Brutus seems troubled, in response Brutus says, “Do not be deceived. If I veiled my... middle of paper......the first Roman of all. All the conspirators, except him, did what they did out of envy of the great Caesar... "This was a man!" (998). Antony's words contain a recklessness that describes Brutus. Although he is an imperfect man, who must fall as far as possible, Brutus faces his demons, becoming one of literature's most tragic heroes. Like Brutus, today's heroes are put under a microscope and their lives are revealed as a series of bad choices. Their deeds are no less great, but their flaws spill over into their successes and destroy their public persona. Although Brutus's heart is in the right place, he will soon be unable to control the situation created by all his bad decisions and will have to pay the consequences dearly. The path of Brutus' tragic life is paved with good intentions. Works cited Elements of literature. Orlando: Holt, Winston, Rinehart, 2007.