Das Brütus: A Tragic Hero In William Shakespeare's tragedy Julius Caesar, Brutus is the quintessential tragic hero. Webster's Dictionary defines tragic hero as “Any person, especially a man, admired for courage, nobility, etc., in a serious work with an unhappy ending” (277-626). This literal definition, however, is useless in an analytical essay. The idea of ​​a tragic hero comes from Aristotle, who thought that a tragic hero involved a high-ranking character suffering a downfall caused by one or two character flaws. In this story Brutus is a trusted friend of Caesar, but due to a series of poor choices he betrays that trust by witnessing Caesar's assassination, also delivering the fatal blow. Brutus realizes his mistake in his final moments and the audience feels sympathy for this renegade protagonist. The specific sets of attributes that define a tragic hero (character flaw, downfall, moment of clarity, etc.) culminate in Brutus, who Shakespeare used to send a clear message about people. The characterization of a tragic hero should not be a disastrous assortment of social disorders. ; he or she should be a good person with only one imperfection. In Julius Caesar Brutus has poor reasoning skills. When asked if he would like Caesar to be king, he replies, “I would not, and yet I love him very much” (Shakespeare 892). Caesar is a demanding character, even towards his friends, so it can be assumed that Brutus is regularly influenced by Caesar. Brutus, on the contrary, does not want the people to be victims of Caesar's will. Brutus justifies the murder of his friend by stating, “Therefore think of him as a serpent's egg / Which would hatch, grow as his kind grew mischievous / And kill him in the shell” (Shakespeare 911). Bru...... middle of paper...... not only makes him appear kind and noble; he would seem such an ideal citizen that most men would not meet those standards. Brutus' final downfall caused by one or two negative traits would have shocked the intended audience and perhaps affected how they saw themselves, making Brutus a very effective character. Shakespeare created a slightly flawed character with a moment of clarity followed by a violent death, and he did this to inform the audience of a major problem with the ethics of his day. The noble Brutus was destroyed by a handful of minute details of his character. This alarming message is why this play is still studied. Works Cited "Hero". definitely 5b. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1989.Shakespeare, William. Julius Caesar. Austin: Holt, 2007."Tragedy." definitely 5b. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1989.