Honorable BetrayalWilliam Shakespeare's play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar tells the story of the assassination of Julius Caesar and the eight conspirators behind it. The play is set in 44 BC in Rome. Marcus Brutus is the protagonist and face of the insidious conspiracy. He is also the tragic hero of this classic literary work. Aristotle's definition of the tragic hero is a character who has a character flaw, also known as arrogance, and experiences a fall from a high position in society because of this flaw. After this fall, the tragic hero experiences an epiphany. Brutus fits Aristotle's description perfectly. Brutus has a serious character flaw and experiences a fall from a high position in society. However, he is an honorable character who truly commands audience sympathy. First of all, Marcus Brutus has the character flaw of a poor judge of character. He cannot discern a person's character or true motivation. He, however, acts on his judgments, regardless of whether they are true or not. Brutus feels that Caesar is too ambitious for power and that he, along with the other eight men plotting Caesar's death, must prevent this: "And therefore regard it as a serpent's egg - / Which, hatched, would grow like its kind ". spiteful— / And kill him in the shell” (911). Brutus decides that Caesar must die because he is ambitious. Ambition is not necessarily an evil, virulent thing. Ambition drives men and women to fight to achieve a result. Brutus assumes that Caesar will turn his back on his supporters because of this ambition. One of Julius Caesar's most famous lines are Caesar's dying words: "Et tu, Bruté? - Then fall, Caesar" (938). If Caesar had truly turned the card......and only he / Did what they did in envy of the great Caesar; / he, only in a general honest thought / and common good to all, made of them” (998). Brutus did what he did because he truly believed that it would benefit the common good. He wanted to perpetuate a Republic in Rome. He didn't do it out of selfishness or envy; he simply did it for Rome. In conclusion, Brutus is a true example of a tragic hero. He has an arrogance that causes him to fall from the top of society; however, he also experiences an epiphany of his mistakes after his fall. Brutus is truly an honorable and sympathetic character who must be studied on many levels to truly understand him. He chose country over friend. He committed the only honorable betrayal possible. He killed his friend out of love; not for love of self or money, but for love of his country and his people.