In William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, the protagonist is Brutus. Brutus wanted the Roman Empire to return to a Republic. Caesar, however, portrayed that image to the people, but was that truly what he wanted for Rome? Caesar wanted to be a good leader, but he wanted to be the only leader. .
Brutus had an ideal vision of what Rome should be. He wanted to bring the Roman Empire back to a Republic and he did not want Rome to become a dictatorship. Brutus agreed to join the conspirators only because he thought getting rid of Caesar would help Rome. Brutus was afraid that all of Rome would lose their freedom because Caesar wanted to take control. Caesar thought that he could rule Rome because the people loved him for killing Pompey. Caesar was actually putting on an act for the people, he acted modest when Mark Antony offered him the crown, and turned it down to show the people that he was not too ambitious. But through all of that, Caesar was just acting; he really was not modest and all he wanted was to be the complete ruler of Rome. .
Mark Antony and Octavius Caesar make sure that what Caesar was trying to do gets accomplished; having only one ruler. Mark Antony, during the funeral of Caesar, turns Brutus" speech around and makes the people believe that the conspirator's motives were not honorable, but they killed him based on the fact that they were envious of Caesar's power. Yet at the end of the play, Mark Antony praises Brutus; he says that he will give Brutus the funeral of a noble Roman, because he was the most honorable man out of them all. Brutus was the only man that did not kill Caesar out of jealousy. .
Brutus is an example of a person's classic battles within them self; he is faced with two equally hard decisions. On one hand, does he honor his friendship with Caesar, and support him, even though he does not believe in what Caesar is doing? And on the other hand does he pick Rome over Caesar? One decision hurts his friendship, and the other will hurt Rome.
