It shows quite clearly the structural and psychological features of tragedy. Looked at from the Aristotle point of View, the tragedy despite its title, is the tragedy of Brutus. He is the protagonist, the tragic hero, "good but not too good", towards whom our sympathies are directed. When after the defeat at Philippi and the death of his friend and ally Cassius, Brutus throws him self upon the sword held by his unwilling slave, we feel in full measure the emotions of pity and fear of which Aristotle wrote. All through the play it is the nobility of the Brutus which Shakespeare has worked to emphasize. His natural leadership, his devotion to the good of Rome, his thoughtful and humane character, his open generosity to his enemies, his love of his wife, and his kindness and consideration for servants all these go to complete the picture of a man who is morally good and great.
That such a man should come in the end to defeat and death as a result of chance or accident would be shocking rather than truly tragic; for the downfall of a wholly good man is as unsatisfactory in tragedy as that of a wholly bad man. He should be shown as a man suffering and brought to ruin by some weakness or flaw in an otherwise good character. This flaw is Aristotle's Hamartia.
In the case of Brutus, the hamartia grows out of his very virtue: he is himself so good and so honest that he finds it impossible to believe that other people may be different. Thus, for all his greatness of soul, he is a bad judge of character, and a rather stupid politician.
After Caesar's death he accepts Antony's offer of friendship at its face value, and allows him, despite the warnings of Cassius, to make a public speech at Caesar's funeral. With almost incredible foolishness he assures that all will be well, because he himself will speak first, and give the people full and satisfactory reasons for Caesar's death. And before this he has, on the highest moral grounds, refused to listen to the suggestions of Cassius that Antony and others of Caesar's closest supporters should be killed at the same time.
