Critically Evaluating Brutus and Cassius

Throughout The Tragedy of Julius Caesar the audience sees how Brutus and Cassius compare and contrast in many ways. Brutus us a noble character while Cassius is dishonest and conniving. Brutus is also more naïve. He tends to dominate the other characters of the play. In contrast to Brutus, Cassius is more realistic. Brutus and Cassius display different character traits especially in the areas of their reasons for killing Caesar, their decisions throughout the assassination, and their morality.
Cassius and Brutus both want Caesar dead, but their reasons for killing him are completely different. Brutus wants Caesar dead for the good of Rome; the audience can see this when Brutus carefully and thoughtfully weighs his decision to join the conspiracy (Brutus Character Sketch 1). Once Brutus decides to join the conspiracy, he does not view the assassination as a murder, but a sacrifice (Kermode 92). Brutus states, “ It must be by his death. And, for my part / I know no personal ...