brutus

• “thy honourable metal may be wrought”

  • implies previous strength, which has been eroded by Cassius’ manipulation - Cassius acts as the catalyst for Brutus’ tragic fall
• “I know no personal cause to spurn at him, but for the general”


  hamartia - myopic fixation on preserving the Roman Republic
• “why should that name be sounded more than yours”


  Cassius‘ rhetoric easily convinces Brutus - naive, impressionable, gullible
• “this was the noblest Roman of them all”


  superlative - Brutus’ honour transcends death
• “not that I loved Caesar less, that I loved Rome more.”


  juxtaposition - Brutus prioritises Rome’s safety above all else
• “let us be sacrifices, not butchers”


  creates dramatic irony given brutal sparagmos of Caesar
• “I have the same dagger for myself”


  Brutus applies his Stoic principles without prejudice
• “et tu Brute?”


  direct address - ultimate betrayal of intimate relationship
• “I kiss thy hand”


  biblical allusion to Brutus as Judas - betrayal catalyst for tragic downfall of Rome
• “think him as a serpent’s egg, and kill him in the shell“


  serpentine imagery - links Caesar to sin, Brutus’ need to take preventative action