Julius Caesar 937openly confesses his guilt, the agitation he feels at
having seen but not truly spoken in depth with the
ghost is a testament to his growing feelings of guilt.
Ghosts appear only to the guilty, and the omen is
clear: Brutus must pay for his crime against Caesar.
He wakes his guards and servants, telling each man
that he had cried out in his sleep and demanding to
know his dreams. This ploy to determine whether or
not they have also seen the ghost yields no results.
Brutus alone has seen Caesar, and therefore Brutus
alone bears the guilt of Caesar’s assassination.
Brutus acquits himself well on the battlefield, but
he cannot acquit himself of his guilt. He knows he
must die to atone for his deeds; as he tells his atten-
dants: “The ghost of Caesar hath appeared to me
. . . / I know my hour is come” (5.5.20–23). His men
refuse to aid him in his death and insist that he need
not suffer this fate, but at this point Brutus knows
that he cannot escape either Antony or his guilt. He
chooses to die rather than to live on as a prisoner
of both, and as he runs onto his sword, he cries out:
“Caesar, now be still. / I killed not thee with half so
good a will” (5.5.56–57). These final words demon-
strate that it is ultimately his guilt that causes Brutus
to commit suicide. Although in England men might
buy religious indulgences, pay hefty fines, or live in
exile to alleviate guilt, in Shakespeare’s play, Bru-
tus’s choice to commit suicide rather than live on
in infamy and guilt renders him, ultimately, a noble
character worthy of praise.
Melissa Ridley-Elmes
prIde in Julius Caesar
A tragedy based on the classical theories of drama
constructed by Aristotle and Horace, Julius Caesar
focuses on the central hubris, or pride, of its main
character. It is pride that leads to the central event
in the play: the assassination of Caesar.
Caesar first displays his pride as he speaks with
Antony concerning the threat posed by Cassius.
After observing that Cassius is ambitious and could
be dangerous to his plans, Caesar brushes his own
concerns aside: “I rather tell thee what is to be
feared / Than what I fear; for always I am Caesar”
(1.2.221–222). It is unthinkable for a great general
to be afraid of any man or to demonstrate any weak-
ness; Caesar refuses to allow himself to dwell on the
idea that he may be endangered. His confidence in
his own powers of leadership and authority lead him
to a false sense of security; other men might fear
Cassius, but not Caesar himself.
It is Caesar’s pride, as well as his own ambi-
tion, that prompts Brutus to join the conspiracy
to kill him. Ruminating over this decision, Brutus
determines that “when once he attains the upmost
round / He then unto the ladder turns his back / . . .
scorning the base degrees / By which he did ascend”
(2.1.24–28). Brutus concludes that Caesar’s pride
will cause him to forget his origins and to seize too
much power and control for himself. Contemplating
Caesar’s pride and arrogance, Brutus commits to the
assassination at this moment.
On the morning of the assassination, Caesar’s
wife, Calpurnia, begs him not to go to the Senate.
Frightened by the soothsayer’s prophecy and by
rumors of terrible visions in the streets of Rome,
she cautions him not to leave the house. Caesar
refuses her, proudly declaring, “Cowards die many
times before their deaths / The valiant never taste of
death but once” (2.2.34–35). His pride causes him
to believe that his role as a powerful general and
leader precludes any action that might be construed
as born out of fear. A servant enters the room and
tells Caesar that the augurers have determined that
bad fortune is upon him if he leaves the house that
morning. Again, Caesar’s pride replies: “Danger
knows full well / That Caesar is more dangerous
than he / . . . Caesar shall go forth” (2.2.47–51). His
pride and past success have caused him to believe
himself invincible. Calpurnia cautions Caesar that
his “wisdom is consumed in confidence” (2.2.52)
and kneeling, begs him again to stay home. Caesar
relents out of love for his wife, temporarily setting
aside his pride to humor her. But when Decius
arrives to find him determined to stay at home, he
goads Caesar, attributing the decision to his own
fear. In the determining moment of the play, Cae-
sar allows his pride to overrule him and dismisses
Calpurnia’s counsel: “How foolish do your fears
seem now, Calpurnia! / I am ashamed I did yield to
them. / Give me my robe, for I will go” (2.2.110–
112). At this point, Caesar’s pride will not allow him
to suffer being called a coward, and he seals his own
fate: The assassination will happen.