Julius Caesar :: essays research papers

Who’s The Noblest of the Main Characters in Julius Caesar?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When attempting to get a read on all the characters of the play Julius Caesar and which one has the smallest flaws you need to look at each character and evaluate them individually. You have to consider if Aristotle would consider them noble or not. You have to decipher if the characters are being noble for the right reasons. You have to also look at which characters exhibit positive virtues and which ones don’t. Aristotle says, â€Å"virtue or excellence is a characteristic involving choice, and that it consists in observing the mean relative to us, a mean which is defined by a rationale principal, such as a man of practical wisdom would use to determine it. It is the mean by reference to the two vices: the once of excess and the other of deficiency. It is, moreover, a mean because some vices exceed and fall short of what is required in emotion and in action, whereas virtue finds and chooses a median. Hence in respect of it’s essence and definition of its essential nature virtue is a mean, but in regard to goodness and excellence it is an extreme†(Aristotle 1107a, 1-8). None of the main characters are truly noble or virtuous but no one really is. Of all the main characters I find that Brutus has the least amount of flaws. But he too is not deficient of flaws. In order to prove my point I will give reasons why some of the other characters cannot be considered the noblest of them all.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The almighty, egotistical and borderline arrogant Julius Caesar had his flaws. Caesar proved to be deficient in fear while also exhibiting excessive courage. In attempting to prove how courageous he was, Caesar wanted to prove a point to Cassuis by jumping into the flooded Tiber river. Caesar said to Cassuis, â€Å"Dar’st thou, Cassuis, now Leap in with me into this angry flood, And swim to yonder point(Shakespeare, 1.2-102-104)? After they jumped into the water a dismayed Cassius describes what happens next, â€Å"Upon the word, Accout’red as I was, I plunged in And bode him follow: so indeed he did. The torrent roared, and we did buffet it with lusty sinews, throwing it aside And stemming it with hearts of controversy. But eve we could arrive the. point proposed, Caesar cried â€Å"Help me Cassuis or I sink(Shakespeare 1.2, 104-111)! Cassius then saved his life. Caesars whole point of jumping into the raging flood was to prove how courageous he was, but he was nearly killed for his reckless behavior.