Shakespeare wrote many tragedies, which included The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. He
chose to take an important event in Roman history, the death of Julius Caesar to write a play for
the Globe Theater in 1599. The people who lived during the Renaissance were very interested in
the play and the story of Julius Caesar's death. People's views of the play dating from 1599 to
the present may be very different and continually changing. Though the elements of
Shakespeare's tragedy Julius Caesar and other Shakespearian tragedies are all the same. A
Shakespearian tragedy is comprised of several elements; two include a tragic hero and
supernatural elements.
In a tragedy, the tragic hero is of high social position. The tragic hero has a destructive
flaw which in turn brings about his downfall. There is much argument over who the tragic hero is
in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. Some scholars say that the tragic hero is Julius Caesar, while
Photo of the first page of Julius Caesar from a fa...
Brutus and the Ghost of Caesar. Copperplate engrav...
John Wilkes Booth, Edwin Booth and Junius Booth, J...others say it is Marcus Brutus. A case can be made for both of the characters. Both Brutus and
Caesar are of high social and political status. Caesar was the dictator for life of Rome and Brutus
was an honorable Senator. Julius Caesar had two tragic flaws. Caesar was said by Brutus to be
ambitious, which led directly to his downfall - " But as he was ambitious, I slew him." (Act 3.
Scene 2. Line 28) Caesar was also arrogant, he believed that he was too great to be harmed,
Caesar said " Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste death but once."
(Act 2. Scene 2. Lines 34-35) Brutus too, had a tragic flaw. Brutus was an idealist, not a realist.
Brutus was an optimist, he always wanted the best for Rome. Although...