The play is called The Tragedy of Julius Caesar for a few reasons; the first and most obvious reason is that Caesar was loved by the people, and when he died, it eventually sent Rome into war, which cost many Romans their lives. Secondly, Caesar was killed by someone he loved and trusted, and died in vain for a friend. Although he never truly trusted Cassius, he trusted Brutus with his life, and at the moment he saw his friend holding a knife before him, he gave up completely and spoke the famous lines, "Et tu Brute?" and with those lines, he may have actually wanted to die knowing the loved one was against him. Also, Caesar was also "warned" many times before he died: his wife, Artemidous' letter, the strange weather, and the soothsayer telling Caesar, "Beware the Ides of March". It's a tragedy that this whole thing may have been able to be avoided.
Caesar's Death. Attention: Image is laterally reve...
Photo of the first page of Julius Caesar from a fa...
Brutus and the Ghost of Caesar. Copperplate engrav...Basically, the action of killing Caesar brought the true tragedy.
The play could also be called The Tragedy of Marcus Brutus for many reasons as well; like Caesar, the most obvious reason would be his death. But unlike Caesar, Brutus died with the label of the "noblest Roman", and, unlike Caesar, died without any loved ones stabbing him, and was killed on the battlefield. Brutus, in a way, died in triumph; however, he will never be remembered the way Caesar was remembered. It's also too bad that Brutus had to die because he was basically tricked into killing Caesar, and the fact that he loved Rome more than a simple man. Unlike Caesar's last words of tragic disbelief, Brutus died with acceptance of his death saying, "Caesar, now be still. / I killed not thee with half so good a will" (V.v. 50-51) Basically...