Marcus Brutus

(Pg. 128, lines 20-21) “Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more…”—Brutus—. This quote shows that Brutus is very motivated by love, but that is not the only motivator that drives him towards his actions. The great and noble Brutus is also very motivated by honor which is one of the reasons why he slew his best and most beloved friend; Caesar. This honorable man is willing to slay his most loved friends and even himself, just to show his love for Rome and his honor.

One of Brutus’ main motivators was love and this is shown in the following quote; “Not that I loved Caesar less, that I love Rome more…” the reason for Brutus’ motivation for love is the fact that he cares and loves Rome over anything, and the result of this is the fact that Brutus joined the conspirators on a plot against Caesar; the reason why Brutus had this change in behavior against Caesar is, because the conspirators got him to believe that Caesar would harm Rome, and having honorable Brutus on their side was a very smart idea, since Brutus is very well loved by all of Rome, so once they completed their plot, which is killing Caesar, the people wouldn’t have so much hate towards the conspirators, as Brutus is on their side and they all believe that he is an honorable man and that he would only do such a thing for the good of Rome. Not only love was what drove Brutus towards his behavior, but also honor.

Honor represents Brutus very well, as he says that no actions should ever be done with guilt, but with honor, this is all shown on the following quote; “Good gentlemen, look fresh and merrily. Let not our looks put on our purposes, but bear it with untir’d spirits and formal constancy. And so good morrow to you everyone.” The reason why Brutus is so motivated by honor is because of the fact that he is noble and has great love for Rome, also because, as its shown in the quote, all actions should be done with honor and not guilt or any other emotion that shows guiltiness. The result of this is the killing of Caesar and the fact that he went out to the people and showed his bloody hands and sword to them all and made them believe that this act was done for the good of Rome and with honor.

Although Brutus showed that his behavior and actions where all done with honor, they do not justify the means, as Brutus didn't really know if Caesar would or would not harm Rome.