Analysis of the Protagonist and Antagonist in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

Running head : JULIUS CAESAR
JULIUS CAESAR
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JULIUS CAESAR
Surprisingly, in the drama Julius Caesar, Shakespeare had made Brutus the protagonist
and Caesar the antagonist. It might occur as quite strange that the character after whom the
drama is titled is the antagonist, while the hero has been denied the privilege. There are reasons
behind the nomenclature and shall be elaborated upon in this particular part of the essay. First of
all it has been mentioned that Julius Caesar is a tragedy, and not a comedy (Lee). Naturally, the
hero is not supposed to be the main character in the drama. Shakespearean tragedies are
supposed to be the disseminators of the message which is centered around the thrust on the vices
of human nature. Hence the main characters in the Shakespearean tragedies are but a reason for
the readers to reflect upon the question whether they should be choosing to implement the vices
of human nature in their lives or they want to follow the virtuous path to leading life. The
underlying motive of Shakespeare behind projecting the antagonist of his tragic dramas in
general, and specifically in case of Shakespeare is to deliver the message to the masses that no
matter how great accolades a vicious person might achieve, they are bound by the laws of justice
that prevails in the nature as an invisible force to be doomed ultimately. Caesar was so
overwhelmed by his ambition that ultimately he had to face his end in a tragic way. The basic
idea thus is to convey that vice wins the trust in trivial instances and betrays in the greater causes
of life (Wiegandt).
Shakespeare has often experimented with the role of ambition in his plays and dramas.
Ambition has been the reason for the downfall of his heroes like Macbeth and others. For every
man who has been overly ambitious it has resulted in some kind of retribution (March, Mayer,
and Vienne-Guerrin). These punishments are often meted out by a person or fate or some kind of
supernatural force. Similarly, in Julius Caesar one of the most celebrated plays of Shakespeare,
the ruthless ambitious nature of Caesar leads to his inevitable downfall. When the assassins