Who’s to Blame?
Who’s to Blame? The world is full of everyday crimes carried on by criminals who should face the consequences of their actions, no matter what. The people of Rome are debating over who should be blamed for Julius Caesar’s assassination. The majority of the people believe the conspirators are responsible for Caesar’s death. This is a logical accusation for they are the ones that killed him, but the ones who should really be blamed and punished are Gaius Cassius and Marcus Brutus. These two vile men led the conspirators in the plan to assassinate Caesar. Cassius and Brutus were the ones who carried out the actual assassination.
Caesar’s death was unacceptable in every way. These men, along with the conspirators, stabbed Caesar thirty-three times. Thirty-three! Was that really necessary? They had no authority, no right to kill him, yet they still did. They did what they thought was the right thing to do, not what the people of Rome thought was right. These men killed him because they thought it was the best for Rome. As we all know, death should not be used to solve personal problems. These men had personal problems because they feared to be under Caesar’s rule, so they decided to get rid of him instead.
They thought Caesar didn’t deserve to be crowned because according to them he was a “coward” that pleaded for help because he couldn’t do heroic things on his own. Cassius once compared Caesar to a sick girl crying for water (I, ii, 118- 131). This was not the way to go, yet they did and they made themselves and the people believe it was acceptable. Cassius and Brutus should face the consequences because committing crime under the law is highly unacceptable. In a crime, the leaders are responsible for the outcomes and punishment. In Caesar’s death, the leaders were Cassius and Brutus.
Cassius was mostly responsible for persuading the men to join his plan. It was mainly his idea to get rid of Caesar. Cassius thought he was superior to Caesar and thus, thought it was a good idea to get rid of him. He saw it as being tolerable to kill Caesar just because he wasn’t good enough to be king. It probably never crossed his mind how unjust and unreasonable this act was. No one has the right to murder someone else no matter how the person is. Everyone is unique, and we all have our flaws, but this doesn’t give others the right to kill us.
Brutus was then persuaded by Cassius and the men to join their conspiracy. He frankly and honestly believed that the best for Rome was to get rid of Caesar by killing him. Cassius and Brutus both made a huge mistake by believing it was fair and righteous to assassinate Caesar. Now, both of them should face the consequences of their mistakes like the responsible and “honorable” men they are. When Brutus gave his speech at Caesar’s funeral, he had the nerve to call himself a man of honor (III, ii, 14-16). Cassius and Brutus tried to cover up what had happened by lying to the people.
They told them they had to kill him for everyone’s own good. The people were already replacing Caesar with Brutus because they thought what Brutus said was true and acceptable. They began to chant things like “Let him be Caesar! ” and “Caesar’s better parts should be crowned in Brutus” (III, ii, 49-52). Even after what he had just done, Brutus was still willing to receive the crown. How can someone possibly live with the idea of killing a friend you once loved, and then taking his place? If it weren’t for Cassius and Brutus, Caesar would have never died that way.
There were people who were unhappy with the idea of Caesar being crowned, but they never thought of killing him. Cassius and Brutus actually went to the extreme of killing him just because they didn’t like the idea of Caesar telling them what to do. Everyone deserves a chance in life, and they should have given Caesar a chance to rule Rome. If the people were unhappy with the way he ruled, then it would be up to them to overthrow him and demand for a new leader. It wasn’t Cassius and Brutus’s decision to think for the people and decide for them.
I have made my point and I honestly believe Gaius Cassius and Marcus Brutus are culpable for Julius Caesar’s death. If anyone should be punished, it ought to be them. They betrayed Rome, leaving the people in turmoil and fury. They took away the life of guiltless, reasonable man who would have done a great leader. It was not the adequate thing to do, even if they thought they benefited from it. How can someone kill a person to benefit themselves? There is no right to kill, therefore these men are to blame for Caesar’s death and they should face the consequences.
