It fascinates us to watch people fail. Perhaps this is what makes a tragic hero so captivating and relatable. Tragic heroes can be seen in television, film, and literature. It is critical to define this archetype and to understand how they affect a plot. By using storyboards, students create a fun and interactive way to internalize the concept, and build a framework to spot the tragic heroes throughout literature.
Fearing Rome would lose its democracy under the rule of Caesar, Brutus agrees to kill his friend in the name of Rome. “It is not that I love Caesar less, but that I love Rome more.” (Act 3 Scene 2) Conspiring with other senators, Brutus and Cassius stab Caesar to death Caesar on the day of his coronation. Julius Caesar famously says, "Et tu, Brute?" indicating his deep feeling of betrayal.
Example of Tragic Hero in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar | Brutus as a Tragic Hero
Storyboard Text
HAMARTIA
How do I choose between my friend, and my country?
HUBRIS
"It's not that I love Caesar less, but that I love Rome more..."
PERIPETEIA
Brutus’s love of Rome demands he do anything required to preserve it.
ANAGNORISIS
Brutus was so certain of his justness in killing Caesar, he didn’t anticipate that the people of Rome would follow Antony against him.
NEMESIS
Antony turns the crowd against him during Caesar’s eulogy.
CATHARSIS
Brutus discovers that the people of Rome have turned against the conspirators, and they must prepare for battle.
Once Caesar has been killed, it is inevitable that Brutus will go to war with Antony. Caesar’s ghost foreshadows this defeat.
Antony finds Brutus’ body and requests that he be buried as a hero. The audience is sad that a noble man, with good intentions, suffered such a tragic fate.
