Love for Honor, Honor for Love

      “Into what dangers would you lead me, Cassius, that you would have me seek into myself for that which is not in me?” Captivated by Cassius’ words, Brutus begins to wonder if he could assassinate Caesar. Being an honorable man, he does what he can do to make everything better for Rome. Allowing Cassius’ words to flood his brain, he’s becoming convinced that Rome would be better off without Caesar. Brutus wants to maintain the Roman Republic, and to do so, he must kill all those in the monarch. The beginning of the conspiracy to Caesar’s death starts here; where Brutus decides to even consider murdering Caesar. For honor, anything can be done, and for love, anything will be done, a principle Brutus lives by to convince himself he’s always doing the right thing. When he wants to maintain the Roman Republic, it’s for the good of Rome, and his love for his honor.
    To be capable of doing anything for your country is valiant and honorable. Brutus, surely enough, is an honorable man. He does the things that he does for the good of Rome; the murder of Caesar. If Brutus had done what he did without his honor as a Roman, he’d only be envious, and animals like the rest of the conspirators. Though his behavior may be a bit arrogant, by always referring to everything he does as ‘honorable’, he only does it for the respect from his people. “All the conspirators save only he did that they did in envy of great Caesar; he only, in a general honest thought and common good to all, made one of them,” Even when he is dead, for his foul deed, he’s still honored, because the duty he’d attended to, was for honor, and not envy. Being the only conspirator who didn’t envy Caesar, he earned what he wished for: a happier place for the Romans to live. “Set honour in one eye, and death in the other, and I will look on both indifferently; for let the gods so speed me as I love the name of honour more than I fear death,” Saying this, Brutus is willing to do anything, just to be sure Rome is a safe place to live, without the power of the monarch. Honor is his number one priority, and without it, he wouldn’t be able to be happy for his people, nor would he be able to gain the respect he deserves. With honor, he is able to make decisions he normally couldn’t make, for example, the murder of Caesar, and with honor, he will be remembered as an honorable man.
    Born with noble blood, Brutus grows up to learn to love his honor. Through the people’s eyes, he is honorable, loved and trustworthy. To love his honor, he was motivated to do so by having honor. Brutus is overprotective of the Roman Republic, and with his love for his honor, he will do anything to keep it. Allowing Caesar to live the way he does was unfair to Brutus, for the Roman Republic has been the way it was for so long, and to suddenly switch over to monarchy would, surely, make Rome fall in pieces. “If there be any in this assembly, any dear friend of Caesar’s, to him I say that Brutus’ love to Caesar was no less than his. If then that friend demand why Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer: Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more,” Being an honorable man took its toll, and the love for his country overpowered his love for a dear friend. Though it may seem crude and gruesome as to why Brutus would murder someone because they loved their country more, it was only because someone like Caesar was so powerful, that everything that was ‘home’ before, was now becoming a whole new place. “As Caesar loved me, I weep for him; as he was fortunate, I rejoice at it; as he was valiant, I honour him; but, as he was ambitious, I slew him,” A statement so emotional, yet effective. Without the love for his honor, he wouldn’t be able to assassinate Caesar for envy. He wasn’t envious at all, like the other conspirators. Brutus’ love for his honor motivated him to do the right thing, and in this case; provide a safer home for the people. Even if there would be people who’d be against him, at least they could know that whatever he did, was for his love for his honor, and he intended on keeping the honor. Love for his honor, was the same as love for Rome; they are both for the good of others. If he didn’t love his honor, he most certainly wouldn’t love Rome. All his good and foul deeds were decided by his love.
    Debating with himself was certainly something Brutus had been doing for quite some time, if he’d been thinking about assassinating Caesar. Honor and love, two motivators to help him make his decision, lead him to the path he wanted to go to. Honor may cause him to react to everything arrogantly, as if he were the leader, but his love for that honor, proves to others he’s considering other peoples’ lives, too. He might have been a little gullible while Cassius was trying to convince him into the conspiracy, because he figured he wasn’t a leader, but when Cassius told him he could be one, Brutus believed him. The end results might have been a little better for Brutus, because at least Rome wouldn’t have a monarch. It would stay as the Roman Republic, with no single man as a king. He may not be loved by everyone, but for his honor, they forgave him, at some point. In a way, his goal was reached, even if he didn’t live to see. The deed he delivered was more worthy than noble, because though he was protecting the people of Rome, he had brutally assassinated Caesar, being the last man to stab him, after all those knives going through his skin. At some point, it could’ve been noble, but it starts out as worthy, for his love and his honor guided him to the path he wanted.