Act+V+character+analysis+and+motivation

Here is a page designed to show what each character in Act V did, how they changed, and what their thoughts and motivations were throughout the Act.



**__Brutus:__** Brutus believed tha killing Caesar was the best thing for Rome. Now, as the fighting starts, he is starting to doubt himself. At the end of Act IV he sees Caesar's ghost and is warned about moving his armies. Brutus is the most honorable man in the entire story. After the two sides meet before battle, Cassius wants to back of the fight because he is scared. Brutus is fighting for what he truely believes in and will not back down. He has accepted he may die in the process, but is willing. He is a true leader. At the end of scene 3, Brutus discovers a devestating loss. Both Cassius and Titanius have killed themselves. He is depressed and starting to realize that the war is going to be lost and cannot handle it anymore. In scene 5, the final scene, Brutus has come to a final decision to kill himself. He knows the battle is lost and it is the honorable way to die. His final words are, "Caesar, now be still. I killed you not with half so good a will" (l.l 56-57) He knows that killing Caesar was wrong, and is not happy about that choice he made. He says that he is less reluctent to kill himself, than he was Caesar. Brutus' motivation throughout the entire play was very simple, whatever is best for the Roman people. Everything he does can be traced back to that thought, even Antony mentions it when they find his body. Brutus progressed quickly from being a very confident man, to one who does not know if what he did is right or wrong. This progression ends up being the death of him.

**__Antony:__** Antony is completely consumed by revenge, and he is a little power hungry though it isn't shown to much. At the begining of the Act we see Antony and Octavius talking. Antony is anxious to start the fight and revenge Caesar. When the two sides meet, Antony is full of rage and does not want to just mince words. He is shown to be a coward and liar though becuase of the way he treated the conspiritors when Caesar had died. Antony does not really come back until the very end of the Act when he discovers Brutus' death. You see that he really respects Brutus and he almost wishes that he did not have to kill him. Antony is a much smarter character than most people see. He is under estimated because he is seen as a man who is consumed by rage and revenge. His entire plotting was very meticulous and in the end it was the reason he defeated Brutus and Cassius. Even though it wasn't written, my guess is that after act V, Antony would seek to become the ruler even though Octavius is at the moment.

**__Cassius:__** Cassius is completely power hungry and always looking out for himself. He is a coward as well. His cowardice is shown when he is trying to convince Brutus that they should not fight yet in scene 3. Cassius is afraid to die because he wants to rule Rome. He is scared of what may happen to him. It almost works because Cassius is a very manipulative character, but Brutus stands by his decision. Cassius was able to manipulate characters throughout the entire play. He convinces Titinius to go and save his armies from Octavius. This is even more cowardice because he himself wont go and fight. He then misunderstands what he sees in the battle and is to scared to face the up and coming enemy. He ends up killing himself in scene 3. Brutus does have respect for him becuase of the statement he makes once discovering the dead body. I dont believe that Cassius changes throughout most of the play. He is manipulative, cowardly, and power hungry. The want for power fuels the majority of his decisions.

__**Octavius:**__ Octavius is not a prominent character in this play, but an important one. He is the successor to Julius Caesar and an ally of Antony. His most important part in the act is at the end when he speaks of Brutus. He also speaks of him with respect. The most interesting part of Octavius is that he is the last person to speak in the entire play. In most Shakespeare plays, the last person to speak is usually the one with the most power. This shows that Octavius has the most power at the end of our story, even though he was there for the least amount of time.

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