Antony calls Brutus the noblest Roman of all because Brutus was the only one of the conspirators to do what he did in the interest of Rome, rather than for personal gain.

Marc Antony

If any of you are Caesar’s friend, know that I loved him just as much as you did. Which statement best explains why Cassius is so intent on convincing Brutus to join with the conspirators? Brutus is highly respected, and Cassius knows that joining with Brutus will give the conspirators credibility.

Cassius

Brutus was not as noble as Shakespeare played him to be, he may have had Rome in mind but was too stubborn and arrogant to ask for help or let others do the work; even if they were better suited. In addition, Brutus was tainted severely by his self-importance (Hongimann 3).

He fights with Cassius and provokes him almost to the point of a physical brawl. He is sad and regretful, knowing that what he did hurt Rome rather than helped it. Underlying these changes in Brutus is the death of his wife, Portia, and the pressures to win the battle against Antony and the Triumverate.

Meaning & History Roman cognomen meaning “heavy” in Latin. Famous bearers include Lucius Junius Brutus, the traditional founder of the Roman Republic, and Marcus Junius Brutus, the statesman who conspired to assassinate Julius Caesar.

A brute is a person who is as ferocious as a wild animal. Someone who’s less monstrous but is still unpleasant can also be a brute, and it can be used as an adjective to mean, basically, “brutal.” If it’s more animal than human, you can call it brute, like the brute power of an invading army.

To speak of yourself in the third person means to use your own name when referring to yourself, instead of saying “I.” If Caesar were speaking normally here, he would have said “Et tu, Brute?– “then I fall!” To speak of himself in the third person adds a little more drama to the scene.

: and you (too), Brutus —exclamation on seeing his friend Brutus among his assassins.