Caesar Journal #3 on Prompt # 8

I found this quote about how although Brutus is honorable and a good leader "he is putty in Cassius’s hands" interesting though I’m not quite sure why. To me it seemed to show several things quite well. First it shows/confirms Brutus’s general character, as a powerful person who is trying to be a good guy, but is also very easily manipulated. Second, it seemed to show in it’s last line: "Cassius can manipulate Brutus precisely because Brutus is noble." that having good attributes can actually be a hindrance, or a negative, which is a concept that isn’t really explored all that much as far as I can tell. If Brutus was not noble, if he didn’t care about "doing what was right" etc. at least in his opinion, he might not want to kill Caesar, not get caught up in the risk of it. If Brutus wasn’t so polite he probably wouldn’t have wanted to listen to Cassius in the first place, as they aren’t all to fond of each other. It is rather odd to think that perhaps Brutus would have acted wiser if he had been a bit meaner. Although this doesn’t fit in here perfectly, it is also interesting to note, that the few places Brutus decides against Cassius, it is also his honor speaking, and unlike the other decisions, he would have been better off being manipulated by Cassius. (For example he would have been better off not being manipulated by Cassius to kill Caesar, but he would have been better off if Cassius have manipulated him to kill Anthony.) One could almost say that Brutus is blinded by his honor and integrity, although he is certainly more complex than simple "honor guy." It just seems interesting, as one hears of being "blinded by evil" or "blinded by hate/emotions" etc. but I have yet to hear someone say "you are blinded by good." Although I guess honor does affect one’s emotions. I can’t think of any great historical examples at the moment, but it shows that the honorable thing to do is also the stupid thing to do. Definitely not always, but sometimes, especially if it hurts everybody in the long run; such as the loss of a general who honorable charged with his troops.

I think the prompt also shows how being honorable and noble etc. doesn’t necessarily make one strong. (mentally). One can be an honorable person, but always cause trouble as they aren’t strong enough to stand up or do the right thing. Although I guess, one could argue that one isn’t truly honorable and noble until they act strongly and stand up. But this is pretty much what has already been said, and the ideas are running short, so this journal shall end.