"Behind every event is a reason; at the forefront of every reason is man (Aristotle, 384 - 322 BC)" In Julius Caesar, Shakespeare supports this notion; the most notable events - namely, the murder of Caesar, the civil war, and the deaths of other key characters - result from two character flaws. One is the inability of some characters to construct a realistic image of themselves, and understand their weaknesses. The fact that the characters are so …showed first 75 words of 1337 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1337 total…to flee Rome and pursue a battle against his growing power. Finally, Brutus' inability to see his tragic flaw - that is, his idealism - leads to his downfall; he is personally shamed when he realises that he is not as righteous as he thought. Had some characters been more balanced in their self-image and less malleable, the outcome of the play would have been very different. In fact, Caesar might not have been killed.