Why did Brutus and Cassius plot to kill Caesar?

trevor1968

Meanwhile, among the throng stood Cassius, Caesar's avowed political opponent, and Brutus, the general's personal friend. Envious of Caesar's growing popularity, Cassius probed to discover where Brutus' deepest sympathies lay. He voiced a concern he had: Caesar was becoming overly "ambitious." Unless something was done to check his fame, he would soon seize all power for himself. This could, effectively, turn the Roman Republic into a dictatorship. Cassius then apprised Brutus of a plot he had hatched : He and a band of other prominent Romans were planning to assassinate Caesar. Was Brutus willing to join in the conspiracy? Brutus admitted that he shared the same inner concern: "I do fear the people choose Caesar for their king." But still Brutus hesitated to involve himself in such a plot. After all, he dearly loved and admired Caesar. Even so, he couldn't deny that Caesar's rapid rise to power constituted a potential threat to the Republic. Brutus promised Cassius that he would consider the matter, but would withhold his decision until the following day. The dilemma weighed upon Brutus throughout the night: should be aid in the killing of his beloved friend Caesar, or should he sit by and watch as Caesar destroyed the State? The plotting band, hoping to gain the support of the highly respected Brutus, paid him an early morning visit. Referring to Caesar as an "immortal god," presenting false evidence of his intentions, and playing on Brutus'immense love for Rome, Cassius finally prevailed on him to help see to the man's death; Brutus agreed to take part in his friend's assassination, to "think of him as a serpent's egg, which, hatched, would as his kind, grow mischievous, and kill him in the shell." Assassination - a certain "righteous treason" Brutus reluctantly decided, was justified under the circumstances May 23 07, 10:21 PM