Question

"Et tu Brute"
Explain the meaning of the above quotation with reference to the lesson "Julius Caesar"?

Answer 1

Perhaps the most famous three words uttered in literature, "Et tu, Brute?" (Even you, Brutus?) this expression has come down in history to mean the ultimate betrayal by one's closest friend. This scene, in which the conspirators in the Senate assassinate Caesar, is one of the most dramatic moments on the Shakespearean stage. The audience has just witnessed the arrogance and hubris of a ruler who has sought, within a republic, to become a monarch, comparing himself to the gods. Brutus, a friend of Caesar and yet a man who loves Rome (and freedom) more, has joined the conspirators in the assassination, a betrayal which is captured by the three words above in this famous Shakespeare quote. It shows the ultimate sign of betrayal being that Brutus was Caesar's best friend and first man. He could tolerate the blows made by others, but when Brutus's blow struck him, he couldn't handle the pain he felt of betrayal and then passed away.