What is Stoicism How does Brutus show that he follows this philosophy?

Answer 1

Stoicism is an ancient Greek school of philosophy. The founder of Stoicism is Zeno of Citium in Athens in 3rd century BC. The Stoics believed that destructive emotions arose due to errors in judgment, and that a sage would not have such emotions. A sage was considered to be a morally and intellectually perfect person, whose own will was in consonance with nature. The Stoics believed that virtue is sufficient for happiness, so a sage should be immune to misfortune.

Today the word stoic is used to mean calm, but the ancient view was that only a sage could be truly free and that moral corruptions were vicious.

Stoicism was popular in Greece and the Roman Empire, until the Emperor Justinian I closed all philosophy schools in 529 AD, considering them as contrary to his Christian beliefs.

The historical character, Brutus, was believed to have been shaped by Stoicism, characterized by living according to nature, cultivating equanimity in all circumstances, and recognizing certain 'common conceptions' that are universal to all men.

In Shakespeare's play, Julius Caesar, Brutus is depicted as suppressing his emotions throughout the play, in keeping with Stoic beliefs. He learns of the death of his wife, Portia, but does not mention it immediately to Cassius who comes to meet him. The two men have an argument, and only later does Brutus tell Cassius of Portia's death.

This scene possibly denotes the struggle that Brutus undergoes to keep his emotions in check, in keeping with his Stoic beliefs.

There is also a description of Brutus crying before his own death, which could possibly mean his failure to abide by Stoic philosophy until the very end.