Character sketch of Decius Brutus and …

Decius Brutus is the conspirator who persuades Caesar to attend the Senate on the day of the Ides of March by fabricating a flattering interpretation of Calphurnia's portentous dream and by telling Caesar that the Senate intends to crown him king.

Decius joins the secret meeting with the other conspirators to plan the assassination of Caesar. Decius brings up the important question of whether others are to be killed as well. Cassius states his position. 'Let Antony and Caesar fall together,' he says. Brutus, however, believes that the citizens will turn against the conspirators if there is too much bloodshed. He is able to convince the others to kill only Caesar to thwart his political ambitions. Allowing Antony to live, of course, proves to be a grave error since Antony assembles an army to avenge Caesar's murder.

Cassius is the leader of the conspiracy against Caesar and brother-in-law of Brutus. He is a talented general and longtime acquaintance of Caesar. Cassius dislikes the fact that Caesar has become godlike in the eyes of the Romans.
He slyly leads Brutus to believe that Caesar has become too powerful and must die, finally converting Brutus to his cause by sending him forged letters claiming that the Roman people support the death of Caesar.

An impulsive and unscrupulous man, Cassius harbors no illusions about the way the political world works. A shrewd opportunist, he proves successful but lacks integrity. Cassius's character develops as the story of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar unfolds. At first he leads Brutus into the plot to kill Caesar, but in time he allows Brutus to lead the conspiracy.