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What would cause a friend to commit murder? What would cause a man to take his own life? In Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar, the tragic character Marcus Brutus does commit murder and then takes his own life. And in Plato’s Trial and Death of Socrates, Socrates takes his own life after his trial. But for what purpose? After examining the facts, the reality behind the two men’s actions can be revealed. Marcus …

…of these cases, two dead men had a lot to say before each died. Brutus spoke of Rome’s glory and that no one man was above that. In contrast, Socrates spoke of the ignorance of each man and their knowledge. Their actions also compared them in two very different ways. Brutus died in vain for Rome and its people, whereas Socrates died not in vain, but in conflict with the Athenian people and democracy.