Barry Strauss‘s 2015 book, The Death of Caesar: The Story of History’s Most Famous Assassination, investigates Brutus’ assassination of Julius Caesar and how it has been viewed throughout history.
“How can we understand Brutus, a man who, so soon after stabbing Caesar in the name of stopping tyranny, had so reconciled himself to the ways of tyrants? Shakespeare, in the closing lines of ‘Julius Caesar,’ eulogized Brutus (through the words of his foe, Marc Antony) as ‘the noblest Roman of them all’ — the only conspirator moved by love of the Republic rather than envy of Caesar’s power. Dante, by contrast, in the final canto of Inferno, condemned Brutus to be forever chewed by Satan in the lowest circle of hell, alongside Cassius, his accomplice in the sin of betrayal, and Judas Iscariot.” —The New York Times Sunday Book Review
