Editing Marcus Junius Brutus (section)

=== Ancient views ===

In the ancient world, Brutus' legacy was a topic of substantial debate. Starting from his own times and shortly after his death, he was already viewed as having killed Caesar for virtuous reasons rather than envy or hatred. For example, [[Plutarch]], in his "Life of Brutus" from ''[[Parallel Lives]]'', mentions that Brutus' enemies respected him, recounting that Antony once said that "Brutus was the only man to have slain Caesar because he was driven by the splendour and nobility of the deed, while the rest conspired against the man because they hated and envied him".{{sfn|Tempest|2017|p=211}}

Even when he was still alive, Brutus' literary output, especially the pamphlets of 52&nbsp;BC against [[Pompey]]'s dictatorship (''De dictatura Pompei'') and in support of Milo (''Pro T. Annio Milone'') coloured him as philosophically consistent, and motivated only by principle.{{sfn|Tempest|2017|p=213}} Cicero, in his ''[[De Officiis]]'', expressed that the act of the conspirators, including Brutus, was a moral duty.{{sfn|Clarke|1981|p=79}} The main charge against him in the ancient world was that of ingratitude, viewing Brutus as ungrateful in taking Caesar's goodwill and support and then killing him.{{sfn|Tempest|2017|pp=216–217}} An even more negative historiographical tradition viewed Brutus and his compatriots as criminal murderers.{{sfn|Tempest|2017|p=175}} Still, during the [[Augustus#Sole ruler of Rome|Augustan age]], historians were said to have written about Brutus and the other conspirators respectfully. Even [[Augustus]] himself was alleged to tolerate positive views of Brutus.{{sfn|Tempest|2017|p=5}}{{sfn|Clarke|1981|p=80}} However, the [[Forum of Augustus]], which included statues of various republican heroes, omitted men such as Cato the Younger, Cicero, Brutus, and Cassius.{{sfn|Gowing|2005|p=145}}

The divisive views of Brutus in the early Principate had little changed by the reign of [[Tiberius]]; in fact, the atmosphere became more intolerant. The historian Cremutius Cordus was charged with treason for having written a history too friendly to Brutus and Cassius.{{sfn|Gowing|2005|p=26}} Around the same time, [[Valerius Maximus]], writing with the support of the imperial regime, believed Brutus' memory suffered from "irreversible curses".{{sfn|Gowing|2005|p=55}} During this time, "admiration of Brutus and Cassius was more sinisterly interpreted as a cry of protest against the imperial system".{{sfn|Tempest|2017|p=5}} The [[Stoicism|stoic]], [[Seneca the Younger]], argued that since Caesar was a good king, Brutus' fear was unfounded, and that he did not think through the consequences of Caesar's death.{{sfn|Tempest|2017|p=219}}

But by the time that Plutarch was actually writing his ''Life of Brutus'', "the oral and written tradition had been worked over to create a streamlined, and largely positive, narrative of Brutus' motives".{{sfn|Tempest|2017|p=84}} Some high imperial writers also admired his rhetorical skills, especially [[Pliny the Younger]] and [[Tacitus]], with the latter writing, "in my opinion, Brutus alone among them laid bare the convictions of his heart frankly and ingeniously, with neither ill-will nor spite".{{sfn|Tempest|2017|p=213}}