How does William Shakespeare portay Julius Caesar, Brutus, and Mark Antony in the play, Julius Caesar?

In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, these
three characters are very different. Although the play is called Julius
Caesar, it is more about Brutus who is our tragic
hero.

Julius Caesar is a great military strategist, leader,
fighter, and is beloved by many. He has become the head of the Roman Empire, and there
is talk of making him a "king." Some of the information we get about Caeser comes from
other characters, a common technique in literature, called href="http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/lit_term.html">direct
characterization. When coming from other characters, however, this information
can be suspect, based on their personal biases, either in a
negative or positive way.

For instance, Cassius hates
Caesar because he once saved Caesar from drowning, but now has to bow when Caesar passes
like any other lowly subject, so it is hard for us to trust what Cassius says of
Caesar.

However, Brutus, after
murdering Caesar, speaks of his leader's greatness, but
also his ambition:

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Romans, countrymen, and lovers! Hear me for my
cause...

If there be any in this assembly, any dear friend
of Caesar's, to him I say that Brutus' love to Caesar was no less than his. If then
that friend demand why Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer: Not that I loved
Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more. Had you rather Caesar were living and die all
slaves, than that Caesar were dead to live all freemen? As Caesar loved me, I weep for
him; as he was fortunate, I rejoice at it; as he was valiant, I honor him; but as he was
ambitious, I slew him. (III.ii.15,
19-28)

Brutus sees Caesar as
one who who enslave his people under the title of "king," and Brutus loves Rome to much
to allow this to happen, which gives us Brutus' perceptions of who he
is.

Cassius describes Brutus (to Brutus), and may well
speak for many Romans, though we also know he is trying to turn Brutus against Caesar;
but Brutus is an honorable man who loves Rome more than himself. Cassius
says:

And it
is very much lamented, Brutus,

That you have no such
mirrors as will turn

Your hidden worthiness into your
eye

That you might see your shadow. I have
heard

Where many of the best respect in
Rome,

Except immortal Caesar, speaking of Brutus...
(I.ii.60-65)

Mark Antony may
seem like a good man, and the person to follow in Caesar's footsteps, but in some ways,
he is just as ambitious, if not more, than Caesar. When Brutus admits to killing Caesar,
he asks Antony to let him explain his actions to the people. Antony allows this,
insinuating to Brutus and the others that he will not judge them.
However, after the crowd accepts Brutus' reasoning, Antony speaks to the crowd and turns
them against Brutus using rhetorical questions—Brutus, a good man, says Caesar was
ambitious...are these things he did ambitious, and
wrong?

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...Brutus says he was
ambitious,

And Brutus is an honorable
man.

He hath brought many captives home to
Rome,

Whose ransoms did the general coffers
fill.

Did this in Caesar seem
ambitious?

When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath
wept;

Ambition should be made of sterner
stuff.

Yet Brutus says he was
ambitious,

And Brutus is an honorable
man.

You all did see that on the
Lupercal

I thrice presented him a kingly
crown,

Which he did thrice refuse. Was this ambition?
(III.ii.04-105)

By making
these points, Antony infers that Brutus is dishonorable; he also infers that Caesar was
great. In doing this, we learn that Antony is not above giving his
word to men and turning the situation to his advantage when it suits
him.