In, "Julius Caesar" Marcus Brutus is the prime example of a good person. He always tries his best, does what he can for people, and is always thinking, but with great personality comes a flaw or two. Poor, innocent Brutus. Brutus' innocence is ultimately his main problem. Because he trusts that everyone is an honorable man, he is often fooled and misguided into his own failure.
"The trust of the innocent is the liar's most useful tool" ~ Stephen King
As displeasing as it is, the flaws of Brutus are still an issue to many people at this day in age. Oh! The honorable misfortune it is to be a part of the minority in a crowd of jealous simpletons. Being of the right-minded population isn't all it's cracked up to be if you're wanting to believe that everyone is as great as they say they are. A curse it is to have the heart of an angel and the ambition of a lighted candle in a wind storm.
The problem with these select few is that they often have to learn things the hard way. They are blinded by their innocence in such a way that they don't realize their wrongs until it's too late. Brutus was convinced by Cassius that killing Caesar was the right thing to do because he would become a tyrant. Brutus reflected on his morals and agreed to go after Caesar. Brutus was doing it for the good of Rome while Cassius was doing it merely to climb up the social ladder. Later, after the killing, Brutus had lost a friend. A real friend. Oh, the irony.
What comes to mind when I think of trust at this time period is marriage and divorce. If two kind souls marry each other they must have trust in one another. Either one of the spouses is worried that the other is breaking their vows and wants a divorce, or they know the other is being untruthful and insists on getting stepped on because they want to believe that it isn't happening. Marriage should be a giving relation, but it often only ends in bruises and loss of purity. And just like Brutus, you either end up losing a real friend like Caesar or gaining a fake one like Cassius.
In conclusion, our innocence is beautiful, but can cause major problems in terms of trust and friendship. We shouldn't let our hearts think for us; that's what our brains are for.
