The prologue of "This Could Be A Real Adventure" (Skeleton Crew 1.1) introduces the wolflike pirate Brutus, who acts as first mate to Captain Silvo. Brutus' name befits his brutish nature; he looks like an animal and acts like an animal, savagely gunning down the defenders of a Republic frigate to sate his ravenous appetite for wealth.
Moreover, Brutus' name is an apt reference to the most notorious historical Brutus, Marcus Junius Brutus, who turned on Julius Caesar and murdered him in the Roman Senate with a band of other traitorous senators. William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar emphasizes Caesar's feeling of betrayal by having him utter the famous line, "Et tu, Brute?" ("And you, Brutus?") as he dies. Like the Roman Brutus, Skeleton Crew's Brutus is a trusted lieutenant who turns traitor and leads his comrades in a mutiny against their leader, Captain Silvo.
Later on, Brutus makes a fatal error that mirrors the mistakes of the Roman Brutus, as dramatized in Shakespeare's play. After successfully assassinating Caesar, Brutus allows his charismatic rival Mark Antony to make a persuasive speech that turns the Roman populace against him. In "Zero Friends Again" (Skeleton Crew 1.6), Brutus recaptures his rival Silvo and prepares to execute him, but before he does so, he allows Silvo to make a speech defending himself, and Silvo proves to be a far more persuasive orator than his mutinous first mate. In both cases, Brutus traitorously takes command of a group of people, but is not charismatic enough to keep their loyalty from being stolen away again.
EXPLORE FURTHER…
Characters: Brutus / Jod Na Nawood
Shows: Skeleton Crew
GO DEEPER INTO THE ARCHIVES…
Concepts: animals / appetite / greed / names / pirates / treachery
Influences: Greco-Roman / Shakespeare
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