Is Brutus displayed as a vilain or a hero?

In the play Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, Brutus is displayed as a tragic hero. All tragic heroes are brought down by their own hubris and it is no different for Brutus in this play. Brutus, did of course, betray and murder his closest friend Julius Caesar, but he did so for what he believed to be noble purposes. Brutus did not kill, or more correctly participate in Caesar's murder, out of malice, he loved Caesar but loved the republic of Rome more. His actions were in the defense of the Republic of Rome and because Marcus Brutus was loved by the people of Rome, the murder of Caesar was more readily accepted by the people. Brutus' hubris was not that he killed Caesar but that he misjudged the characters of those around him. Brutus was an idealist and believed as much in the goodness of people as he did the Republic of Rome. He missed judged Cassius motives in the beginning of the play and later misjudged Marc Antony. Brutus own air of superiority is in the end what brought him down, but he is not a villain but rather a tragic hero.