The sentiments of all the conspirators are mostly voiced by Cassius. He is the chief plotter and instigates the others to join in his scheme to assassinate Caesar.
When Cassius first speaks to Brutus, he informs him about the general's weaknesses and how he had to assist him when he needed help. He contrasts Caesar's weakness with the position that he bears and makes it clear to Brutus that they are his equals or even more. He asks why they can't hold a candle to Caesar when Caesar is so frail. He is clearly resentful of the fact that Caesar is held in such high esteem by the citizens of Rome and holds so much power.
Cassius is a deeply embittered man and in all his conversations he focuses on Caesar's might. He tells Brutus:
Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world
Like a Colossus, and we petty men
Walk under his huge legs and peep about
To find ourselves dishonourable graves......Upon what meat doth this our Caesar feed,
That he is grown so great?...
This, it transpires later, is probably the main reason why Caesar has to be destroyed. He has gained too much power. Cassius feels that he does not deserve the status and respect he is given whilst they have to bow to his will.
It also becomes apparent that there is great fear that Caesar will become a tyrant and thus abuse his power to the detriment of all Rome. Cassius states, for example:
...When could they say till now, that talk'd of Rome,
That her wide walls encompass'd but one man?
Now is it Rome indeed and room enough,
When there is in it but one only man...
It is also believed that nature itself is prophesying Caesar's malice and unforgiving rule. The weather has been quite rough and stormy and Cassius sees this as a prelude to the doom which will befall Rome under Caesar's dictatorship. Furthermore, not only does nature prognosticate Rome's terrible future but it also speaks of the fact that the circumstances are perfect for Caesar's usurpation. His rise to greater power has to be stemmed, as Cassius states to Casca when he comments about the unruly weather:
...why, you shall find
That heaven hath infused them with these spirits,
To make them instruments of fear and warning
Unto some monstrous state.
Now could I, Casca, name to thee a man
Most like this dreadful night,
That thunders, lightens, opens graves, and roars
As doth the lion in the Capitol,
A man no mightier than thyself or me
In personal action, yet prodigious grown
And fearful, as these strange eruptions are....the complexion of the element
In favour's like the work we have in hand,
Most bloody, fiery, and most terrible.
There are a number of references to Caesar becoming a tyrant and even Brutus, who is close to Caesar, expresses concern about the general becoming more powerful.
...But when he once attains the upmost round.
He then unto the ladder turns his back,
Looks in the clouds, scorning the base degrees
By which he did ascend.
He is fearful that Caesar will lose his humility and will be so overwhelmed by power that he will forget how he had achieved his greatness and he could become arrogant and, therefore, corrupt. When the conspirators finally come together and agree on their malicious act, Brutus reminds them that they are committed to the deed not by swearing an oath but to avoid the difficult times they may have to face and because they believe, in their souls, that it is the right thing to do. Their purpose, therefore, is for the good of Rome.
There does not seem to be any clear justification for Caesar's assassination, except, in Brutus' case, the nagging suspicion that once Caesar is given the crown, that he will abuse his power. This is neither here nor there because he does not provide any prima facie evidence to prove that Caesar had abused his authority at any time.
Furthermore, Antony makes it clear in his speech that Caesar was not ambitious. He had been offered the crown thrice and refused it every time. He also proved that Caesar loved Rome and its citizens by reading his will to the crowd. In his testament, Caesar had been generous to the citizens, surely not the act of a tyrant?
Finally, Cassius was driven by his hatred for Caesar. He called him vile and consistently referred to his weaknesses and contrasted these with his own strengths. Cassius was clearly ambitious himself and obviously wanted more power. He knew that Caesar did not trust him and was wary of his malice. With Caesar out of the way, he would have little opposition against his own ambitious zeal and would easily manipulate his way to the top.
So, all things considered, the plotters had no real justification for murdering Caesar.
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