Examining how Brutus and Mark Anthony Utilise Language to Manipulate the Audience in Act 3 Scene 2 of Julius Caesar

Examining how Brutus and Mark Anthony Utilise Language to Manipulate the Audience in Act 3 Scene 2 of Julius Caesar

This essay will scrutinize and analyse two speeches from Julius

Caesar; firstly Brutus's funeral oration and Mark Anthony's response

in Act 3 Scene 2. Brutus as a conspirator against Caesar addresses the

audience to justify himself along with his other conspirator's actions

whilst Mark Anthony speaks in Caesar's defence and Brutus prosecution.

This essay will explore how each character uses rhetorical devices to

appeal to the audience.

Brutus uses rhetorical questions throughout his oration to the

plebeians in Act 3 Scene 2. He uses this in order to create a sense of

support for his actions. For instance, 'Who here that is so rude that

would not be a roman?' Brutus here makes the audience question their

allegiance to Rome. The audience as evidence from Act 1 are passionate

about the glory of Rome. Brutus recognises this and attempts to

utilise their patriotism for his answer. Brutus that 'Rome' is more

important then Caesar. Also his use of alliteration for the 'W' sound

strengthens how Brutus questions the crowd to his advantage and to

show that he is also justifying his actions.

Brutus justifies his reason for speaking throughout his funeral

oration because he feels that it is important to strengthen the main

reason to the crowd that his and the other conspirators actions were

correct and that Caesar's ambition would have destroyed Rome. For

example 'With this I depart, - that, as I slew my best lover for the

good of Rome, I have the same dagger for myself, when it shall please

my country to need my death'. The p...

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...h the audience as he directly

appeals to the audience. Furthermore, Mark Anthony requests them to

listen, which is a friendly way to begin the oration. The use of

collective pronouns such as 'our', 'you' and 'we' create an emphasis

on the audience which include the audience in Mark Anthony's views.

To conclude this essay, I would have to agree that Mark Anthony's

funeral oration is the more successful at utilising language in order

to manipulate the crowd to his advantage. I think Anthony is more

successful at this because he uses many different language techniques

but at a formal pace. He implies many things about Brutus and the

other conspirators through constant repetition. He repeats all of the

constant names, which he wants to keep in the crowds mind in order to

make the crowd side with him and to his advantage.