Julius Caesar Rhetorical Analysis

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In William Shakespeare’s, Julius Caesar, Mark Antony pleads to his “Friends, Romans, (and) countrymen,” to lend them their ears in effort to pardon Caesar from the insincere accusations made against him. The conspirators of Caesar’s death portray and sway the crowd into thinking that the deed was for the good of the Roman people; they named him ambitious, and tyrant. Brutus appeals to ethos, his honour and authority, and influences the crowd into believing his perspective of the deed. However, Antony’s oration expertly manipulates the crowd through the use of overwhelming pathetic appeals, controls subtly the emotions of the crowd, and allows them to reach their own ultimate resolution. Antony refutes Caesars accused ambition, and exploits …show more content…

Brutus states that the death of Caesar was necessary and beneficial to the Roman republic, whom all indisputably conjoined with his accusation that Caesar was ambitious, and needed to be killed. As he ascended the pulpit, Antony began his oration with the objective of refuting the claim that Caesar was ambitious. Antony begins to address, “I thriced presented him a kingly crown, Which he did thrice refute, Was this ambition? Yet Brutus says he was ambitious, And, sure, he is an honourable man.” – Act 3 Scene 2 Page 5. He reminds the public that, three times has Caesar been offered the crown and rule over Rome, but three times did he refuse it. As Antony implies, an ambitious man would undoubtedly accept the offer of ruling over Rome. Antony uses the rhetorical claim, “Was this ambition?” to coerce the crowd into forming their own personal opinions. This is a key factor in Antony’s way of appealing to Pathos, and is maintained throughout his oration. Antony desires the crowd to form their own opinions on the accusations of Caesar, rather than to force his ideals onto them. This subtle way of manipulation played great affect on the emotions of the …show more content…

Antony begins his speech with, “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears,” – Act 3 Scene 2 Page 4; he creates a common bond between him and the crowd by equating their social standing, and by describing Brutus and his fellow conspirators as honourable men, he wins the affection of the crowd. This slowly translates into a harsh tone, directly aimed at falsifying the “honour” of Brutus, and by comparing the words of Brutus to the actions of Caesar; Antony forms juxtaposition and presents a dichotomy. The lines, “He was my friend, faithful and just to me… Yet Brutus says he was ambitious and Brutus is an honourable man,” – Act 3 Scene 2 Page 4-5, illustrate Antony contradicting Brutus’ accusations that Caesar was ambitious and tyrannous. By doing so, Antony instills motives, bit by bit, into the crowd, and incite for them to form their own judgments; Was Caesar really ambitions, or Was Caesar truly a tyrant. The crowd falls for Antony’s subterfuge, they side with him, and against the

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