Comparing Brutus And Anthony's Speeches Of Julius Caesar

Brutus and Anthony’s speeches are all spoken with eloquence and reason as well as appeal to the emotions. Both have weighty illustrations and are filled with emotions. However, these speeches carve the ending of the play as some kind of a foreshadowing; one ending with triumph and the other in victory.

Brutus spoke in defense of his act of killing Julius Caesar. His main reason for killing him was that in his judgment, Caesar was ambitious. He failed to elaborate though what exactly Brutus did. On the other hand, Marc Anthony’s speech refuted that Caesar was ambitious citing that he “thrice presented him a kingly crown, which he did thrice refuse.”

Secondly, Brutus spoke defending his act of killing Caesar, claiming that it was because of

his greater love for Rome “not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.” He further stressed that Caesar’s death would benefit others and free the slaves as seen in the lines: “had you rather Caesar were living and die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live all free men?” Anthony, on the other hand, spoke of Caesar’s heroism such as “he hath brought many captives home to Rome whose ransoms did the general coffers fill’ and “when that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept.”

Finally, Brutus spoke to arouse the audience’s anger or hatred towards Caesar and further justify his act calling anybody who disagreed with his judgment “base,” “rude,” and vile.” However, Anthony appealed to sympathy by saying: “You all did love him once, not without cause: what cause withholds you then, to mourn for him?” He then dropped his exasperation in “O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts, and men have lost their reason.”

. Brutus in his defense attacked the audience or the Romans while Anthony in his grief only attacked the brutal death and indirectly Brutus alone. Just then, the ending of the play came in favor of the better man.

Word Count: 329