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Analysis of Julius Caesar
The life of Julius Caesar
The life of Julius Caesar
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Trent Shelton, the president of a non-profit organization, once said, “I’m more concerned with who you are behind my back, than who you are in my face. Your loyalty shouldn't depend on my presence.” Shelton’s words are some of many that exist on loyalty but just about sums up loyalty in a whole. And these words hold true to anyone because a loyal person stays by one’s side no matter what; however, loyalty, in its extremes, can reveal the darker sides residing within a person. This can be seen in one of William Shakespeare's tragedies, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, where many characters, such as Antony, show this extreme loyalty and how it affects them. A person’s actions affect whether loyalty can be either positive or negative. For instance, …show more content…
Thus allowing the reader to analyze his actions and speech such as when he says “ But here’s a parchment with the seal of Caesar. / I found it in his closet; ‘tis his will. / Let but the commons hear this testament, Which (pardon me) I do not mean to read,”(III.ii.125-128). Antony recognizes Caesar’s goodwill, but he uses it to further his agenda of revenge. In Antony’s fit of rage he taints the actions of his departed, twisting it so that he can stir the people to revolt against the conspirators. Antony also leads the plebeians to believe that he is more a part of them than someone of higher status by saying things such as,“And let me show you him that made the will. / Shall I descend? / and will you give me leave?”(III.ii.156-157) . Antony basically asks may I be invited down with you. He uses this to make the plebeians more accepting of him just like with the will. With the one goal of having the people against the conspirators he manipulates them to change to his side. Antony wanted their unclench rage, and he even says that “Domestic Fury and fierce civil strife / Shall cumber all the parts of Italy; / Blood and destruction shall be so in use / And dreadful objects so familiar / That mothers shall but smile when they behold / Their infants quartered with the hands of war,” (III.i.263-268). Not only did he want their to be a rebellion he wanted it to be so prominent within the
Since the people knew Caesar because of his friendliness and how nice he was to people he was able to get sympathy for his death. When the people remembered how good he was at one point they wanted to get vengeance on the conspirators,Antony had used persuasion and reverse psychology with the crowd to get mad at the conspirators. Brutus had not connected to the people as well because he did not give as much sympathy about Caesar's Death , and what he will give in return. Antony had touched the people when he sad said that he had money and land for the people of rome but he did not want to read it because it would make them made. Once that had hit there was no way Brutus could fight back against Antony's
A very obvious example of loyalty is, Penelope. She is faithful to Odysseus for over 20 years and does not give up for long time. Even when the suitors came to her house and ate her food and overstayed their welcome she did not budge and still stayed faithful to Odysseus for the whole time he was gone. She told the suitors that when she finished her tapestry she would choose who she wants to marry, but every night she would undo a piece of the tapestry just so it would take longer and it would give Odysseus more time to come back just so she would not have to choose one of the suitors.
In act III, scene ii, Antony proves to himself and the conspiracy, that he has the power to turn Rome against Brutus. He deceived the conspirators with his speech during Caesar’s funeral. In this speech, Antony pulls at the heartstrings of the countryman by showing emotions and turning them against their beloved leader, Brutus. The scene takes place the day of Caesar's death. Leading up to this point the people loved Brutus because, reasonably he explains of them about Caesar's death and told them it was necessary. In Antony's speech he showed signs of hatred towards Brutus and the conspirators. He thinks for himself and deceives the people, when he explains how Brutus lied to the people . The plot depends on Antony’s speech.
Firstly, Antony says a general statement that, “the evil that men do lives after them” (III.ii.74), when in fact he is subtly and sneeringly referring to the conspirators actions. The Roman commoners don’t realize that this general statement is swaying them, but the rest of Antony’s speech further convinces them of the evil the conspirators have done. Later, Antony talks about Brutus says that “sure, [he] is an honourable man” (III.ii.98), emphasis on the sure. Because he uses a scornful tone while sarcastically saying this statement, he is really beginning to show the audience his true feelings on the situation. Knowing that even Antony bitterly disagrees with the choices of the conspirators, it further persuades the common people of Rome to turn against Brutus and the rest of Caesar’s murderers. These occasions show Antony’s sour tone, especially towards the conspirators, and Antony’s tone also riles up the Roman citizens. His tone helps to exasperate the commoners with Caesar’s murder, and therefore assists Antony in achieving his purpose to manipulate the audience to turn against
Character Analysis Antony- What Cassius says about Antony: "You know not what…that which he will utter?" Pg. 582 lines 233-236. This shows that the conspirators are afraid of what Antony will say in his oration to the mob. Cassius is trying to make Brutus see what Antony is really up to, but Brutus is too caught up in honor to notice. What Antony does: He speaks to the crowd making them feel sorry for him, ashamed of themselves, and hate the conspirators. He causes them to go into an angry rage in scene 3. What Antony feels: "O pardon me thou…gentle with these butchers." Pg. 582 lines 254-236. Antony has made a deal with the conspirators that have killed his best friend. This quote is after the conspirators have left, and he is talking to the corpse of Caesar. He spills his true intentions and gives word of his counter conspiracy. He feels that even though the men are honorable, that they have butchered a man that could have been reasoned with and brought out of what it was he did wrong. What Antony says: "Let each man render me his bloody hand…My credit now stands on such slippery ground that one of two bad ways you must conceit me…." Pg. 580 lines 184-194 He leads the conspirators on to trust him, when in fact, he wants to be able to speak to the mob. He uses a vicious pun so that he knows what he is talking about, but the conspirators think that he is simply talking about the blood on the ground being slippery. Caesar- What Caesar says: "Et tù Brute? Then fall Caesar!" Pg. 577 line 77 Caesar is shocked that Brutus, his most loyal friend would do this. His mask comes off at this point and shows his personal face. Throughout the play, he has put himself as an arrogant official, and only when he is around his friends does he show his true identity. This is so important because marks the point when Caesar’s spirit enters Antony’s revenge. The play comes to its climax in this line. What Caesar does: Caesar refuses to let Publius Cimber back into Rome. He, in a way, kills himself by the way he responds. He puts himself up as a god-like man and almost says he is in control of his own destiny. This gives the conspirators final reason to kill him, and they do.
Doubtful, little if any. What coexisted in the crowd with that little loyalty was ignorance, and much of it. I believe that Brutus showed the greatest amount of loyalty to his country. He just went about showing it in a corrupt manner. He sacrificed a great friend for what he thought would better Rome.
...low him even to the point that they will risk their lives to get revenge on the conspirators. The fact that Antony persuaded the people to do such things proves that Antony’s speech was more effective at reaching its goal of turning the people against the conspirators.
Antony was devoted and preferred to be dependent upon Julius Caesar since he rather have enjoyed life than to claim the highest position in the government. He wanted the crown to be given to Caesar so that all conflicts could be avoided. However, this additional power contributed to the conspirator's motive to assassinate him. Antony was distraught with Caesar's death and sought revenge first by speaking to the crowd in his speech. He showed how clever and cunning he could be when he convinced the crowd at Caesar's funeral ceremony to side with him and not with the murderers. The people became excited and rowdy when he teased them about the will, waving it in the air and pretending as if he was not going to read it. Reverse psychology is used when he first pretends to respect the conspirators calling them honorable men, and then slowly proving that they are not. He speaks out against them because he wanted power for himself, and unlike Brutus, he is politically ambitious and so believes that if he can take control while the state is in turmoil, he will remain in power. He was alone in making this oration, yet he was confidant in himself and courageous.
“The merits of loyalty are often debated – anyone who has ever been hurt by someone they considered a true friend can attest to the fact that loyalty is a double edged sword.”
Antony’s goal was to persuade the crowd of plebeians that the conspirators acted impetuously and Caesar did not need to be killed. He uses many rhetorical devices to strengthen his speech and gain the support of the crowd. From rhetorical questions to the use of pathos, Antony masters the art of persuasion. His speech moves the crowd from believing Brutus’ reasoning for killing Caesar, to understanding that Caesar did not have to die.
Another example of loyalty being shown throughout the movie is when Luke and Obi-Wan are all in a Cantina. They come into contact with smugglers who owe people lots of money. After talking to the smuggler named Han Solo, they agree to pay him a fee to get off the planet and use his ship. Right before the group leaves, Han Solo is confronted by a bounty hunter. He is told if he doesn’t pay up the money, he will die.
After Marc Antony’s speech, he convinces the town people to revolt against the conspirators by controlling ego and not letting his id overrun him. “The id is the primitive urge to seek pleasure without concern for boundaries” (Losh). The conspirators killed Caesar, who Antony loved very much. It is possible that his id compelled him to want revenge on the conspirators. The ego, which deals with the part of the mind interacting with the environment and people, would make Antony rationalize and realize that he couldn’t kill the conspirators, but he could get other people to, like the mob. Knowing this, Antony could have intentionally convinced the mob to revolt against the conspirators, but he couldn’t just come out and tell them to. He had to make them want to kill the conspirators, and think that it was their idea by addressing their ids. If Antony got the mob on his side about Caesar, they would feel betrayed by the conspirators and their ids would make them want immediate revenge. By convincing the townspeople that Caesar was a great man and leader, and that he didn’t deserve being killed for the reasons that the conspirators gave, Antony got the mob...
This method, albeit convincing, is merely a ruse used to eradicate logic in the minds of the audience, and replace it with an overwhelming amount of emotion. In the midst of Antony’s speech, he began to say, “You all did love him once, not without cause. / What cause withholds you then to mourn for him? / O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts, / And men hath lost their reason…” (Scene 3, Act 2, 104-107) The prime emotion revealed in this excerpt is sorrow from Antony, which in turn, leads to guilt from the plebians. With Antony’s reminder of the citizens’ former idolization of Caesar, it made them reconsider why they don’t in fact love him anymore, an effectual method in establishing guilt in the hearts of the crowd. Guilt, a largely influential emotion, is perhaps the most powerful tool that pertained to Antony’s methods of manipulation; the reason being is because guilt often causes a person to reevaluate much of their past actions, and more often than not, their faults as well. In order to rid themselves of the gnawing, persistent feeling of troublesome guilt, people will often agree with the person who caused the feeling of guilt, much like the plebians and their immediate compliance with all of Mark Antony’s opinions. In regards to Mark Antony’s opinions, which are no doubt biased, he seemed to fill his speech with none other than praises and words that eulogize Caesar,
Firstly, Antony uses language to sway the crowd to mutiny. After observing their reactions to Brutus' speech, Antony knows that he has to connect with the fuming crowd on a more emotional level and opens his speech with a tone less official than normal: "Friends, Romans, countrymen.../ I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him'" (912). By calling the Romans his "friends" he creates a connection between the crowd and him,
Mark Antony's Speech from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar Mark Antony’s funeral oration over the body of Julius Caesar in act three, scene two is the most important speech in the play and effects the development of the play as a whole in many ways. Firstly this speech falls in the play where we have seen Antony’s distraught reaction to the murder of Caesar and his letter vowing allegiance to Brutus in return for being able to live. Act three, scene one prepares us for Antony’s rhetoric as here he states that ‘Brutus is noble, wise, valiant and honest’ which fits in with him repeatedly stating ‘Brutus is an honourable man’. It becomes evident in this scene that Antony has an ulterior motive for forming this allegiance and asking to do the funeral oration when he is ‘swayed from the point by looking down on Caesar’ and then states that ‘friends am I with you all, and love you all’ but still wants to know ‘why and wherein Caesar was dangerous’. Thus we the audience are aware that Antony is not being honest with the conspirators especially when he speaks in a soliloquy of the anarchy he will create when he states ‘blood and destruction shall be so in use…that mothers shall but smile when they behold/