How Does Mark Anthony Use Figurative Language In Julius Caesar

Many great leaders had been great orators as well. But on the other hand not all great orators are great leaders, Adolf Hitler was a remarkable orator but as most know he was anything but a great leader. In “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar” Brutus and Mark Antony are pitted against each other in a oratoral battle for the hearts of the plebeians. Mark Antony uses; Sarcasm, Verbal Irony, and ethos. All while Brutus figurative language like; Using credibility, Emotion, and Logos. The Use of figurative language is used all throughout William Shakespeare plays. In the play it is used to manipulate people into thinking or doing what someone else wants. I believe Mark Antony is the superior speaker and rallying figure the the plebians.

Mark Antony

is a great speaker because he can so easily manipulate the commoners known as plebeians to riot and cause mass chaos in rome. Mark Antony uses Verbal irony, and ethos very well to get is point across that Julius Caesar should not of been killed and that it was not a act of honor or love of country. One example of Mark Antony using verbal irony is “The noble Brutus Hath told you Caesar was ambitious: If it were so, it was a grievous fault,
And grievously hath Caesar answered it” (Shakespeare Act 3, scene 2) In this passage Mark calls Brutus “noble” even though he completely didn't think Brutus was noble. Mark also uses a little bit of sarcasm in that statement when he uses words like “noble”. Antony also uses ethos. Ethos is the appeal to emotion and it is used heavily when he is at caesar's funeral.
Antony brings Caesar's dead body into the forums to show the plebeians all the cuts from all of the conspirators daggers. This inflicts emotions of distress seeing the fallout of such a gruesome act. This is ethos in the works due to the effects of the actions Antony used. The whole meaning of showing the cuts on a dead man's body was to show that there was no difference between Caesar's death and a common murder of a ordinary man. To further his point Antony reads a will of Caesars to the plebians. This showed that Caesar wasn't too ambitious or greedy. In this will Caesar gave money to the citizens and donated a park for everyone to enjoy. If Caesar had ill intentions he definitely would of given so much to the rest of his people. Brutus had spoken before Antony did and he was also a effectiant speaker.
Brutus had just helped kill one of his friends who had quickly risen to power. Brutus had been manipulated by Cassius himself. He was told to believe that Caesar was greedy and only wanted increase his own standing in the roman hierarchy and that he had caused a entire civil war to do so. Brutus uses; Credibility, Emotion, and Logos.
He uses Credibility and Logos very well.

The use of credibility is seen in “ If then that friend demand why Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer: --Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more. Had you rather Caesar were living and die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live all free men?” (Shakespeare Act 3, scene 2). This shows that he is credible because he was one of Brutus’s dear friends, and if he could do it then it must have been for a worthy cause. This passage also brings in emotion in several different ways, one that he loves the people of rome even more than his own friendship. Secondly it inflicts emotion that if Caesar was left in power that everyone would become slaves. This is a very outrageous claim but to many people at the time it was a real fear comparable to the fear of destruction during the cold war. If this would get people on the side of Brutus very efficiently if he kept on using these types of threats as to why Caesar wasn’t a true leader for rome. Unfortunately this wasn't enough to keep the plebeians on the side of Brutus. Some would say that Brutus had won but many would

disagree.
Antony had won the oratorical clash between him and Brutus.

It is safe to say this due to the fact that the plebeians were persuaded to the side of Antony, by the end of the act all of rome is running rampant just as Antony wanted. Some would say Brutus was the better speaker but the only reason Antony persuade the plebeians at the end scene because he spoke last and it left the last impression on the people of rome. This is completely false and this can be said because if Brutus was a better speaker the people would have stayed by his side even after the speech by Mark Antony because as cliche as it sounds first impressions rarely don't stay in your mind especially after such a dramatic point in the play. Mark Antony won because he brought more emotion, and ethics into his speech with help of visual aid to create emotions that went by what he was fighting

for.
Mark Antony won this battle because he was able to persuade the audience into his view, He was able to do this due to smart use of figurative language and a strong visual aid to bring in his point that Julius Caesar should not of been killed. If there is anything to be learned it is that the smart speaker will win the peoples hearts.