To be or not to be? That is the question. A phrase so often quoted yet so infrequently understood. Of all authors and poets, Shakespeare is undoubtedly the most famous, and arguably among the most talented to ever put pen to page. Shakespeare is so often acclaimed due to his mastery of the English language. His elegant phrasing and clever use of prose is unparalleled in the realm of literature. Of all his literary tools, his most notable is his use of rhetoric. Throughout his works, his characters use rhetoric to convince themselves or others of a concept. For example, in Shakespeare’s Julius Cæsar, Mark Antony uses cunning rhetoric to vilify Brutus. In his brief eulogy, he is able to send the plebeians of Rome into an uproar in order to avenge …show more content…
cæsar. Hamlet includes one of Shakespeare’s most interesting uses of rhetoric. During his soliloquy, Hamlet uses rhetoric to debate suicide, a rather unique use of the tool. The “To be or not to be?” speech is one of Shakespeare’s best uses of rhetoric, and warrants analysis. Rhetoric, in a phrase, is the art of persuasion.
The modern philosophy of rhetoric derives from the work of Aristotle. Rhetoric, as Aristotle put it, relies on three principles: logos, ethos, and pathos. Logos deals with the objective nature of an argument. Within logos, one uses facts, figures, and logic to justify a premise. Logos will most likely be used in scientific debates or thesis papers involving theoretical premises. Ethos is reliant on character, more specifically the character of the speaker. When using Ethos, one tends to rely on personal traits and experiences which would make one seem more credible. This would be more common in forms of advertising or any other circumstance in which experience should be emphasised. Finally, pathos is derived from passion and emotion. Pathos can often be found in political campaigns and public speeches. These three simple tools form the basis of rhetoric. Shakespeare’s mastery of rhetoric can be seen merely within a single speech in his play Hamlet, where, as mentioned, the namesake character uses rhetoric to convince himself of the benefits and drawbacks of …show more content…
suicide. As with any argument, one must look at facts and use logic to come to a conclusion.
Thus within Hamlet’s soliloquy is logos found. Logos, of all the tools of rhetoric, is the least present of all forms of rhetoric within Hamlet’s soliloquy. Nevertheless, it can still be found in minutia. Toward the end of his speech, Hamlet mentions the follow, “But that the dread of something after death,/The undiscovere'd country, from whose bourn/No traveller returns,/ puzzles the will,/And makes us rather bear those ills we have/Than fly to others that we know not of?”(Shakespeare) Within this small set of text contains Hamlet’s reasoning against suicide. His primary argument is that he knows nothing of the afterlife, and that things could very well be worse off than the realm of the living. Though only appearing briefly, logos is the most important aspect of Hamlet’s soliloquy, for it is what turns Hamlet away from suicide in the end. Though important, logos’ brief appearance is overshadowed by the other two tools of
rhetoric. Ethos, as it appears in Hamlet’s monologue, derives more from experience rather than personality traits. Throughout his speech, he makes reference to personal suffering and his own hardships rather than emphasize on his own personality. The most notable example occurs midway through his speech, where he states:“For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,/Th'oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,/The pangs of dispriz'd love, the law's delay,/The insolence of office, /and the spurns That patient merit of th'unworthy takes,”(Shakespeare) Hamlet makes reference to the hardships he’s experienced in life, and uses these to justify his suicidal intentions. [finish me l8r] Finally we come to pathos, the most heavily represented aspect of rhetoric within his soliloquy. Given the great deal of hardships he has experienced as mentioned in the paragraph prior, Hamlet was naturally upset about the state of affairs into which he was placed. His melancholy forms the bulk of his speech, and thus the bulk of his argument.
Rhetoric is the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, and its uses the figures of speech and other compositional techniques. It’s designed to have a persuasive or impressive effect on its audience.
Effectively communicating an idea or opinion requires several language techniques. In his study of rhetoric, Aristotle found that persuasion was established through three fundamental tools. One is logos, which is used to support an argument through hard data and statistics. Another is ethos, which is the credibility of an author or speaker that allows an audience to conclude from background information and language selection a sense of knowledge and expertise of the person presenting the argument. The impact of pathos, however, is the most effective tool in persuasion due to the link between emotions and decisions. Although each of these tools can be effective individually, a combination of rhetorical devices when used appropriately has the ability to sway an audience toward the writer’s point of view.
The people of this county, the Romans of this city please listen to me. I have came to Tell you the good about caesar. Brutus has given me permission from all the conspirators to tell the good about Caesar and that I will speak nothing bad of them. Brutus had told you guys that. Caesar was way to committed to do something, he always wanted to thrive in anything and everything and that's why he was killed . both Brutus and caesar are both very nice and noble to their countries and will die if they need to. I am not trying to say that brutus did something wonderful for the community but he could have did it differently. Remember what caesar has done for us, remember what he has done for the poor. I can't read his will aloud because it will make
(877) in order to make the crowd feel complete and utter guilt for their betrayal and anger towards the conspirators who killed their beloved idol. Brutus and Antony’s use of Ethos, Logos, and Pathos throughout the novel are just examples of the everyday persuasion used around us daily, when reading the play it does look like one giant competition to see who is the most persuasive and influential character. Even in today’s economy, companies have to compete for the attention of consumers’ worldwide and politicians who argue their beliefs and views to millions of voters in order to get what they want, because the art of persuasion is just one big game. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. The.
Aristotle’s rhetorical triangle links three elements of arguing together: the speaker, the story, and the audience. The relationship between the elements determines the speaker’s argument and whether it will be successful in oratory or literature. Ethos, Logos and Pathos are each different aspects of the argument that must be balanced in order to succeed in persuading or convincing an audience. Ethos, or character, relates to the speaker’s credibility that the audience appeals to: it is useful when persuading a group of people to trust what you are saying or doing. Logos, or logic, is a way of convincing and appealing by reason, truth, and facts. Pathos relates to the audience’s emotions and their response to what the speaker is saying.
In the time of ancient Greece, there were a category of teachers called the sophists who believed that wisdom and Rhetoric could and should be used for profit and personal gain. Aristotle, a well-known teacher, disagreed with this completely and believed that while Rhetoric is persuasive, it should be used morally and with good intentions. He stressed the idea of using moral standards along with emotion, logic and truth to persuade any audience. Almost 1000 years later, Augustine took this step even further with the use of rhetoric within religion practice. He emphasized the idea that rhetoric is a means by which to promote good will and spread truth. Today, modern rhetorician Dubinsky would take this step even further, by stating that Rhetoric isn’t just a means to an end. Rhetoric improves our very lives and unites people under a common good with the proper ethics. While it is unfortunate that they are from different time periods, Aristotle, St Augustine, and Dubinsky would surely all agree that Rhetoric is a means by which regular people can be persuasive with their ideals. All while using the right morals, good intentions, and correct ethics to do so, so that any regular person can influence and change their world, from the simplest of arguments to the greatest of debates. That is why I believe we should study these famous rhetoricians, because their teachings teach us how to become better people and better writers. Aristotle, St. Augustine, and Dubinsky believed in Ethos, Pathos, and Logos, which means studying and working with your audience to persuade them in such way that you’re collaborating for the benefit of both the writer and the reader.
Rhetoric is the art of persuasion, in which there are three forms. Ethos the credibility of the author, Pathos the emotion you create, and logos the logical side of an argument. Many articles and papers use these terms of persuasion to see their side one such document is The Declaration of Independence. The purpose for said document was for the 13 original colonies to declare freedom from the oppressive rule of England.
Briefcases: Steps toward Rhetorical Analysis”, she discusses the nature of rhetorical analysis, how it affects our everyday lives and explains the role context plays. Aristotle’s mode of persuasion: Logos, Pathos and Ethos are all components often used to persuade an audience. Logos appeal to logic or stating the facts, Pathos taps into your emotions and Ethos demonstrates the presenter’s credibility. Determining which appeal was used will assist you in having a clear understanding if you should buy into the idea, product etc. Every day we perform some type of analysis, whether we are aware of this or not.
Words have a way of making people feel different emotions. The way words are said have such a huge affect on society. During the civil rights era speeches made all the difference and could make or break how people would react to the cause you brought up. Still today public speaking is used in many ways from elections to marketing. Mark Antony and Brutus are able to make speeches using ethos, pathos, and logos to convince Rome for their reason of action and how they are experiencing grief and anger over the loss of a friend. In William Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar he displays how convincing people can be in order to get that they want and change an audience’s emotion.
The death of a loved one affects different people in different ways, and in the case of Mark Antony in the classic The Tragedy Of Julius Caesar written by William Shakespeare, the assassination of the great Caesar fostered feelings of hate and revenge in his mind. On the contrary, when Noa Ben Artizi-Pelossof's Grandfather was also assassinated, instead of feelings of hate and vengeance, everlasting love and emptiness shot through her heart. When Antony and Artizi-Pelossof wrote eulogies for their loved ones, their intentions were different, yet they similarly utilized pathos for sympathy. However, Antony’s tone and use of ethos was meant to gain followers for a rebellion, while Artizi-Pelossof’s tone and use of ethos only showed deep love for her "Saba".
In Julius Caesar two men, Antony and Brutus, make two different speeches but with the same concept of ethos, logos, and pathos at Caesar's funeral. Brutus claims that it is okay that he killed Caesar and makes a speech about it. Antony is the more persuasive speaker than Brutus because he uses ethos, pathos, and logos better then Brutus.
Hamlet’s “To be or not to be” soliloquy is conceivably the most prominent soliloquy in the archive of the theatre. Even now, more than 400 years after it was originally written there is still an air of familiarity that reaches others even if they do not know the play itself in detail. In act 3, scene 1, Hamlet’s “To be or not to be” Soliloquy is critical in developing the plot because this is when Hamlet discusses his most suicidal thoughts.
“Live, Brutus! Live! Live!” chants the mob after Brutus, murderer of Caesar, convinces them that killing their leader was best for Rome. In the play Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, Marc Antony, dearly beloved of Caesar, follows Brutus’ passionate appeal with his own speech. Antony is a genius when it comes to rhetorical ability and uses this to turn the tables against Brutus. He knows the mob is already on the side of the conspirators and must establish a strong connection in the form of ethos for them to listen to anything he says. He begins, “Friends, Romans, countrymen.” These three famous words are meant to make the crowd feel special because he is their friend, make them want to listen to him because he is a fellow Roman. Next, Antony assures them he comes “to bury Caesar, not to praise him.” With the crowd on Brutus’ side, they can only be glad to know that Antony has the same point of view as them. Marc Antony’s use of ethos builds a strong connection to prepare the audience for the rest of his address.
In William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, the funeral speeches given by both Brutus and Mark Antony ARE TWO of the most significant parts in the play. Shortly after Brutus and many other conspirators killed Caesar in the Senate, the eulogies took place. Shakespeare utilizes ethos, logos, and pathos throughout the speeches of Brutus and Antony in order to sway the audience. Although this is true, in the end the audience is only swayed by the man who executes his persuasive skills the best and sends out the most powerful message. Not only did it influence the outcome of the play, but each speech also offered a unique insight into the speaker and their true feelings about the death of Caesar. Shakespeare demonstrates how to powerfully persuade the people of Rome through his words in the speeches of Brutus and Mark Antony.
“Julius Caesar”, by William Shakespeare, was written based on the events that took place in Rome around 45BC. It reflects on the betrayal of Caesar, whom Brutus called his friend. Julius Caesar was not a cocky Roman general with a lot of pride, but was a man that denied the crown three times. After the death of Caesar, Brutus and Antony both prepare funeral speeches to speak on his behalf. As Caesar’s loyal friend, Antony’s speech portrays the type of person Caesar was, but lacks ethical and logical strategies. Brutus’s speech effectively explains why the killing of Caesar was for the good of Rome. He incorporates his personal beliefs, frequently uses emotion, and gives logic reasons, which makes his speech more argumentative than Antony’s.