How Does Mark Antony Use Irony In Julius Caesar

561 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Rhetorical devices used by mark antony in julius caesar

Types of Irony Mark Antony Used During His Speech

After the death of Julius Caesar, caused by the Senate of Rome, which feared Caesar would become tyrant after they declare him “Dictator for Life”. Mark Antony was partners with Julius Caesar , Antony was his second in command. Mark Antony took charge of Caesar's will which lead to Brutus letting Antony speak with certain conditions which ran on his favor. Brutus presented himself as a honorable man and Caesar as an ambitious leader who would have enslaved the Romans which Mark Antony contradicted in his speech using Irony.By using Irony Mark Antony succeeds on making the citizens of Rome question whether Brutus is actually a honorable man. By the end of his speech Mark Antony accomplishes to prove the people of …show more content…

The senators were afraid of what Caesar might do with all the power they gave him over Rome which concludes to situational Irony. After, Mark Antony came back, the senate let him speak at Caesar's funeral with specific conditions. Brutus didn't want to be blamed for the murder of Caesar. Being part of the conspiracy to gain power through murder is not a fitting quality for a leader, this creates situational Irony. If proven to be dishonorable people would turn against him which might lead to his death. This connects back how Brutus is a liar and ambitious and Caesar is honorable.
Further on, Mark Antony uses different types of Irony throughout his speech to prove his point. He focused on Verbal Irony to achieve his point to prove how Brutus is ambitious and a liar. He uses Verbal Irony when stating “The senators are good men” when in reality they committed murder. These are examples of Verbal Irony since he said it in a sarcastic way. Anthony repeats “Brutus is an honorable man”,We begin to wonder if in fact he is. Mark Antony uses Irony to deliver his valid insult while seeming to praise

Show More
Related

  • Julius Caesar Persuasive Paper

    561 Words  | 2 Pages

    The book Julius Caesar is full of happiness, conspiracy, power, and betrayal. The people of Rome deeply loved julius Caesar and wished to make him their king. A group of senators however were not so fond of this idea and formed a conspiracy. The leader of this group was a man by the name of Cassius. In order to make sure that his scheme of killing Caesar would work and would look honorable he had to convince a senator by the name of Brutus to help. After being convinced that they had to kill Caesar to protect Rome from a tyrant Brutus joined the conspiracy and soon became the principal conspirator.On the day in which Caesar was to be crowned king he was on the way to the senate when he was stabbed by all the conspirators panic ensued and to convince Rome of their honorable intentions Brutus gave a funeral speech. Mark Antony, a very close friend of Caesar, gave his speech after Brutus had given his. Mark Antony’s speech is more persuasive to the Roman people because of his outstanding use of pathos, sarcasm, and logos.

    Read More

  • Antony's Speech In Julius Caesar Act 2 Essay

    587 Words  | 2 Pages

    He wants them to revolt but he says he doesn't, he is getting the people to do what he wants. “ which pardon me, I do not mean to read/ and they would go and kiss caesar's wounds.” It's showing that Caesar's will is meant for the people and Mark Antony is saying that they would love him if they heard it and would love him so much as to kiss his wounds. Antony uses reverse psychology to get the people to do what he wants without the realizing it. He uses irony to prove that Brutus cannot be

    Read More

  • Julius Caesar Essay: Is Mark Antony An Effective Leader?

    1103 Words  | 3 Pages

    First, Mark Antony has been loyal to Caesar since the beginning of the play; in addition, he is a decent speaker that can persuade individuals to follow him at Caesar’s funeral. At the end of the funeral, numerous Romans take Antony’s concept of revenging the conspirators for their wrong-doing. The Plebeians say, “We’ll burn the house of Brutus/ Away then. Come, seek the conspirators” (3.2.245-246). It suggests the powerful effects of Antony’s speech which make the Plebeians seek revenge, versus Brutus’s speech about how Caesar deserves to die because of his ambition. Although it is true that Antony can easily

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Julius Caesar

    774 Words  | 2 Pages

    Each ruler of Rome seemed to have made poor decisions, and this is exactly what occurred with Brutus. Brutus became very naïve. All of the conspirators confronted Brutus with the idea of killing Mark Antony. They believed he would continue Caesar’s legacy but Brutus thought differently. Brutus added, “And for Mark Antony, think not of him, for he can do no more than Caesar’s arm” (Shakespeare, 24). He proposed that Antony was too weak for them to worry about while this was actually what brought about his fall. When the murder of Caesar had concluded, Antony wished to speak in honor of Caesar. Brutus agreed with the idea but Cassius was hesitant. Cassius insulted, “You know not what you do. Do not consent that Antony speak in his funeral. Know you how much the people may be moved by that which he will utter” (Shakespeare, 44). Cassius feared that Antony’s persuasive speech would turn the citizens against the conspirators. Brutus continued to ignore Cassius’s warning, but was proven wrong immediately. The locals were influenced by Antony and led an angered march to end the conspirators. Brutus caused their arrangement to fail by lack of

    Read More

  • Mark Antony’s Remarkable Rhetoric

    696 Words  | 2 Pages

    Through the whole of his spectacular speech, Mark Antony influences the crowd using his distinct diction. He is able to inculcate a fired up anti-Caesar mass of people, and he makes the populace believe that Julius Caesar’s death was a true tragedy. Antony gracefully applies his proficiency with ‘logos’ and ‘pathos’ to his speech and is able to adroitly gain followers. His strong reasoning and explanations allow the Romans to buy what he has to say. Antony’s ability to speak in a roundabout way is a key constituent of his speech. Withal, he is extremely humble and the way he plays down his prowess is impressive. Mark Antony puts all the parts of his remarkable rhetoric together, and the result is a speech for the ages.

    Read More

  • The Diction Of Mark Antony In William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

    741 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • How Does Mark Antony Use Figurative Language In Julius Caesar

    607 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mark Antony uses personification and apostrophe to make ambition and judgment seem like they are living things. Antony used personification and apostrophe to make into Brutus a villain “O judgment, thou [art] fled to brutish beasts.” (32) and Caesar into an innocent good man “Ambition should be made of stern stuff.” (20). Antony speaks about how Caesar was not after power and that he only wanted to help the people of Rome. Antony achieves this by talking about when “I thrice presented him a kingly crown,” (24). Mark Antony was very distressed by Caesar's death, but he exaggerated his pain. Towards the end of his speech is when he truly exaggerates his pain “My heart is on the coffin there with Caesar.” and this helps the citizen to relate to

    Read More

  • Mark Antony´s Loyalty in Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

    821 Words  | 2 Pages

    He had changed his political preference to accommodate for Julius Caesar’s friendship. He put his life on the line on multiple occasions to prove his loyalty to Caesar. Even though Julius Caesar’s party sought his demise Mark Antony stayed true to Caesar. After the death of Julius Caesar, Mark Antony proved his love for Caesar by giving a eulogy at his funeral. During the eulogy,which Brutus gave permission to Antony to give, Antony cleverly made Julius Caesar look good as he sarcastically destroys the reputations of the conspirators ”

    Read More

  • How Does Mark Antony Use Ethos In Julius Caesar

    511 Words  | 2 Pages

    During Yitzhak Rabin's funeral, Artizi-Pelossof mutters, “Grandfather, you were the pillar of fire in front of the camp and now we are left in the camp alone, in the dark;”(Artizi-Pelossof 1). On multiple occasions Antony voiced, “Brutus says he was ambitious/and Brutus is an honorable man. ”(3.2.88-89). Every time Antony says these words they come off in a sarcastic manner, they are also meant to rile up and cause disruption in the audience to make them want to take action against Brutus and the conspirators.

    Read More

  • The Greed and Ambition of Marcus Brutus

    962 Words  | 2 Pages

    Greed, ambition, and the possibility of self-gain are always constant in their efforts to influence people’s actions. In Julius Caesar, Marcus Brutus, a venerable politician, becomes a victim of the perpetual conflict between power-hungry politicians and ignorant commoners. He is a man of honor and good intentions who sacrifices his own happiness for the benefit of others. Unfortunately, his honor is strung into a fine balance between oblivion and belief and it is ultimately the cause of his downfall. His apparent obliviousness leads him to his grave as his merciful sparing of Mark Antony’s life, much like Julius Caesar’s ghost, comes back to haunt him. Overall, Brutus is an honest, sincere man who holds the lives of others in high regard while he himself acts as a servant to Rome.

    Read More

  • The Events of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

    1409 Words  | 3 Pages

    Julius Caesar’s ambition for power drove the honorable Brutus to think negatively about Julius Caesar’s position of being the King of Rome. Negatively speaking, Julius Caesar’s ways of having most of the power and deciding not to listen to others except the ones that only tell him things he likes to hear, drove the power-hungary conspirators and the honorable Brutus to take his life away. The honorable Brutus shows his love for Rome by committing an act which he seems best fit for his city. Trying everything he can to put Rome in a democracy, the only solution he saw was to join the conspirators to murder Caesar and explain to the people why they committed such an act. A great friend of Julius Caesar Mark Antony, stood up for many things Caesar had in mind and he was one of the few that Caesar thought was very trustworthy besides Brutus. After Caesar’s death, Mark Anthony told Caesar that he will take revenge for him and that shows great passion for the love that he had for him.

    Read More

  • Mark Antony’s Motivation in Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

    1068 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mark Antony is motivated both by personal ambition and love for Caesar. Mark Antony wants the Roman People to listen to him, he wants to be more powerful, and he wants to avenge Caesar’s death. He wants the crowds to do his bidding and after his speech starts a civil war in Rome. He wants more power, and to control more of the Roman Empire by getting rid of Lepidus. Mark Antony wants Caesar’s Death to be avenged and the conspirators dead. If Caesar wouldn’t have died then would Mark Antony eventually betray him and kill him for power? Mans worst enemy is himself. Mark Antony went thirsty for power and his anger over the death of a great leader lead him to start a civil war in Rome.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Essay On Julius Caesar

    559 Words  | 2 Pages

    While Brutus sees life as something to be solved with logic and guided by morality, Mark Antony views life as something that he can twist and mold into whatever he needs it to be at any given moment. Mark Antony uses the audience of the funeral speech as tools to wrench the Roman Republic from the hands of Brutus and place the crown on his own head. He inspires rage and distrust in the plebeians, and directly spurs on the Battle of Philippi. Brutus is roped into this situation despite his unselfish motives, and has to defend himself and his fellows against the armies of Mark Antony and the young Octavius. From beginning to end, the characters of ​The Tragedy of Julius Caesar are true to their defining qualities and do not depart from the molds they have cast of

    Read More

  • Mark Antony's Speech from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

    2765 Words  | 6 Pages

    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/

    Read More

  • Free Julius Caesar Essays: The Role of the Mob

    386 Words  | 1 Pages

    A later example occurs during the funeral oration by Mark Antony. Brutus logically gives his reasons that necessitated Caesar’s death. He informs them that he acted out of love of Rome and his desire to prevent tyrants from controlling her. The citizens embrace his words with cheers and understanding. However, their mood alters when Antony offers his interpretation of the situation. He passionately described the deeds Caesar performed in behalf of the citizens of Rome, which clearly contradict the opinion of the conspirators that Caesar was too ambitious. Antony carefully uses irony in referring to Cassius and Brutus as honorable men; the strategy wins over the citizens and they listen with growing anger to his words. He leads the citizens to the body and begins to show the brutal results of the murder while simultaneously influencing them to believe that the conspirators are murderers and traitors. Ultimately, Antony reads Caesar’s will, which leaves his parks, private estates, and newly planted gardens to the citizens of Rome.

    Read More

More about How Does Mark Antony Use Irony In Julius Caesar

Open Document