How Is Mark Antony An Honorable Man

To stab or be stabbed is the main question asked. The Roman Empire experienced many power changes in few years that eventually lead to a civil war. Shakespeare recalls detailed events throughout this time in history in his writing, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar came to power after the fall of the previous ruler. Caesar’s reign was cut short by a group of conspirators who brutally murdered him. Brutus and Cassius were the main leaders of the conspirators and they thought they had the people won over until Caesar’s right-hand man comes into play. Antony wins the heart of the people and becomes leader. Shakespeare introduces many characters that impact the story, but in particular, Mark Antony is described as loyal, cunning,

Antony was a phenomenal speaker and knew how to use his words wisely. During Caesar’s funeral, Antony uses nothing but his words to persuade hundreds of Roman citizens to turn against Brutus and the rest of the conspirators. Throughout the speech, he intentionally repeats the phrase, “And Brutus is an honorable man” (Shakespeare 50). He places this phrase in a specific spot in his speech after giving an example of how Brutus is not honorable. He continually repeats this in order for the audience to understand he doesn’t mean what he is saying. Another time Antony contradicts what he says with what he means is when he says, “Good friends, Sweet friends, let me not stir you up to such a sudden flood of mutiny” (Shakespeare 53). The whole point of Antony’s speech is to persuade the people to turn against the conspirators. Antony wants the crowd to rebel, and he gets what he wants by using his words. At the beginning of the speech, showing his quick wit, Antony says, “My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar” (Shakespeare 50) and begins weeping. He does this partly out of sincerity but also to gain sympathy from the crowd. Antony uses his words and actions cunningly, so he can get what he wants without directly stating