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Analysis of caesar character in shakespeare's play julius caesar
Analysis of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar
Nature of the tragedy play Julius Caesar
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Power had a big role during ancient Roman times. The people who were already in power would do anything to increase their amount of power. Some traits that are common with powerful people are persuasive, good speaker, and charming. These are also traits that describe rhetoric. In the play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, the claim that rhetoric has influence on power is highly credible, based on how the characters act in their hostile and compelling ways can make the characters appear as though power can impact how they treat others.
In the play, rhetoric is used mainly during the eulogies. First of all, Brutus uses rhetoric to convince the people of Rome that the reason he killed Caesar was for their safety. “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.” (III.ii.21-24). Secondly, Antony uses rhetoric in his eulogy to convince the people of Rome that what Brutus and Cassius did was unnecessary. “Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage, I should do Brutus wrong
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and Cassius wrong, who, you all know, are honorable men.” (III.ii.134-136). In the play, one of the main characters is a reason why rhetoric is commonly placed with power. In particular, Cassius is known for his role in the killing of Julius Caesar. Even though this was his main point in the play, Cassius is also known for getting what he wants, persuading people, and for his ignorance. For example, when Cassius is trying to get Brutus to join him on his arrangement to kill Caesar, Cassius starts to use phrases that appeal to Brutus’ emotional side (I.ii.60-82). In the end Cassius ends up convincing Brutus to join his plan. In other words, when Cassius says “So often shall the knot of us be called the men that gave their country liberty” (III.i.131-132) he telling the men that everyone will be happy with the job they did, further describing how Cassius does things so he can get attention. A lot of the powerful characters in the play used rhetoric in their speeches, but Cassius used it in the most noticeable way. In Brutus’ eulogies and dialog, he uses a great deal of rhetoric.
Even though Brutus is mostly appealing to the emotional or pathos side of rhetoric, he still is convincing the people of Rome that he killed Caesar for the safety and happiness of the citizens, “Had you rather Caesar were living, and die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live all freemen?” (III.ii.24-26). In addition, Brutus closes his eulogy by saying, “I have the same dagger for myself when it shall please my country to need my death.” (III.ii.48-49). This convinces the people that Brutus is their savior and that Brutus was only looking our for their best interests. Brutus is known for being Caesar’s best friend and having an enormous amount of power in Rome. Since his speech is the first side that the people hear they are certain the Brutus’ way is right, but once they hear Antony’s speech they might change their
mind. Antony is very similar to Brutus when he was giving his eulogy to the people of Rome. To begin with, in Antony’s first eulogy, the entire speech is filled with pathos and sadness. Antony’s main way to get the people on his side is to mix up their emotions so much, that they can’t even remember the speech that they had heard moments ago by Brutus. For example, after Antony is finished with reading the will, the citizens start saying all of the atrocious things they were going to do to Brutus, “We’ll mutiny. We’ll burn the house of Brutus.” (III.ii.244-245). Antony has an extreme amount of power in Rome, so when the people of Rome hear him talking about how Brutus and Cassius killed Caesar, the people are bound to believe him. Many people in the city of Rome had power, but only a few had the vast ability to use rhetoric to convince people. In the play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, rhetoric influences power in multiple ways that make the main characters seem like they are talking down to the people, when really they are manipulating the people’s mind, so that they can get what they want.
Antony asks rhetorical questions and lets the audience answer for themselves. Brutus uses ethos by stating that he a noble man and that is why the people should believe him but infact Antony questions his nobility by saying what Brutus said,” Brutus is an honourable man”(III.ii.79). In a way, Antony states what Brutus states to convince the audience by using examples that Brutus is wrong. Antony himself knows what kind of man Brutus is but lets the people figure it out on their own. In addition, Brutus uses logos by expressing that fact that Caesar died because of his ambition. This argument is severely under supported because his reasons are invalid and simply observations. Antony uses “did this in Caesar seem ambitious” to question Brutus’ argument (III.ii.82). Antony gives examples backing his argument like when Caesar refused the crown thrice to prove his humbleness. The way Antony convinces the people to rebel is by using pathos. He brings the audience in by stepping down to their level and showing them the body of Caesar. While Antony talks at Caesar's funeral, he pauses because” heart us in the coffin there with Caesar “(III.ii.98). When Antony becomes emotional, he reminds the audience about what injust event happened to the much loved
The most predominate and important aspect In the play Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare are the speeches given to the Roman citizens by Brutus and Antony, the two main charaters, following the death of Caesar. Brutus and Antony both spoke to the crowd,using the same rhetorical devices to express their thoughts. Both speakers used the three classical appeals employed in the speeches: ethos, which is an appeal to credibility; pathos, which is an appeal to the emotion of the audience; and logos, which is an appeal to the content and arrangement of the argument itself. Even though both speeches have the same structure Antony’s speech is significantly more effective than Brutus’s.
Brutus uses prose, perhaps showing less calculation than his words would have one think he'd want to flaunt; in understanding his speech theretofore, the divide between his masterfully premeditated words and his apparently hasty organization of said words is seemingly unintentional and perhaps even sloppy. However, such an odd combination can actually withal have the effect of causing his audience to think he conceived of his reasons on-the-fly; his use of prose can be interpreted as his attempt to appear inherently logical and innately judicial by the most brilliant faculty so as to build up an even bigger ethos in an unexpected and confounding way. And it works; consequent cries from the plebeians include, "Live, Brutus, live, live!", a quote that seems far too emotional for an audience who merely just listened to a speech involving much dispassionate logic; yes, it is the prose style of the speech that allows introspection and application to reality of the part of his audience, causing the mob to associate his more calculated claims with human values and attributes instead of those of, say, a statue (3.2.1419). In contrast, Mark Antony uses blank verse, which is fairly poetic and rhythmic; this is likely so as to provide a structure and flow that shows wherewithal and intention and provides a sense of ethos, which the words themselves seem to lack in pursuing the piercing and vivid pathos they did. It can be said that the sobbing on Mark Antony's part contributed to his speech and even bettered it; but sobs alone do no good in this sort of setting if there's no fruitful organization of them. Mark Antony's weeping before the mass of plebeians could simply result in a lump in the collective jugular anatomy of the people there; however, it is not so: because of the deliberate organization of his speech, Mark Antony is able to convert raw emotional power into neat and logical
We have all tried to convince someone that we are right and another person's wrong.Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose it all depends on how strong your argument is. Other times you're even trying to win over a crowd like in a debate. Well in the tragedy Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare Antony and Brutus both give a speech to the people of Rome trying to convince them to side with either Brutus or Antony. Antony says the murder of Caesar was not justified and Brutus thinks it was. Mark Antony gave a more effective funeral speech than Brutus.
Playwright, William Shakespeare, in the play Julius Caesar, utilizes many instances of rhetorical devices through the actions and speech of Caesar's right-hand man, Mark Antony. In the given excerpt, Antony demonstrates several of those rhetorical devices such as verbal irony, sarcasm, logos, ethos, and pathos which allows him to sway the plebeians. The central purpose of Mark Antony’s funeral speech is to persuade his audience into believing that Caesar had no ill intentions while manipulating the plebeians into starting a rebellion against their new enemies, Brutus and the conspirators.
A great civilization may face tremors of external source, though the most fatal of all threats is internal weakness. That is the conjuration of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, a work by William Shakespeare, arguably the most talented writer in the English language of all time. In this play Caesar is a powerful politician with the potential to be dubbed ruler of Rome. Unfortunately, he is slaughtered by his fellow nobles. Brutus, of those who has slain Caesar speaks before a crowd of plebeians (Roman commoners) of why he chose treason-it was for Rome; Caesar was ambitious. However, grief stricken and resolved for revenge, Mark Antony-proven to be Caesar’s only loyal supporter adjust the crowd for his own speech. One exulting Caesar’s name and good deeds. While spoiling the reputation of his murders, and recovering love for the lost Caesar, Antony speaks of which he defines as “what I do
“Sometimes the people who you love the most do the most damage.” This theme is seen in the play when Brutus, one of Caesar’s most faithful companions, literally stabs him in the back. Leading up to the murder, Caesar is unaware of Brutus’ true intentions. He has no idea that one of his best friends is plotting to kill him. Ultimately, this shows Caesar’s naivety. The warning signs regarding his murder were obvious, but he chose not to see them. If it were anybody else, perhaps they would have been able to see who their true friends were. (7)
In William Shakespeare's play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, two speeches are given to the people of Rome about Caesar's death. In Act 3, Scene 2 of this play Brutus and Antony both try to sway the minds of the Romans toward their views. Brutus tried to make the people believe he killed Caesar for a noble cause. Antony tried to persuade the people that the conspirators committed an act of brutality toward Caesar and were traitors. The effectiveness and ineffectiveness of both Antony's and Brutus's speech to the people are conveyed through tone and rhetorical devices.
Rhetoric is used on the daily by those that are involved in politics to gain the hearts of the crowd. In the poem The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, rhetoric plays a major role in convincing the crowds of citizens. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar revolves around the election of Caesar as the Roman leader. A group of people, called the conspirators, disagreed with the election and decided to take matters into their own hands. Someone named Cassius gathered the group up and even convinced Brutus, one of Caesar’s best friends, into joining them in the murder of Julius Caesar. After the murder, Brutus allowed Antony a chance to speak at Caesar’s funeral with conditions. Antony was told to not speak badly of them in front of the crowd. Antony does just
A series of unfortunate events could negatively impact an individual, but could also leave a stronger, independent individual in the end. In William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Antony and Caesar share an inextricable relationship as a father with a son. Despite the evident age group between the two, Antony portrays respect, loyalty, and obedience towards Caesar. After Caesar’s assassination, Antony grew to become mournful and incensed after his mentor’s murder. However, after Caesar’s death, Antony begins to demonstrate some hidden traits that he previously has not shown before.
Brutus’ speech to the citizens was in total character as he goes on to explain his reasons for assassinating his “friend” Caesar. “Brutus was very honorable and Antony was very persuasive. When Brutus spoke at Caesar’s funeral, he appealed to the people’s logic and Antony spoke to the emotions of the people. Antony is very smart and uses his brain frequently during the play and Brutus is very naive about many of things” (“Julius Caesar”). Antony is a very smart man that uses his brain to think things through throughout the play, while Brutus is very foolish about certain
In Shakespeare’s “the tragedy of Julius Caesar,” Shakespeare uses irony to prove the point in the speech. His repetition of phrases makes the readers question if Brutus really is an honorable man. Caesar is murdered by a bunch of assassins who turned against him, trying to make the people of Rome against Caesar too, until Caesars loyal friend steps in to prove all their opinions about Caesar to be wrong. Antony tries to prove Caesar to be a great leader and a caring man using irony and repetition.
Power gives someone the ability to influence the behavior of others. Power is important because without power or strength, people would be loss. Power directs people in the paths they want to take in life, and influences the decisions people make. In William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, power takes a great part in the play. Shakespeare teaches how power can change lives and cause feelings to over rule people. Since power can often be transferred and changed through time, different people in different situations have the most power, which is shown in Julius Caesar.
During the play “Julius Caesar” by William Shakespeare two characters, Mark Anthony and Marcus Brutus gave speeches at the funeral of Julius Caesar. Both had great use of persuasive strategies and convinced the crowd to their point of view. Only ,one character was more persuasive than the other and had a better use of rhetorical devices. And that character was Mark Anthony. Although Brutus gave a great speech Anthony had a better use of logos, parallelism and ethos along with the blessing of going after
In ending his eulogy, Brutus stated that he “[Has done no more to Caesar than [they] shall do to [him]” (III.ii.26). Brutus is trying to persuade the people of Rome that he does not deserve to die for what he has done to Caesar. Caesar “ Suffered death”(III.ii.29) because he was ambitious and Brutus believes that ambition is a sickness. This definitely leaves the crowd pondering because of course, ambition is a negative trait and they would not want to live under the rule of a person who was ambitious. Antony tells the people that “[He] does not speak to disprove what Brutus spoke”(III.ii.27). This was clever because he is making the people feel comfortable and not as if they have to choose between two people. Marc Antony pulls yet another clever trick on the crowd by indirectly making them feel guilty for praising Brutus. He cleverly reminds the citizens of Rome how they once “[Loved Caesar] without cause”(III.ii.29) and he makes them feel guilty by asking “ What cause with holds you then to mourn for [Caesar]?”( III.ii.29-30). Mark Antony also had more than just cleverly played words to back up his logic and his opinion. He had props. When Antony entered to give his speech, he entered with Caesar’s dead body and this really moves the audience because it taps into their emotional senses especially when he tells them that his “ Heart is in the coffin there with Caesar, and [he] must pause till it come back to [him]” (III.ii.34). Marc Antony also draws up a fake will to support his words and all of the arguments that he made. Professor Maisano assumes that “One might wish to fantasize here that Antony is merely inventing the contents of the will , which only he sees” (Maisano 161-170) because Marc Antony made up all of the contents of the will and this is especially convenient for Antony because the people of Rome