Julius Caesar Rhetorical Analysis

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In William Shakespeare’s historical tragedy, Julius Caesar, Mark Antony delivers a powerful speech shortly after Caesar’s death. In his stirring eulogy for the fallen leader, Antony uses powerful rhetorical devices such as ethos, logos and pathos to gain public sympathy for Caesar and to incite uprising against the conspirators. First, he builds credibility for himself by claiming that Brutus and Cassius are “honourable men” and he would “not do them wrong,” by stirring the crowd’s “hearts and minds to mutiny and rage.” This is his attempt to appeal to ethos and garner goodwill, making him morally and ethically likeable in the eyes and hearts of the public. By pleading that he would rather wrong himself and his now deceased friend Caesar, than

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