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Literary analysis of shakespeare
Shakespeare julius caesar rhetorical devices
Rhetorical devices used in a julius caesar speech
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In the world of politics, influential men use persuasion and rhetoric to make an audience sway one way or another. Political leaders can make people act in a certain way than how they would normally. When rhetoric is used powerfully and correctly, it can convince an audience to support the claim the writer is making. William Shakespeare demonstrates this through his play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar multiple times by having characters give persuasive speeches that make the audience change their opinions such as when Antony was able to make a crowd who loved Brutus to wanting to kill him.
Antony was one of the most successful users of rhetoric in the play. After the conspirators killed Caesar, Brutus explained his actions and why Caesar had
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to die. In his speech, he used ethos by saying that the people need to, “Believe me/For mine honor, and have respect to mine honor/That you may believe” (III. ii. 15-17). Here, he is saying that the Romans can trust him because he is honorable. This is a representation of ethos because Brutus is using his qualities of honor to have people believe in what he says. Brutus goes on to explain that he needed to kill Caesar because it was for the betterment of Rome. He successfully persuades the audience and the people as evident by the Plebeians chanting, “Live, Brutus, live, live” (III. ii. 50). Brutus then left with the people content in his explanation when Antony then started his speech. Antony used pathos heavily throughout his dialogue. This can be seen when Antony revealed Caesar’s wounds and said, “Look, in his place ran Cassius’ dagger through./See what a rent Casca made./Through this the well beloved Brutus stabbed” (III. ii. 186-188). Antony said this after making several claims as to why Caesar was not ambitious. The people then started to feel bad for Caesar and anger towards the killers. The effect of his speech can be seen when the plebeians cried, “O piteous spectacle!/O noble Caesar!/O woeful day” (III. ii. 210-213). Through a single speech, Antony was able to convince an audience to feel pity for a man they held contempt for and wanting to kill a man they loved. Antony was not the only persuasive speaker.
Caesar also used a form of rhetoric when accepting the crown after the race. When Antony won, he was given a circlet that he then offered to Caesar in honor of him. Caesar first rejected the crown by gently pushing it away. The people wanted Caesar to take the crown which is seen when the “rabblement hooted and clapped their chapped hands and threw up their sweaty nightcaps” (I. ii. 243-244). Caesar then rejected it two more times after the first. Each time the audience grew more excited than before. As Casca had said that Caesar clearly wanted to take the crown because he was looked reluctant to reject the crown and it seemed as if he didn’t want to take his hands off it (I. ii. 241-242). It may seem curious that Caesar rejected something that he wanted. He was doing this on purpose as a form of persuasion to have people respect him and cheer for him more. It is seen throughout the play that the Roman people can be persuaded easily because they are indecisive and have others think for them. When he rejected the crown, it made Caesar seem more humble and sincere than before. Some may think this as a noble act and others cheered for Caesar even more. This form of persuasion is pathos because he’s wanting the people to feel that he is respectable and will be a good leader. Caesar wants the people to make him a dictator and this would help push his agenda and gain …show more content…
power. After Caesar rejected the crown and the race was over, Brutus decides to join the plot to kill Caesar with Cassius acting as their current leader.
When meeting with Brutus for the first time though, Brutus gives a speech that would give him the role as leader. Cassius starts off the conversation with an introduction to everyone and then proceeds to have everyone take a swear for their cause. This is when Brutus starts contradicting Cassius. He starts by disagreeing with him and that if the corruption of their empire as well as the safety of their people aren’t enough of motivation then we shouldn’t do anything (II. i. 125-127). Brutus uses logos when he says, “What bond do we need other/than that of discreet Romans who have said what/they’re going to do and won’t back down” (II. i. 130-133). The logic behind this claim is that there is no better oath than to be a Roman which is implying that all Romans are honorable and trustworthy. This is a logical fallacy because that is not the case, but the conspirators still believe in what Brutus is saying and go along with him. After this speech, Brutus takes over as the leader of the plot against Caesar. Brutus was able to take the power from Cassius and give it to himself through his words. Once again, someone gains power and recognition by using
rhetoric. As seen through Brutus, Caesar, and Antony, the use of persuasion and rhetoric in speeches provides a powerful impact making people reach a conclusion they wouldn’t otherwise. This can be seen all across history. One famous example is Adolf Hitler during World War II. When the people were in a depression and in despair, Hitler was able to tell the citizens of Germany what they wanted to hear. He used pathos by stirring them up when talking about the ruthless Treaty of Versailles and how it destroyed their country. He made them feel like the country will be better by giving them false claims and hopes. He used logos when saying that their country is better than any other so they can win in any battle. Hitler was able to persuade a whole country into wanting to go to war. He attempted to eliminate an entire race with the support of the country. Everyone in Germany was not cruel or disgusting like him but his power of persuasion was so powerful, that it was able to make people think his policies and rules were necessary. World War II was one of the worst events in that has taken place and was rooted in a single man’s ability to use rhetoric correctly. The capabilities of persuasion and rhetoric are strong and effective as seen throughout history and in everyday life. With it, politicians are able to make an entire audience choose a side they might not have. People are able to gain power and use it to their will. William Shakespeare represents this theme in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar through the speeches in the play that used rhetoric to rise in influence.
The rhetorical question is used to make Caesar feel as if he is being immature and difficult for not wanting to take the chance of meeting his end. He addresses Caesar by saying, “If Caesar hide himself, shall they not whisper/’Lo Caesar is afraid.” (2.2.105-106). The rhetorical question intentionally draws to light the matter of what the people will believe if the mighty Caesar chooses not to arrive. Resurfacing on his policy of inflating Caesar’s ego, he contradicts his earlier claims of how mighty he is. Caesar has been told frequently and for a long period of time just how great he is by nearly every soul he comes across. The sudden declaration of his frailties shocks Caesar to the reality of his predicament, that being that it is only a matter of time before his power will run out. Caesar feels that if he waits too long or makes the wrong moves he will never receive the opportunity to fulfill his one wish in life, to become king. The ultimate goal of Decius’s sermon was to unknowingly lead Caesar to his death. This goal is reached due to Caesar’s unwavering desire for power. The use of repetition, inversion, and rhetorical questions helped push Caesar towards his dismal
In the beginning of the Book Cassius uses anecdotes of Caesar’s weakness and faults, argumentum ad antiquatum, and ethos on Brutus to persuade him to join the conspiracy to kill Caesar, this works on Brutus and shows that anyone, even people as stoic as Brutus, can be persuaded by appealing to their motivations. Cassius, a very suspicious character thru ought the play tells Brutus to “be not jealous on me” (827), in the quote he tells Brutus to not be suspicious of him because he is just a friend who genuinely cares. Cassius does this to put himself on Brutus’ side and not seem like a distant person, this allows him to criticize Caesar and suggest that he is a bad influence on Rome which appeals to Brutus’ desire to keeping Rome safe. After setting himself up as a friend to Brutus, Cassius uses harsh anecdotes on the weakness of Caesar to show that he isn’t fit to rule Rome. Cassius recollects on a time when he and Caesar went swimming in the river Tiber and Caesar screamed “Help me, Cassius or I sink” (828) to de...
Imagine yourself listening to a political debate, undecided as to which leader you agree with. One candidate begins to speak about unjust societal issues, such as the horrifying amount of people in the world that do not have food on their table. The candidate also begins to touch upon the topic of taxes and how he will lower them if he is elected. You find yourself being persuaded in the direction of emotions and morals. The power of language used to appeal others is not only present in the modern world, but also in the play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, written by famous English playwright William Shakespeare. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar portrayed a story of how an aspiring leader, Julius Caesar, is assassinated by a group of schemers, lead by Marcus Brutus, who disagreed with Caesar’s decrees and ways of governing. Over the course of the text, it demonstrated the use of two rhetorical charms: ethos and pathos. While ethos refers to the moral and ethical appeal and pathos invokes to the emotional aspect, each one was evidently shown in the funeral speech for Caesar given by his best friend, Mark Antony. Prior to Antony’s speech, Brutus had given the plebeians a synopsis of what had occurred. However, Mark Antony knew that what Brutus had told the plebeians was false. In such manner, he allured the plebeians onto his side of the tragedy by touching upon ethical and emotional appeals.
In this scene, Caesar shows no eagerness to gain power or fame as the citizens have assumed therefore showing no ambition whatsoever. The imagery and logical reasoning persuade the audience into rethinking if Caesar was ambitious and believe that Caesar was
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.
In the Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, there are many types of conflict, persuasion, betrayal, and most importantly emotion. Rhetoric plays an important role in this story by letting the characters communicate in a persuasive way. Pathos is used the strongest by two of the main characters, Brutus and Antony. Emotion played an important role because Brutus and Antony both knew the crowd would act upon their feelings. Brutus and Antony used different styles of pathos when they spoke at Caesar's funeral to try and persuade the crowd to be on their side. The speakers used many different forms of emotion in their speeches, which proves that they used a strong sense of pathos as their rhetorical appeal.
In his play Julius Caesar, Shakespeare employs various rhetorical strategies such as direct address, repetition, and apostrophe in Antony’s eulogy to convince the crowd into believing that Caesar was a good ruler. His excellent use of rhetoric begins before he starts his speech through the establishment of familiarity. Before Antony begins his speech, he refers to the crowd as “friends, romans, [and] countrymen” to establish a personal connection, indicating the use of direct address (3.2.82). By referring to the crowd as “friends,” Antony removes any separation between him and the audience, establishing a close bond by choice. As it came first on his list, it emphasizes the importance of his friendship with the audience as friendship implies
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.
Word: a single distinct meaningful element of speech. In William Shakespeare’s, Julius Caesar, words are being utilized to show two different peoples reasonings behind the death of their dear friend in the form of funeral speeches. Through the uses of rhetorical and literal devices, Brutus and Anthony deliver contrasting tones of proud and manipulative to convince the citizens of Rome.
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.
In William Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar, Mark Antony uses rhetorical devices of verbal irony and the use of props throughout his speech at Caesar's funeral in order to convince the plebeians to rebel against the conspirators in Act 3 Scene 2. First, Antony uses verbal irony to frequently mock the idea of Brutus being honorable. For example, he says to the crowd, “He was my friend, faithful and just to me, / But Brutus says he was ambitious, /And Brutus is an honorable man.” (3.2.94-96). It is clear that Antony does not actually find Brutus honorable because he just stabbed Caesar and to Antony, that is unjustified because Caesar has not yet done any harm to Rome. The reason why Antony claims that Brutus is honorable is because it is unfathomable that a man who contributes to a murder could possibly deserve respect.
“Julius Caesar” by William Shakespeare is the story of the assassination of Julius Caesar. Two speeches were made after his death, one being by Mark Antony. He uses many rhetorical devices in this speech to counter the previous speech and persuade the crowd that the conspirators who killed Caesar were wrong. Rhetoric is the art of persuasion and these many devices strengthen this by making points and highlighting flaws. Antony uses many rhetorical devices, all of which are used to persuade the crowd that the conspirators are wrong and Caesar did not need to be killed.
their audience of adopting a new point of view. As Jim Bennett says, “...all magnificent speeches...’reads [themselves]’,” meaning that providing smooth, fluid delivery will capture audiences attention. In William Shakespeare’s tragic drama, Julius Caesar, the characters use persuasion in their speeches by applying pathos, ethos, and logos to butter their words. Persuasion plays an important role, being used by the conspirators, Brutus, and Antony to convince their audiences.
When Cassius was trying to convince Brutus to join him in the conspiracy, not only did Cassius speak wrong of Caesar, but also told Brutus that he is as equal as Caesar (Act I). This conspiracy was made so men could gather up and kill Caesar. The power of the words Cassius used to convince all these men to join him and kill one single man. Now, Cassius wasn’t the only person trying to persuade others but also Brutus and Antony.