In the passionate play of Julius Caesar, full of betrayal, trials, and patriotism, one can find an incredibly good example of the power of rhetoric. This Shakespearean play, though titled Julius Caesar, does not revolve around said man but instead revolves around one of his murderers and once beloved friend, Brutus. After Caesar's murder, Brutus gives a speech to the citizens of Rome, explaining why he committed such an act and cleverly (attempts) to use rhetoric to change the angry minds of the Romans to side with him.
After Brutus gives his influential speech, he allows Antony to give one to the people. Antony was not involved in the coup to murder Caesar. No, not at all, in fact, he was a loyal friend to Caesar and quite distraught
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over his death. He gave a moving speech to the citizens with underlying, manipulative intentions, and managed to successfully convince the Roman citizens to be furious with Brutus for his actions, using rhetoric. In Brutus's speech, he takes the humble approach, saying, "Censure me in your wisdom, and awake your senses, that you may the better judge (Act 3.2, lines 16-17)." In this, he gives the impression that he is not making excuses for his actions, but merely stating his reasoning, and asks them to judge his actions for themselves and not based on others' opinions. He is humbling himself and also implying that they are intelligent enough to make their own decisions, but in doing so may actually be taking advantage of their own commoner ignorance so he can subtly manipulate them. Brutus appears to be very honest in saying this, and if he was using it as a manipulative tactic, there is still genuineness within it. This, of course, is a very good way to win over the hearts of men. After this, Brutus goes on about how great his love for Caesar was, and how he loved the man just as much as any other citizen of Rome, helping the Romans to relate to his feelings.
Brutus then says that, though he loved Julius Caesar dearly, he loved Rome more, which appeared to be a form of patriotism, though perhaps somewhat warped (Act 3.2, lines 17-24). And though he knew the virtues of the man he killed, and stated them, he also claimed to see too much ambition in Caesar. He then allows the people to object to his statements if they wish to, but (as can be seen clearly), he seemed to have already won them over.
Brutus goes on to say how, had he been in Caesar's place and had been too ambitious as he had been, he should expect the same treatment handed to him, that is, he would expect to be taken out of commission (Act 3.2, lines 36-40). In this, he puts himself on Caesar's level and shows that he does not think more highly of himself than Caesar, but he merely did what he thought was best for Rome. He then allows Mark Antony to bring Caesar's body so that the people may mourn him, yet another way to show that he was not against Caesar, but was for the
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Romans. At the request of Brutus, Antony then gives his own speech on the death of Caesar. Contrary to Brutus's humble and seemingly honest approach, Antony takes the stage and starts with mockery of Brutus's supposed "honor", as well as pointing out Caesar's lack of ambition (Act 3.2, lines 75-101). Of course, this makes him sound arrogant, so Antony remedies with saying, "I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke, but here I am to speak what I do know (Act 3.2, lines 102-103)." He then ridicules the Romans for forgetting their immense love for Caesar and calls them "brutish beasts". Though Antony approaches the people harshly and regards Brutus even more harshly, the hints of truth were magnified in his speaking, and so much so that they covered the manipulation hidden within.
Antony continues to act this way but claims that he acts in such a way because, "...My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar, and I must pause till it com back to me (Act 3.2, lines 107-109)."
At this point, the Romans are practically shrugging their shoulders and mumbling, "He has a point," but they have not been convinced wholly. So, Antony continues. Antony says that had it been more than a day ago, anything Caesar would have said would have been revered as complete legitimacy, which was certainly true. But, the man says, he would not incite rage in the peoples, for that would be wronging Brutus and the murderers, whom he continues to call "honorable" mockingly.
Then, Antony pulls out the (possibly forged) will of Caesar, using material objects to win over the hearts of the men. He states, "Let but the commons hear this testament - which, pardon me, I do not mean to read - and they would go and kiss dead Caesar's wounds and dip their napkins in his sacred blood (Act 3.2, lines 132-135)..." Of course, saying that he wouldn't read it to them only makes the Roman citizens all the more curious, like children awaiting their Christmas gifts. To top it off, he states that if they heard it they would only be inflamed with love for Caesar, and would cause trouble. And, because
Antony is also honorable, he wouldn't want to cause a ruckus, would he? After continuous demanding from the Romans for Antony to read them the will, Antony consents, but says they must make a ring around Caesar's body. He then gives a long speech, delving into the specifics of how Caesar was murdered and says that, when Caesar fell, the Roman citizens fell with him (Act 3.2, lines 170-193). He then shows them the body, and the citizens mourn, their hearts won over by Antony's manipulation. He then reads the will and the mutiny and downfall began. In these two speeches given from Brutus and Antony, we see two different forms of rhetoric. Brutus took the humble, honest, levelheaded approach, which won over the hearts of the citizens quickly but was dominated by Antony's long, aggressive, manipulative speech. Here, we can clearly see that, no matter what one may fight for, be it lies or truth, the rhetoric used sways the hearts of men, not what one stands for.
By saying this, Antony is showing how he was as a friend To Caesar and is showing his loyalty and faith to him to tell the audience how great Caesar was.
Rhetorical devices have been around for many centuries, and they are used to convince and persuade people to believe in their cause. These strategies exploit individuals by influencing them to feel sympathy or trust the speaker. In Julius Caesar, a historic tragedy written by the prominent Shakespeare, Antony’s brilliant rhetorical strategies are used to trump Brutus and prompt the Roman people to unite with his rebellion against the unjust butcher of the beloved Julius Caesar.
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
He carried carried out Caesar’s corpse and laid him down before the crowd as he began to speak. Antony has already used pathos as a strong rhetorical device. The sight of a dead body has brought a very serious and saddening atmosphere upon all onlookers. Antony begins by stating “I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones; So let it be with Caesar.” (3.2.2) Explaining to the crowd that he is not going to praise Caesar for the man he was but rather respectively bury him for his funeral has established that he isn’t biased. Conveying that man's good deeds are often forgotten with death has stirred up a feeling of remorse towards Caesar; another usage of
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
Throughout his speech, Antony repeats the words “[Caesar] was ambitious” and “Brutus is an honorable man” to create a contrast between the two statements. (3.2.95-96). Through this repetition, Caesar successfully undermines Brutus. Everytime he calls Brutus an honorable man, he lists a positive trait of Caesar that contradicts Brutus’s claim that he was too ambitious. He tells the crowd about the times when Caesar showed compassion for the people and when he refused the crown thrice. Antony’s sarcasm about Brutus’s honor brings into question as to whether his honor deserved. This leads the audience to doubt their feelings upon Caesar’s ambition. Near the end of his eulogy, Antony uses apostrophe when he claims that “judgment ... art fled to brutish beasts” as a reason for why the Roman people believe Brutus. (3.2.114-115). Antony indirectly shames the crowd for their belief in Brutus in that Caesar was a tyrant. Fearing alienation of the crowd, he attributes this belief to a lapse in judgement that beasts have taken. Antony also makes a pun upon Brutus’s name when he comments “brutish beasts.” Antony implies Brutus has caused a lapse in judgement within the Roman people through his oration
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.
The crowd responds to show what is going on. Antony then responds by reading off of the will of Caesar to gain the attention of the crowd. He is delivering the speech only because he wants to address his feelings and thoughts on Caesar’s death and how he feels about the conspirators. Antony is trying to persuade the crowd to see what he sees and feel how he feels about the whole ordeal. The crowd, of course, is easily moved and persuaded by Antony’s
When Atony says, “woe to the hand that shed this costly blood” (III, i, 284) he is cursing Cassius and Brutus for killing Caesar this way. He also utilizes the use of dramatic irony in this passage with the line “ranging for revenge” (III, i, 296). Antony’s entire speech plays on the use of delivery in the most emotional and tight tone, as he really wants to let Caesar know that vengeance will be taken upon these men as stated in the line, “A curse shall light upon the limbs of men” (III, i, 288). With this line we can also see a hyperbole, and with this exaggeration comes an interesting new idea in the mind of the audience for what comes next. In fact, Antony knows that his own life is in extreme danger because of his close relationship with Julius Caesar. His character does not suddenly change, which conceals his true intentions, and he pretends to be copious of Caesar's death and shakes the bloody hands of the assassins, but it is strictly cunning and pretense. Antony is quite the character in this play, as he is a warrior who is also immensely intelligent as Caesar. With this hatred in his heart, the audience or readers know he intends to make a speech that will arouse the people's pity and outrage and turn them against the conspirators. Being this soliloquy is addressed to Caesar's body, this not only shows his true feelings and
In his speech he talks very well about Caesar. Antony speaks about Caesar’s loyalty, and how close of friends they were in attempt to get the Roman citizens to feel the same way. In Act III, scene ii, line 86, Antony said, “He was my friend, faithful and just to me” (Anderson 835). Once again, Antony is telling the audience how sympathetic Caesar is and says, “When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept” (Anderson 835). Mark Antony claims he has came to not praise Caesar, but to bury him. If Caesar was as ambitious and dangerous as Brutus and the conspirators said, Caesar deserved to
This is where everything falls apart. Brutus used a lot of rhetorical strategies in his speech. He uses ethos to give himself credibility on being honorable and “saving Rome” from the rule of Julius Caesar. He says, “Not that I love Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.” Appealing to emotion is what got the audience to see that Brutus wouldn’t lie and that he meant well for what he did. Brutus offers himself as a sacrifice to Rome if him killing Caesar offended and hurt them so much. Questioning and reasoning were also used in his speech. He asks the audience who has he offended and who would not kill for his country for the good of all. Antony’s speech was different in the way his words flowed together. The use of pathos and logos were a huge part of his speech. Fear tactics were used to reverse what Brutus said and say it effortlessly to get the people of Rome to see the truth. Words like honor and Caesar’s name were used throughout the speech. The word honor is used to show to that if you are honorable and true, why did you kill somebody. Caesar’s name held weight in Act III, so his name alone got the people of Rome to see the Caesar is indeed the victim, not Rome itself. Name calling was also used. With Antony calling the names of the conspirators that killed Caesar and showing where their sword went makes everyone see that Brutus tried covering for everyone and was willing to take the blame and his life, but this
pardon me, I do not mean to read, And they would go and kiss dead Caesar`s wounds, And dip their napkins in his sacred blood, Yes, beg a hair of him for memory, And, dying, mention it within their wills, Bequesthing it as a rich legacy Unto their issue. Fourth Cit. We`ll hear the will: read it, Mark Antony.
Brutus’ speech at Caesar’s funeral is said in order the people of Rome, to better understand why the blood of Caesar was spilt. “Only be patient till we have appeased the multitude, beside themselves with fear” (74). Brutus realizes that the assassination would not look good in the eyes of the civilians; until explained. “Our reasons are so full of good regard that were you, Antony, the son of Caesar, you should be satisfied” (76). He truly believes that what was done, had to be done, for the good of Rome.
In William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, persuasion and rhetoric play a crucial role in a myriad of events and outcomes that occur. In Act one Cassius is trying to convince Brutus to turn against Caesar and join the conspiracy. Later, in Act three, Brutus and Antony speak at Caesar’s funeral. Brutus convinces the Roman people that what he and the conspirators did was for the good of Rome. Antony then persuades the plebeians that the conspirators had no reasonable judgement to kill Caesar and that all Caesar’s future plans were to help Rome. Though many characters appear to be rhetorical, Antony could be considered as the most. Persuasion and rhetoric are used throughout Julius Caesar when Cassius is trying to coax Brutus to join the conspiracy, and when Brutus and Antony convince the crowd at Caesar’s funeral.
The speech made by Marcus Antonius, called Antony, in Act Three, Scene Two of Julius Caesar shows that despite being considered a sportsman above all else, he is highly skilled with the art of oratory as well. In the play by William Shakespeare, this speech is made at the funeral of Caesar after he is killed by Brutus and the other conspirators. Brutus claimed earlier, in his own funeral speech, that the killing of Caesar was justified. He felt that Caesar was a threat, and too ambitious to be allowed as ruler. Much of this sentiment, however, was developed by the treacherous Cassius. Antony, on the other hand, felt that the conspirators were traitors to Rome and should be dealt with. This speech used a variety of methods to gradually bring the crowd to his side, yet maintain his side of the deal with Brutus. This deal was that he, “shall not in your funeral speech blame us...” (3.1.245) for the death of Caesar. Antony holds his end of the deal for the majority of the speech, yet by doing so convinces the crowd of Brutus' and the others' disloyalty. In many ways, this speech can be seen as the ultimate rhetoric, and it includes all three of Aristotle's methods of persuasion. This are the appeal to credibility, called ethos, the appeal to emotions, called pathos, and the appeal to logic, called logos. All three of these devices are used to great effect during the speech of Marcus Antonius.