Julius Caesar Rhetorical Analysis

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Classical appeals The Tragedy of Julius Caesar written by William Shakespeare which appears to be a classic. In this poem there are many important events that occur. One of many, the speeches given at Julius Caesar's funeral. Both Mark Antony and Brutus speak to the audience in hope of comfort for all. The speeches also serve to persuade and convince the people of the truth. Each say their own story and convince the audience, but only one truly succeeds. Although they both use ethos, pathos and logos, classical appeals, only one is able to use them to his advantage and accomplish his goal. The one speaker who achieves his goal is Mark Anthony because he uses the classical appeals to connect to the audience, make facts useful and is able to make the audience and himself all feel equal and united. When making the appeal to ethos, Mark Anthony decided to demonstrate how credible and trustworthy he is. In both speeches this process happens in the beginning. Brutus made the appeal by calling the audience,"Romans, countrymen and lovers! hear me for my cause, and be …show more content…

Antony did something similar, "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him" (3.2.52-53). Although they seem almost identical, Antony called them friends with gives them more of a connection with each other. Also he makes sure to watch what he says to not offend Brutus. Anthony lets them know that he isn't here to praise all that Caesar did, but to burry him and move on. Brutus tells them to believe him for his reputation he has, yet Antony decides to leave his reputation up to the citizens. By saying this, the audience listens to him and put some trust in what he is going to say. This allows Antony to be more efficient by making them seem close friends and instead of ordering them to listen, he asks, which makes him more trustworthy and credible in his reputation as the

Julius Caesar Rhetorical Analysis Essay
384 Words | 1 Pages
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
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995 Words | 2 Pages
In the Shakespearean play Julius Caesar, the speech recited by Mark Anthony for Caesar’s death was far superior to Brutus’s because it appealed to the audience's primal emotion while simultaneously relating
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Julius Caesar Rhetorical Analysis
984 Words | 2 Pages
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.
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588 Words | 2 Pages
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765 Words | 2 Pages
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1056 Words | 3 Pages
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.
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Julius Caesar Rhetorical Devices Essay
490 Words | 1 Pages
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Julius Caesar Rhetorical Analysis Essay
532 Words | 2 Pages
Without knowing it, we are very accustomed to the old saying "Save the best for last." In social events and sporting competitions, those in charge use their best to leave a greater impact on their opponents and their audience. We can also see this being used while watching a firework display and the most grand fireworks appear only at the end of the show. William Shakespeare's most famous tragedy, Julius Caesar, is a great example of the saying. In Act III, Scene II of the play, the city of Rome is in mourning after their leader was murdered by conspirators consisting of the city's own Senators. Romans gather near the Roman Senate House to hear Brutus and Marc Anthony's words. By the end of Brutus' speech, the crowd is supporting his actions and justifying him, but by the end of the scene, they are supporting Anthony. What exactly did Anthony say and do to convince the Romans to support his claims and oppose Brutus so much
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1126 Words | 3 Pages
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688 Words | 2 Pages
In William Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar, Mark Antony calls upon “Friends, Romans, [and] countrymen” to lend their ears to him in order to convince the populace of Rome to rise against the conspirators that had murdered him. The main conspirators, Casca, Cassius, and Brutus, portray Caesar as a tyrannical ruler with a terrible ambition for power and express that in killing Caesar, they have only done what is best for Rome. However, after indirectly dispelling Brutus’ claim that Caesar was ambitious, Mark Antony’s rhetoric persuades the auditors into a state of rebellion through his cunning use of language. Antony veils his words when speaking to the crowd of Romans because he is given permission to speak at the funeral on the one condition
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888 Words | 2 Pages
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.
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Julius Caesar Rhetorical Analysis Essay
535 Words | 2 Pages
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
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Mark Antony’s Remarkable Rhetoric
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Throughout his famous speech in the play Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, Mark Antony continuously propagandizes the crowd using his eloquence. From the very beginning of his speech, Antony is facing a crowd that is already not on his side. His unique elocution allows him to fairly easily brainwash the throng into submitting to his ideas about Julius Caesar’s death. Using rhetorical appeals such as logos and pathos, Mark Antony changes the mob’s mind in a timely manner. He uses plausible and convincing reasoning, rationale, and emotional appeal in order to indoctrinate the multitude of Romans into believing what he has to say. Antony’s exceptional mellifluousness helps him put it all together though, leading to the final product that is his acclaimed speech. Mark Antony possesses phenomenal enunciation and flaunts his rare skill admirably as he dexterously instills his views into the brains of the Romans.
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Julius Caesar Essay: Brutus's and Antony's Speeches
1039 Words | 3 Pages
William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar is a tragic story of the dog and the manger. After Caesar is killed Mark Antony, a good friend of Caesar, plots to revenge his bloody death. He knows there is strength in numbers, and through a speech at Caesar's funeral, Antony plans to win the crowd of Rome and turn them against Brutus and the other conspirators. Cassius is one of the leading conspirators and is weary of Antony; Brutus is confident that there is nothing to fear, but he speaks before Antony at the funeral just to be safe. These two speeches, vastly different in message but similar in delivery, move the emotions of the people. Brutus's and Antony's speeches differ in length, have similar ways of keeping the crowd's attention, and differ in tone.
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The Speech of Marcus Antonius in Julius Caesar
962 Words | 2 Pages
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.
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Julius Caesar Rhetorical Analysis