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William Shakespeare’s historical play, Julius Caesar, is a tragic display of betrayals of friendship due to power. A betrayal of friendship is shown when conspirators -which consisted of close friends to Julius Caesar –plan against him in fear of Rome putting him in the position to be a dictator. Following the brutal murder, citizens of Rome are upset with the conspirators, so they start an uprising against them. Realizing what they have done and the trouble that they have made, the conspirators feel incredibly guilty, especially Marcus Brutus, who was Caesar’s closest friend. One after another, the conspirators take their own lives as a result of the heavy burden of guilt they brought upon themselves. Shakespeare’s display of multiple rhetorical …show more content…
strategies creates an extensive and thorough image of the many factors that played a role in Caesar’s emotional and harsh downfall. One rhetorical strategy that is evident within the play is pathos. Shakespeare uses pathos to create an emotional connection between characters that the reader feels. One example of this is when Shakespeare writes, “Even so great men losses should endure” (4.3.192). When Brutus is talking to Messala about the death of his love, Portia, Messala tells him that no matter how strong or resilient a man is, it is understandable to be upset after losing the love of their life. A second example of the use of pathos in the play is when Shakespeare writes “Titinius, if thou lovest me, mount though my horse and hide thy spurs in him…” (5.3.14-18). Cassius uses emotions when he asks if Titinius will do a favor for him. Not wanting to disappoint Cassius, Titinius does what is asked of him. Doing what was asked of someone was something that was taken seriously in this time period, because people wanted to leave a positive emotional impact on others. A third example of pathos is when Cassius says “O, coward that I am, to live so long, to see my best friend ta’en before my face” (5.3.34-35). Cassius says this because he is unhappy that his best friend has died and he no longer has his best friend in his life. The use of emotions through pathos allows for the reader to understand how the characters in the play feel and interact. A second reoccurring rhetorical strategy in the play is ethos.
A good example of the use of ethos is when Shakespeare writes, “Octavius, I have seen more days than you…” (4.1.18). Antony uses the power of character while talking with Octavius telling him that because he is older and more experienced, he gets to make the final decisions. Another useful example of ethos is when Brutus tells Messala, “Now as you are a Roman tell me true” (4.3.186). Not wanting to disgrace Brutus and lie, Messala keeps good character and tells the truth to Brutus. A third example of the use of ethos is when Clitus asks Dardanius, “What ill request did Brutus make to thee” (5.5.11)? Dardanius then replies that Brutus made the request “to kill him, Clitus…” (5.5.12). Brutus used his power to have his army fulfil his final requests of killing someone. The use of ethos through the play helps the reader understand how much power and character played a role in how decisions were made in those times. Only those who were in power were able to make final decisions or have things done for them, because they were loved and backed by the people of the …show more content…
country. A third rhetorical strategy used by Shakespeare is logos.
The presence of logos in the play allows the reader to think about the thoughts of the characters in the play. When Brutus hears about the death of his love, Portia, he replies, “Why, farewell, Portia. We must die, Messala, with meditating that she must die once…” (4.3.189-190). Brutus uses logic while trying to endure the pain that his love is gone. By saying that we all must die at some point, he tries to accept her death. A second use of logos by Shakespeare is within the conversation when Cassius tells Brutus, “’Tis better that the enemy seek us; so shall he waste his means, weary his soldiers, doing himself offense…” (4.3.197-200). Cassius is trying to explain his thinking of waiting and giving the soldiers a rest while the enemy uses up energy looking for them. A final example of logos is when Lucilius states, “When you do find him [Brutus], or alive or dead, he will be found like Brutus, like himself” (5.4.24-25). Lucilius knows that no matter how they find Brutus, he will be his brave and strong self, not changing for anything or anyone. Logos is a useful tool throughout the play that Shakespeare incorporates multiple times which improves the play in many
ways. Pathos, ethos, and logos are rhetorical strategies that Shakespeare used in Julius Caesar which enhances the ability the play has to show how power and greed can lead to the betrayal of friendships. By using pathos, Shakespeare displays how emotions can be used to help readers understand how characters are feeling. Ethos gives readers an idea of how much power influences the way people act and the way they make decisions. Lastly, by using logos, the reader is able to further know how characters within the play think and react to different situations. The effective use of pathos, ethos, and logos allows the readers to understand the play and the factors that led to the eventual downfall of Caesar and the events following his murder.
Brutus and Antony’s use of Ethos, Logos, and Pathos throughout the novel are just examples of the everyday persuasion used around us daily, when reading the play it does look like one giant competition to see who is the most persuasive and influential character. Even in today’s economy companies have to compete for the attention of consumers’ worldwide and politicians who argue their beliefs and views to millions of voters in order to get what they want, because the art of persuasion is just one big game.
In his speech, Brutus appeals to the loyalism of his audience by making intertwining arguments of ethos, pathos, and logos. He begins by establishing his ethos by asserting his status as an honorable fellow Roman worthy of their respect. He expands on this ethos by dividing it into three parts: his love of Caesar, his loyalty to Rome, and his relationship to his audience. Brutus tells his audience that he was a “dear friend” to the man he murdered, invoking a pathetic sense of sympathy from his audience. However, as he says himself, it was “not that [he] loved Caesar less, but that [he] loved Rome more,” strengthening his ethos as a loyal countryman with the interests of his audience at heart. After establishing an emotional connection to his audience and earning their trust, Brutus explains his logic
Brutus’ approach to the Roman people suggest his extreme amount of self confidence. He attempts to relate to the people by speaking alike the plebians in prose. His constant use of ethos in his speech shows the audience how highly he thinks of himself. Brutus states
Shakespeare uses dramatic pathos, ethos, repetition and logos in the case of Antony to make his speech memorable in his effectiveness to sway the audience’s opinion. William’s use of Antony having the last word and subterfuge powerfully displayed a moment of literature memorable for the art of persuasion and manipulation. He veiled the true intent. The weaker written speech for Brutus had one effective point. The point that he killed Caesar for Rome. The breakdown of Brutus’s speech makes readers feel the tension and
Shakespeare's Julius Caesar recounts the murder of Rome’s idol, Julius Caesar, to the suicide of Brutus, Caesar’s closest friend. Members of the senate conspire to murder Caesar in attempt to avoid his reign while Brutus’ righteous cause is to protect Rome. After Caesar’s death, Brutus speaks among the Romans in attempt to appease their anger for the death of their beloved icon. He delivers a speech expressing his cause for Caesar’s murder and his love for Rome using emotion, reason, and credibility to convince the Romans that his cause intended to Rome.
For example, when he addresses the crowd in his funeral speech, Brutus states, “Believe me/for mine honor and have respect to mine honor/that you may believe” (3.2.15-17). Brutus appeals to ethos and establishes his credibility by repeating “honor”. The public now believes that he does indeed have “honor”. He also convinces the public that he is trustworthy by appealing to ethos. Similarly after Brutus’ death Antony states, “This was the noblest Roman…/All of the conspirators, save only he/did that they did in envy of great Caesar” (5.5.74-76). Antony is the enemy of Brutus and yet he still refers to Brutus as the “noblest Roman”, which verifies that Brutus is actually honorable. Antony is stating that while all the other senators kill Caesar out of “envy”, Brutus’ intentions to kill Caesar was for the good of Rome and its citizens. This reveals that Brutus has no other hidden agenda for wanting to execute Caesar, and therefore Brutus has the most purest intentions out of all the other conspirators. This confirms that he is the most noble Roman because he is not thinking about what he wants. Instead, he is thinking about the people and how they would feel if Caesar becomes a dictator. Brutus possesses nobility and honor. Those two qualities are vital to being an effective leader because the people can then
One of the characteristics Brutus and Antony use in their speeches is Ethos. They both give points that have credibility or believability. Brutus, for example, spoke in prose instead of blank verse. He did this to show them that he is one of them and not some high ruler trying to take power. He also uses his reputation to try to get them to listen and believe him. On the other hand, Antony speaks in blank verse instead of prose. He did this to show his authority to the crowd. He spoke that way to show his significance to the crowd and to get their attention. Another thing that he
Cassius utilizes pathos, ethos, and logos to undermine Caesar’s credibility and persuades both Brutus and the audience that Caesar is not as strong as he seems to convince Brutus to overthrow Caesar. Cassius initially is able to appeal to Brutus’s emotions by explaining, “Therefore good Brutus, be prepared to hear. And since you cannot see yourself as by reflection, I, your glass,” (Shakespeare 1.2 72-74) Through this approach, Cassius intends to make Brutus trust him by using flattery, making him believe that he has hidden knowledge about Brutus that he otherwise would never get to know. This sparks curiosity and opportunity in Brutus, and it could spark the thought that Brutus could potentially be more powerful than Caesar with the help of Cassius.
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
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.
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.
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare is a tragedy that takes the reader on a short adventure of Julius Caesar’s rule, death, and the aftermath of his death. Caesar was a great ruler until he, in the minds of Cassius, Brutus, and several others, inevitably became over-ambitious, which, in turn, led to his downfall. The aforementioned who believed that Caesar had become over-ambitious began to conspire his assassination. After his assassination, the people of Rome were left very confused and it was up to them to decide whether Caesar’s death was just or unjust. Two of Caesar’s closest confidants, Brutus and Marc Antony, both deliver a speech to the people: one for how Caesar’s death was justified, and the other for how Caesar’s assassination
The opportunity to influence public opinion of a situation often presents itself during vulnerable times, such as a national tragedy. This allows an astute speaker to evoke the core values of a society to affect change. In Julius Caesar, Marc Antony’s eulogy at Caesar’s funeral effectively capitalizes upon Caesar’s death in order to reveal injustice.
In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar , he reveals his historical influences by incorporating aspects of Roman Society, such as the plebeians struggle against Roman hierarchy. Additionally, Shakespeare formulated the play’s main conflict around Caesar and his ambition, which can be attributed to the cause of man’s demise, and he based Caesar’s character after the actual Caesar motivations and conquests. He also reflects English society by including parallels between Queen Elizabeth I and Julius Caesar. Lastly, through the play’s conflict, he conveys his political views on civil war and expresses his concern for the fate of England’s government. Most importantly, Shakespeare demonstrates how age-old stories, such as the betrayal of Julius Caesar, can be applied to current society. By understanding Shakespeare's motivations and influences, readers are not only able to glimpse into the age of Roman Empire, but also, they are able to understand the political turmoil in England during Shakespeare's