Julius Caesar Rhetorical Analysis Essay

692 Words2 Pages

The Shakespearean play, Julius Caesar, is a complete drama in which the use of rhetoric and the various styles used in famous speeches. One being in Act 3 scene 1, the gloriously spoken Antony’s Lament. In this speech Antony remarks on several bad things that will fall onto Rome because of this bloodshed of Caesar. Those being a civil war, gruesome blood and destruction, and finally Caesar’s spirit seeking revenge with the Goddess Ate. In the passage Antony uses a swift but powerful delivery to tap into the emotions of the audience. This use of pathos really makes it more interesting to examine and break down his statement to the maximum extent.
The features in this passage stand out to the modern reader when Shakespeare makes use of various …show more content…

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

Open Document