The Persuasive Antony of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

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The Persuasive Antony of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, written by William Shakespeare, the characters give many persuasive speeches, some stronger than others, to convince characters in the story about what is true, false, right, and wrong. After given instructions on a way to present his funeral speech for Caesar, Antony uses knowledge and skill to cover for his persuasion. Antony speaks to the Roman mob after Brutus. His objective is to turn the people against Brutus and the conspirators in a persuading way so the group will no longer follow what is wrong. Antony has skillful ways to help him convince the Romans that Caesar was a loving man and Brutus is not so honorable. He uses verbal irony, parallel phrases with repetition, and questioning of the truth to sway the crowds' feelings.

When giving his speech, Antony uses his skill as an orator through the use of verbal irony. Antony tells the Romans that Brutus called Caesar ambitious. That is only what was said; he was not a man of ambition. Antony proves this by saying that Caesar turned the crown down and even wept for the poor of Rome. Brutus is referred to as an honorable man. Of course this is not true, but Antony uses the statement as verbal irony to sway the peoples' minds. Everyone knows that killing someone, no matter what the case, is not a quality of an honorable person. Antony also knows Brutus' reason for killing Caesar was not valid and wants to prove this to the people. When trying to prove himself true, Antony says, "I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke..." (Act III, scene ii, 102). Antony does a swell job covering his purpose of his speech. He is really trying to make the mob see that Caesar ...

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...r's true self.

Is Antony's speech for Caesar's funeral a persuasive one? Antony does, in fact, persuade the Romans into believing the truth he reveals. As an orator, Antony's words spoken through specific techniques such as verbal irony, parallel phrases with repetition, and questioning, prove his speech to be powerful and convincing. Unlike Brutus' speech to the Romans, Antony uses true and factual information to back his thoughts. He does a good job referring to the opposition, which is Brutus' thoughts of Caesar. Antony definitely tests the crowd by causing them to think about the right and wrong in the situation. He only wants the Romans to know that Caesar did love them and to realize Brutus wronged them. By being a powerful orator, Antony wins over the crowds' perceptions to turn them against Brutus and the conspirators as his wished.

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