Following Brutus’ assassination of Caesar, the massive crowd of Roman citizens are searching for answers. Now, Antony, a loyal colleague of Caesar, must address the crowd with his funeral speech. Antony’s funeral speech reminds the citizens of Rome of what an honorable and empathetic leader Caesar was in order to avenge his assassination and degrade the conspirators. Antony uses the speech to appeal to the crowd and show Caesar’s greatest qualities and why his killing was unjust. He thinks back to the time “When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept.” Antony’s use of emotional forms an emotional appeal to the crowd’s sense of loyalty. The crowd now realizes that Caesar was not only their leader, but also their friend in need and now respect …show more content…
However, because Caesar also cried with them, it shows his empathy with the struggles of the people. Antony’s reasoning, therefore, is that Caesar’s death takes away the soul of a once generous and loving leader. Then, Antony remembers that he had tried to give Caesar the “crown,/ which he did thrice refuse. Was this ambition?” This rhetorical question shows a logical appeal to the crowd’s sense of judgement and reasoning. The crowd now has more trust in the transparency of the intentions of their beloved leader, who was to lead without being a dictator. Antony points out that Caesar denied the crown three times even if it would raise the value of his glory. The transition into a rhetorical question is crafted to emphasize that Caesar couldn’t have been ambitious if he refused what would give him power. Since no one is defiant of the question, the assassination, therefore, was unjustified and even ineffective because Caesar would have never become a dictator in the first place. After, Antony expresses to the crowd that his “heart is in the coffin with Caesar”. The hyperbole …show more content…
Antony repeats many times that Caesar did not want authoritarian power and “yet Brutus says he was ambitious”. This use of repetition serves as a logical appeal to the reasoning of the crowd and, with the introduction of the evidence above, helps solidify Antony’s case against Brutus and sways the crowd. Antony points out the multiple contradictions of Brutus’ justification of the assassination by deliberately and repetitiously questioning of Brutus’ motives. He points out that Caesar did not accept the crown and was a leader of the people. As a result, he repeats that Brutus is the only one of the Roman citizens that did not comprehend the acts of generosity and heroism that Caesar did and, therefore, is unjustified in his killing. Next, Antony reminds the crowd that “Brutus is an honorable man”. This irony is an ethical appeal to Brutus’ status as a respected man now being brought down by Antony. The crowd now understands that although Brutus might have been respected before, his actions should now be seen as the exact opposite of “honorable”. The appeal to Brutus’ great status is actually just a sarcastic comment referring to Brutus, in fact, as a foolish man whom he despises for killing Caesar. Furthermore, it acts as a well crafted rebuttal to publicly accuse Brutus of betraying the people of Rome. Finally, after providing overwhelming evidence to support his
Antony also uses the power of his speech, similar to Cassius, to influence the plebeians of Rome by carefully structuring his words together and using various tones to appeal to the audience. Antony uses repetition, such as this quote, “I thrice presented him a kingly crown,/ Which he did thrice refuse. Was this ambition?/Yet Brutus says he was ambitious,/And sure he is an honourable man.”(III.ii.94-97) Antony uses this repetition of giving evidence to the people of what Caesar’s characteristics were really like, showing them that Caesar was not as ambitious as Brutus said, and calling Brutus an honourable man. The repetition allows for the plebeians to realize the truth because of Antony’s multiple exposures of verification that Caesar was not ambitious and how Brutus and the other conspirators are at fault. It also influences the plebeians to believe that Brutus is not noble at all because of how deceitful he acts when justifying his causes to murder Caesar. Antony then says, “[...]Bear with me./My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar,/and I must pause till it come back to me.”(III.ii.103-105). Antony indicates how close his relationship to Caesar and that he feels so heartbroken that he chokes up from all the overwhelming emotions he feels. The tone of his speech elicits sympathy from the plebeians due to the
Mark Antony’s speech, whose aim is to counter Brutus’ speech, enlightens the crowd on the unjust murder of Caesar. Though he never directly communicates to the crowd of his feeling towards the conspirators, Antony was able to effectively convey to the crowd, through the use of verbal irony and other stylistic devices/techniques in his speech, his true views of the assassination. Moreover, Antony was able to shrewdly emphasize his belief of the undeserved assassination of Caesar through the wide use of epiphoral and anaphoral structure in his speech. Antony emphasizes the wrongdoings of Brutus and Cassius through the ingenious use of the epistrophe along with verbal irony as he notes that “I should do Brutus wrong, and Cassius wrong” (III, ii, 125). Moreover, he stresses the importance of punishi...
Brutus starts off by saying he was Caesar’s friend, and he loved him, but because Caesar was “ambitious” he had to “slew” him. Brutus knew that everyone in town thought he was an honorable man and he used that to establish his credibility, unlike Antony, who was thought to be a play boy, not serious about anything. He had to work harder to gain the crowd’s attention. The first sentence out of his mouth was that he was here to “bury Caesar, not to praise him” which is a great way to start since most of the people didn’t like Caesar at the time and didn’t want to listen to some silly friend of Caesar’s say wonderful things about him. Antony also mentioned many times that their hero Brutus is an “honorable“ man.
In the account, “The Assassination of Julius Caesar”, written by Marcus Brutus, does not much speak on Caesar himself but by the will of so many whom conspired against him gives the impression that Caesar was seen by the majority as a “selfish dictator”. Although is seems as though he was not thought of in high regard...
“When the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept. Ambition should be made of sterner stuff,” says Antony (950). It takes an honorable man to shed tears, but to weep? That takes the honor. Caesar’s actions, as Antony describes them, create the image of a wildly sympathetic character that many audiences can relate to.
After the murderous confrontation, it was not too late to prevent the anger of Caesar’s allies and the citizens or, even, to avoid future civil war. But it was here that Brutus made his second and third mistakes. Marcus Brutus rose before the Roman populace and attempted to offer a justification of Caesar’s murder. His flawed judgment came when he deemed Antony trustworthy and allowed him to speak at Caesar’s funeral. Brutus naively let Antony draw the mob in his favor. No one could dare refute Antony’s impassioned pleas in behalf of Caesar.
... Antony also mixes Logos and Pathos when he says that “when the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept” (873) to show that Caesar was a noble and caring leader of the public and would never try to hurt or harm their liberties. Unlike Brutus, Antony’s logo requires the people to think on what he says, which only helps in winning his argument. He continues this mix when he says that “[they] all did love him once, not without cause” (873) in order to put guilt on the crowd for switching sides on the man they loved and admired so dearly. Antony, with full support of the crowd, uses his sense of loss and anger to guilt the public says that “[his] heart is in there with Caesar”(873) and after reading the contents of Caesar will to the public which gives each citizen 70 drachmas and various other gifts he asks “when comes another [as great as Caesar]?”
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
In the funeral speech, Shakespeare depicts the thought of how the citizens not only view Brutus but also the view of Julius Caesar’s ambition. For example, Mark Antony says, “I thrice presented him a kingly crown, which he did thrice refuse. Was this ambition?” (Shakespeare lines 24,25). Shakespeare illustrates the question Brutus previously states about Julius Caesar to be an ambitious person.
Through the whole of his spectacular speech, Mark Antony influences the crowd using his distinct diction. He is able to inculcate a fired up anti-Caesar mass of people, and he makes the populace believe that Julius Caesar’s death was a true tragedy. Antony gracefully applies his proficiency with ‘logos’ and ‘pathos’ to his speech and is able to adroitly gain followers. His strong reasoning and explanations allow the Romans to buy what he has to say. Antony’s ability to speak in a roundabout way is a key constituent of his speech. Withal, he is extremely humble and the way he plays down his prowess is impressive. Mark Antony puts all the parts of his remarkable rhetoric together, and the result is a speech for the ages.
As a “speculative man of high motives and refined sensibility”(Catherine C. Dominic) Brutus does have his confusion of motives. Act I, scene ii, is the first we see his weakness, “his concern with reputation and appearance, his subtle vanity and pride”(Gayle Green). Yet the main bases of Brutus’s bewilderment of motives takes place in Act II, scene I, with his famous soliloquy beginning with “It must be by his death”. This speech may be the turning point in which Brutus feels better about the assassination of his once called friend.
Greed, ambition, and the possibility of self-gain are always constant in their efforts to influence people’s actions. In Julius Caesar, Marcus Brutus, a venerable politician, becomes a victim of the perpetual conflict between power-hungry politicians and ignorant commoners. He is a man of honor and good intentions who sacrifices his own happiness for the benefit of others. Unfortunately, his honor is strung into a fine balance between oblivion and belief and it is ultimately the cause of his downfall. His apparent obliviousness leads him to his grave as his merciful sparing of Mark Antony’s life, much like Julius Caesar’s ghost, comes back to haunt him. Overall, Brutus is an honest, sincere man who holds the lives of others in high regard while he himself acts as a servant to Rome.
Their infants quartered with the hands of war’. This shows the extent of the anarchy he will unleash on Rome. Furthermore Antony’s funeral oration is important as it follows Brutus’s speech in the play, where he has turned public opinion around to favour him, as he has been able to persuade and convince the crowds, through his rhetoric and oratory that Caesar ... ... middle of paper ... ...
Antony’s goal was to persuade the crowd of plebeians that the conspirators acted impetuously and Caesar did not need to be killed. He uses many rhetorical devices to strengthen his speech and gain the support of the crowd. From rhetorical questions to the use of pathos, Antony masters the art of persuasion. His speech moves the crowd from believing Brutus’ reasoning for killing Caesar, to understanding that Caesar did not have to die.
A later example occurs during the funeral oration by Mark Antony. Brutus logically gives his reasons that necessitated Caesar’s death. He informs them that he acted out of love of Rome and his desire to prevent tyrants from controlling her. The citizens embrace his words with cheers and understanding. However, their mood alters when Antony offers his interpretation of the situation. He passionately described the deeds Caesar performed in behalf of the citizens of Rome, which clearly contradict the opinion of the conspirators that Caesar was too ambitious. Antony carefully uses irony in referring to Cassius and Brutus as honorable men; the strategy wins over the citizens and they listen with growing anger to his words. He leads the citizens to the body and begins to show the brutal results of the murder while simultaneously influencing them to believe that the conspirators are murderers and traitors. Ultimately, Antony reads Caesar’s will, which leaves his parks, private estates, and newly planted gardens to the citizens of Rome.