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Irony in Shakespeare
Shakespeare's use of dramatic irony in Romeo and Juliet
Shakespeare's use of dramatic irony in Romeo and Juliet
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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
Throughout his speech, Antony repeats the words “[Caesar] was ambitious” and “Brutus is an honorable man” to create a contrast between the two statements. (3.2.95-96). Through this repetition, Caesar successfully undermines Brutus. Everytime he calls Brutus an honorable man, he lists a positive trait of Caesar that contradicts Brutus’s claim that he was too ambitious. He tells the crowd about the times when Caesar showed compassion for the people and when he refused the crown thrice. Antony’s sarcasm about Brutus’s honor brings into question as to whether his honor deserved. This leads the audience to doubt their feelings upon Caesar’s ambition. Near the end of his eulogy, Antony uses apostrophe when he claims that “judgment ... art fled to brutish beasts” as a reason for why the Roman people believe Brutus. (3.2.114-115). Antony indirectly shames the crowd for their belief in Brutus in that Caesar was a tyrant. Fearing alienation of the crowd, he attributes this belief to a lapse in judgement that beasts have taken. Antony also makes a pun upon Brutus’s name when he comments “brutish beasts.” Antony implies Brutus has caused a lapse in judgement within the Roman people through his oration
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.
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...
He carried carried out Caesar’s corpse and laid him down before the crowd as he began to speak. Antony has already used pathos as a strong rhetorical device. The sight of a dead body has brought a very serious and saddening atmosphere upon all onlookers. Antony begins by stating “I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones; So let it be with Caesar.” (3.2.2) Explaining to the crowd that he is not going to praise Caesar for the man he was but rather respectively bury him for his funeral has established that he isn’t biased. Conveying that man's good deeds are often forgotten with death has stirred up a feeling of remorse towards Caesar; another usage of
Rhetorical devices can be seen being used in history, such as William Shakespeare’s dramatic play “Julius Caesar”. In Shakespeare’s play Brutus and Antony conspire to lead a group to assassinate Caesar. Rome is in a panic as they find out that their first emperor Octavian who went by the name Julius Caesar has been stabbed to death. Brutus and Antony in an effort to achieve Rome’s support use rhetorical devices to try to receive support for their actions. You can see how they use ethos, pathos, and logos to eventually achieve their goal of persuading the citizens of Rome.
Antony shows his skills as a great flexible politician and rhetoric when deceiving the conspirators and giving this speech, but best is how he painted himself a heartbroken man. “My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar,” (Act III, Scene 2, line 108).
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
In William Shakespeare's, Julius Caesar, rhetorical devices are used throughout Decius Brutus’s speech to Caesar to persuade him to attend the senate, and ultimately meet his demise. Decius Brutus uses repetition to directly play into Caesar’s ego and convince him to show at an event he was previously very unsure of. Decius first uses repetition to make Caesar feel as if he were an irreplaceable addition to the senate. He addresses Caesar as, “most mighty Caesar…” (2.2.74) multiple times throughout his oration. The repetition of “mighty” draws Caesar’s attention away from the fact that he really must not go to the senate and instead focuses on why he must. Caesar is known to be easily persuaded by the promise of attention or rewards. Decius
William Shakespeare was man of many words. His thoughts and ideas were out of this world and most of all, he was able to include poetry within his writings to make them come alive. The speech takes place after Caesar’s death and Brutus convinced Rome that they would be better without Caesar. Throughout the whole speech, repetition, allusion, and hyperbole are utilized to turn the people against the conspirators.
Imagine yourself listening to a political debate, undecided as to which leader you agree with. One candidate begins to speak about unjust societal issues, such as the horrifying amount of people in the world that do not have food on their table. The candidate also begins to touch upon the topic of taxes and how he will lower them if he is elected. You find yourself being persuaded in the direction of emotions and morals. The power of language used to appeal others is not only present in the modern world, but also in the play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, written by famous English playwright William Shakespeare. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar portrayed a story of how an aspiring leader, Julius Caesar, is assassinated by a group of schemers, lead by Marcus Brutus, who disagreed with Caesar’s decrees and ways of governing. Over the course of the text, it demonstrated the use of two rhetorical charms: ethos and pathos. While ethos refers to the moral and ethical appeal and pathos invokes to the emotional aspect, each one was evidently shown in the funeral speech for Caesar given by his best friend, Mark Antony. Prior to Antony’s speech, Brutus had given the plebeians a synopsis of what had occurred. However, Mark Antony knew that what Brutus had told the plebeians was false. In such manner, he allured the plebeians onto his side of the tragedy by touching upon ethical and emotional appeals.
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
In William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Mark Antony—a loyal friend to Julius Caesar, the former emperor of Rome—gives a speech to the Roman commoners in order to persuade them to turn against Brutus, for Brutus and the conspirators had slain Caesar. Antony’s uses rough and sharp diction, a scornful tone, and honest anecdotes in order to achieve his purpose of manipulating the common people to take his side.
Brutus’ and Antony’s speeches. Shakespeare uses Ethos, Pathos and Logos in his play, Julius Caesar. I am going to analyze two parts of his play. Specifically, the two speeches held after Julius Caesar was stabbed to death, Brutus’ and Marc Antony’s speeches, both are a speech for the people with hope, but the speeches have two different goals and reactions to them.
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 ... ...
“Julius Caesar” by William Shakespeare is the story of the assassination of Julius Caesar. Two speeches were made after his death, one being by Mark Antony. He uses many rhetorical devices in this speech to counter the previous speech and persuade the crowd that the conspirators who killed Caesar were wrong. Rhetoric is the art of persuasion and these many devices strengthen this by making points and highlighting flaws. Antony uses many rhetorical devices, all of which are used to persuade the crowd that the conspirators are wrong and Caesar did not need to be killed.