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Shakespeare's linguistic devices
Shakespeare language techniques
Shakespeare's linguistic devices
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In the play Julius Caesar, manipulation is a key theme which influences events and the outcome of the story. Shakespeare uses literary elements, such as rhetorical devices and foreshadowing, in his writing to sway the opinions of opposing characters and effect oncoming events. Throughout Julius Caesar, Brutus, the Roman people, and Caesar himself were all easily manipulated by neighboring characters.
Cassius, a member of the senate who possessed an envious attitude towards Caesar, had created a plan to strip Caesar of his power. He persuaded the other members of the senate to believe Caesar was an ambitious tyrant who held too much power over Rome. Brutus, however, had first declined Cassius’ proposal of assassinating Caesar, remaining loyal to his morals and his leader. Due to his opposition, Cassius develped another plan to manipulate Brutus by throwing forged letters into his window, expressing the plebians fear that Caesar would demolish the Roman Empire and tarnish the reputation of previous Roman leaders. Upon reading these letters, Brutus felt
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Shakespeare used multiple literary devices as influential characters altered the plebeians mindsets. After Caesar’s assassination and Brutus’s speech, the crowd was compelled by Antony’s testimony due to his use of rhetorical devices. Antony specialized in pathos to make the audience feel his pain, thus getting them emotionally involved which made them an easy target for manipulation as well. He also applies anecdote by informing the plebeians of the summer night in which he initially spotted Caesar wearing the cloak, which now shields Caesar’s dead, motionless body from the Roman people. This persuasive technique reveals Antony’s devotion and respect towards Caesar. Antony is able to manipulate the Roman citizens and turn them against Brutus and the conspirators by using strong emotional
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.
In addition to this characteristic of Cassius, he also has a devious nature. This attribute allows him to invent informed manipulative plans to eliminate his opponents. For instance, after saying his farewells to Brutus, he gives a soliloquy that reveals his idea of throwing writings of different handwritings in Brutus’ windows “as if they came from several citizens” all of which “tending to the great opinion that Rome holds of his name, wherein obscurely Caesar’s ambition shall be glancéd at” (Shakespeare I. ii. 306-309). Since Brutus and Cassius have been friends for a long period of time, Cassius holds an abundance of knowledge pertaining to his values--in this case being his honor and desire to please Rome’s citizens. This undermining plot Cassius has devised is based on an informed opinion of the most effective way to subvert Caesar’s authority, and because of the valid observations made of Brutus by Cassius, the likelihood that this clever scheme will be carried out successfully should make Caesar concerned about the intentions of his judicial
Cassius truly believes Caesar has a frail state of mind and is unfit to have any form of authority in Rome. At first glance, his words and ideology seem to strive for the end of tyranny and become the savior of Romans, but it is clear he puts more emphasis on his rank rather than the well-being of others. When he states that their ranks were not their fault and should be taken into their own hands he intends to take his place by force with no regards for the Roman people or government. Additionally, Cassius shouldn’t be commended for saving Caesar from drowning because he remembrances on that deed to convince others that Caesar is feeble than most, yet he is treated like a god. Cassius’s greed for power motivates his murderous motivations but his ability to manipulate others to his will is also evident in his words. He refers to Caesar’s overwhelming power similar to a Colossus while he and the others “…walk under his huge legs… ” or are hidden in his glory. In reality though, the senators are more esteemed than despised. Another way Cassius misleads others is by faking Caesar’s fascist behaviors toward the commoners. He does so by forging negative letters about “Caesar’s Ambition” for Brutus to be pressured into joining his cause. Consumed by envy, he convinces Brutus to assassinate Caesar for the righteousness of the people but his incentive has
Every person has their own individual beliefs and values that they live by. There is a line that one believes they will never cross. However, people can also be easily persuaded to abandon these values if the reasoning is fair enough. This is human nature. To manipulate someone is to use or change them for a specific purpose. In Shakespeare's play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, he illustrates how easily people can change their minds through manipulation. He conveys how people can be manipulated, how they manipulate themselves, and how they manipulate others.
He is loyal to Rome, and he is afraid of what might happen to Rome if Caesar takes full control. Brutus fears that if Caesar becomes too in control, then getting rid of him might be the only way to fix the problem, and “It must be by his death” (II, i, 10-35). Right after that, Lucius, Brutus’ servant discovered letters in Brutus’ study left from an anonymous source. The letter’s contents were inquisitive about the future of Rome and whether or not it should be ruled by a single person. After reading the letters, Brutus was even more convinced to put Caesar’s reign to an end (II, i, 45-60). At a different time in the play, it is revealed that Cassius forged these letters and he left them at a place where Brutus would find them. Cassius and the other conspirators were plotting Caesar’s assassination. They needed Brutus to join because of how well-received he was with the people of Rome because he might be able to convince the people that killing Caesar was the best thing to do for Rome
In the first place, Cassius deeply dislikes Caesar and he has and evil plan to fool Brutus to kill Caesar. He wanted to find a way to convince Brutus that Caesar is bad, and they should kill him to save Rome. The thing Caesar did was he wrote fake letters talking about Caesars death and he sends it to Brutus to fool him to convince him to come with him to kill Caesar. It states on the passage on page 10 act 1, scene 2 "Good bye Brutus. Oh, I am glad that he is gone! I must get Brutus to help me, for Caesar loves and trusts Brutus, and without him,
In William Shakespeare’s, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, the speeches were given by both Brutus, and Mark Antony is very persuasive before their audience, but it was rhetorical devices that were being used in various ways that significantly impacted the people of Rome. The play, Julius Caesar, explores what contributes rhetoric its power by putting Brutus's appeal against Mark Antony's. Shakespeare shows Antony's speech to be preferred since he has a compelling influence on the plebeians through pathos and logos.
Cassius is a manipulative, envious, squirming, power-hungry politician who is the leader of the conspirators. He is obliviously not noble or honorable. In “Act I, Scene 2” he says, “I will this night, In several hands, in at his windows throw, As if they came from several citizens, Writings, all tending to the great opinion That Rome holds of his name; wherein obscurely And after this, let Caesar seat him sure; For we will shake him, or worse days endure” (Shakespeare 858-859). Cassius is scheming to throw forged letters as if they were from citizens of Rome and giving them to Brutus to convince him to kill Caesar. Being dishonorable, Cassius used Brutus’s own integrity against him. Later, in “Act III, Scene 1”, on the conspirators’ way to the capital with Caesar, Cassius almost backed out of the whole charade because of his own dishonorable cowardice. “Casca, be sudden, for we fear prevention. Brutus, what shall be done? If this be known, Cassius or Caesar never shall turn back, For I will slay myself” (Shakespeare
In the beginning of the Book Cassius uses anecdotes of Caesar’s weakness and faults, argumentum ad antiquatum, and ethos on Brutus to persuade him to join the conspiracy to kill Caesar, this works on Brutus and shows that anyone, even people as stoic as Brutus, can be persuaded by appealing to their motivations. Cassius, a very suspicious character thru ought the play tells Brutus to “be not jealous on me” (827), in the quote he tells Brutus to not be suspicious of him because he is just a friend who genuinely cares. Cassius does this to put himself on Brutus’ side and not seem like a distant person, this allows him to criticize Caesar and suggest that he is a bad influence on Rome which appeals to Brutus’ desire to keeping Rome safe. After setting himself up as a friend to Brutus, Cassius uses harsh anecdotes on the weakness of Caesar to show that he isn’t fit to rule Rome. Cassius recollects on a time when he and Caesar went swimming in the river Tiber and Caesar screamed “Help me, Cassius or I sink” (828) to de...
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.
Throughout his famous speech in the play Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, Mark Antony continuously propagandizes the crowd using his eloquence. From the very beginning of his speech, Antony is facing a crowd that is already not on his side. His unique elocution allows him to fairly easily brainwash the throng into submitting to his ideas about Julius Caesar’s death. Using rhetorical appeals such as logos and pathos, Mark Antony changes the mob’s mind in a timely manner. He uses plausible and convincing reasoning, rationale, and emotional appeal in order to indoctrinate the multitude of Romans into believing what he has to say. Antony’s exceptional mellifluousness helps him put it all together though, leading to the final product that is his acclaimed speech. Mark Antony possesses phenomenal enunciation and flaunts his rare skill admirably as he dexterously instills his views into the brains of the Romans.
A character from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Cassius, exhibits Machiavellian attributes by manipulation and a drive to accomplish his goal of assassinating Julius Caesar by any means. Cassius was able to successfully manipulate both Brutus and the fellow conspirators. Cassius was able to influence Brutus enough to make Brutus believe that killing Julius Caesar, Brutus’ best friend, was the right action. Initially, Brutus was wary of Cassius when Brutus said, “Into what dangers would you lead me, Cassius?” (1.2.69) Subsequently, Brutus is persuaded as he states, “...what you have said / I will consider” (1.2.176-177). Cassius is willing to control any person who stands in his way. Cassius successfully turned Brutus against his best friend in order to achieve what Cassius believes to be best for Rome. When Brutus says, “Let me not hinder, Cassius, your desires” (1.2.35) it is clear that Cassius has swayed Brutus to believe in his cause. In Julius Caesar, we do not see Cassius as the main leader of the cons...
Brutus’ leadership and compassion for others make him a popular figure amongst the Roman people, and it is his reputation that establishes him as an influential individual. For example, despite the fact that Brutus loves Caesar like a brother, he warily joins the conspiracy to assassinate him. He does this because he believes that Caesar’s ambition would become tyranny and that Caesar’s death is a necessary evil in order to preserve the liberties of the Roman people. In his own words Brutus claims, “It must be by his death; and for my part, I know no personal cause to spurn at him, but for the general.”(Act 2, Scene 1, Page 1116). In addition, Brutus takes the reins of authority from Cassius and becomes the leader of the conspiracy. He gains this prerogative because of his convincing tongue and powerful influence. His leadership is evidenced when he begins to challenge Cassius’ ideas. When Cassius asks the conspirators to “swear our resolution”(Act 2...
“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.
He is so motivated by ambition that he decides to kill Caesar, the leader of Rome. Although dedication can be a good quality, in Cassius, it blinds him to all other things and makes him ruthless in his quest to rule Rome. Cassius’s desire for power is evident when he states, "Men at some time are masters of their fates. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings" (1.2.146-148). Cassius’ ambition leads him to go as far as to convince a dear friend with manipulation and false notes to help him plot to kill Caesar. His ambition makes him power hungry and he lacks the honor to back up his overzealous behavior. Cassius envies Caesar and because of this he resorts to bribery, assassinations, and imposing taxes for personal