Julius Caesar: Comparison of the Eulogies of Mark Antony and Brutus

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Eulogy, noun. – A well versed, powerful speech which praises someone after their death. In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, there are two of the most famous, and repeated eulogies ever spoken. These eulogies are very powerful and speak to everyone. They are both written very eloquently, but very different at the same time. One is written as a sadness for Caesar, while the other is written as a man who wants to make others feel guilty for his doing. Both speeches seem to tug on the heart strings of Rome’s public. They both use different techniques of drawing the crowd into their thinking. In the speeches we can see notes of verbal irony, speech structure, and repetition of words that help to persuade the crowds of plebeians. The first way that the speeches differed is the use of verbal irony. Antony’s use of irony comes close to bordering on sarcasm. “Friends, Romans, countryman, lend me your ears, I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.” (III.II.80-84) says Antony when making his opening statement to the crowd. He addresses the crowd as “friends”, so as to put them on a...

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