Julius Caesar Ethos Pathos Logos

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After the assassination of Julius Caesar, both Brutus and Antony speak to the people of Rome. Brutus speaks to convince his countrymen that he and the others were justified in their actions; Caesar was a threat to their freedom and country. Antony exemplifies in his speech that Caesar was not ambitious and always had the people’s well-being in mind. Both of these speakers are effective in persuading the Romans of their cause but Brutus’s speech is most effective because of the way he was able to communicate his reasoning clearly and make the audience thankful for his actions.
To begin, Brutus’s use of logos in his speech was very useful when it came to persuading the audience. Brutus used logos by giving the people of Rome reasons why Caesar …show more content…

Brutus consistently uses rhetorical questions. This is effective because the people of Rome, the audience, is made to think logically about what he is asking. For example, Brutus says, “Had you rather Caesar were living, and die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live all freemen?” (Julius Caesar 3.2 lines) This quote holds importance to the speech because it makes the audience think if they would want to be slaves, if Caesar would have made them slaves, if it really is best that Caesar has been assassinated. In addition to this, Brutus’s diction is very negative toward Caesar, and that could affect the mood of the speech. By calling Caesar rude, vile, and ambitious, Brutus attempts to make the audience feel negatively toward Caesar. This is effective because it will allow Brutus to persuade them easier. Brutus also appeared to be speaking in a patronizing tone. While this implies negativity, it was effective toward the audience. By speaking as if he was above the people, Brutus made the audience feel as if he was trustworthy to listen to. Naturally, people of more likely to listen to someone who is in a position of power over

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