Mark Antony’s Remarkable Rhetoric

696 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: rhetorical analysis flashcards

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.
One of the main components of Mark Antony’s speaking competence is his ability to approach the assemblage using two different overtures. The most obvious and profound approach he uses is the logos appeal. When Mark Antony first enters, the people are definitely not on his side after being heavily influenced by Brutus’ speech. Right away, Antony calls the people his friends, which instantaneously leads to him being somewhat likable and the Romans lending Antony their ears. Just being friendly is a great move by Mark Antony and shows he is very intelligent and blessed with excellent verbalism. Antony smartly uses the crowd’s rowdiness as a prime opportunity to use ‘logos’ to force the people think twice about what they think is right. Mark Antony realizes that with such a naïve and easily taken in crowd he can handily gain ...

... middle of paper ...

...rs as better than him is followed by the citizens adoring him more, as everyone admires a modest king and surely no one likes a self-centered one.
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.

Show More
Related

  • Use of Rhetorical Appeals in Julius Caesar: Brutus vs Antony

    852 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Brutus and Antony attempt to persuade the audience of their position on the death of Caesar. While Brutus explains that his death was necessary, Antony claims that Caesar was not deserving of his demise. However, though Brutus does have ample credibility and taps into the emotional link with his audience to some extent, he does not convey as powerful of an argument as Antony, as he fails to provide sufficient factual evidence. Antony, on the other hand, utilizes logical argumentation with solid evidence, creates an emotional connection with his audience, and maintains credibility in order to support his own argument. Through this, it can be seen that Antony’s use of rhetorical appeals and devices is superior to Brutus’s in its ability to persuade the Roman audience.

    Read More

  • Julius Caesar Rhetorical Analysis Essay

    535 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Comparing the Speeches of Mark Antony and Robert F. Kennedy

    1252 Words  | 3 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Devices in Mark Antony’s Funerary Speech from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar

    918 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mark Antony’s oration has a monumental impact on the Romans due to its effectiveness and variety of moves. He uses the death of a beloved ruler to his advantage by evoking emotions, which allows Antony to persuade the audience into believing that Brutus and the conspirators are gruesome beings. Mark Antony manages to have the citizens of Rome revolt against Brutus and the other conspirators.

    Read More

  • Marc Antony's Speech Rhetorical Devices

    529 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Rhetoric, the art of making life less believable.”- Ben Marcus. In light of conspirators assassinating Marc Antony’s long-time friend, Caesar, Antony vows to avenge Caesar’s death. In Antony’s speech at Caesars funeral oration, Antony used rhetoric techniques to manipulate and persuade the audience into believing the same ideas Antony believed in. The purpose behind his speech was to lead into rebellion; Antony achieves this by stepping down to the audience’s level, using theatrical actions, and raising the morale to rebel against conspirators in the audience by presenting Caesar’s will.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis of Antony’s Funeral Speech

    968 Words  | 2 Pages

    Having been given the opportunity to speak by Brutus, Mark Antony took full advantage of it and was able to accomplish his purpose of exalting Caesar and drawing the listeners away from Brutus. His energetic questions and exclamations allowed him to have an attentive audience, while Antony’s manipulation of rhetorical devices and well-rounded persuasion brought the audience to his side. Had he not been able to sway them from Brutus and the conspirators, Rome may have returned to a republic and never reached its potential.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Logos In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

    915 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...cessful but Mark Anthony’s speech is much more effective. Ultimately Brutus is trying to defend himself for the killing of Caesar. He wanted to prove to the townspeople that what he did was for the liberty and justice of the Roman Empire. Mark Antony was successful because in his speech he uses a masterful combination of ethos, logos, pathos. He also uses a lot of repetition and rhetorical irony which indirectly shows the crowd that Brutus is not an honorable man and what he does is very wrong. Antony shows true compassion to the common people and the passion won the their hearts over. Antony uses more of a pathos, emotional appeal, unlike Brutus who uses more logos and ethos. Antony’s tone in his speech was melancholy and the crowd could see true sympathy. Antony was ultimately able to persuade his point of view to the crowd and was more victorious than Brutus.

    Read More

  • Marc Antony’s Speech @ Caesar’s Funeral

    669 Words  | 2 Pages

    Perhaps more than any other of Shakespeare's works, Julius Caesar is a play that hinges upon rhetoric through Marc Antony—both as the art of persuasion and an deceit used to conceal goal. More alarming, however, is Antony's cynical epilogue to the funeral speech as the crowd departs: "Now let it work: mischief, thou art afoot/Take thou what course thou wilt!" (Act III).There is mischief in the area, so let it take whatever course it wants to. Antony still didn’t lay out his cards, but made his first move in the right direction. As Antony represented, Shakespeare succeeded in writing a spectacular political speech, inserted in a play.

    Read More

  • Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

    950 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the play Julius Caesar by Shakespeare, Brutus and Antony both display their sides of Caesar in hopes of getting the Plebeians to support them. Mark Antony, a friend of Caesars, effectively persuades the crowd that the conspirators are traitors rather than heroes while technically keeping his promise to avoid saying anything negative about them. Antony convinced the mob that Caesar cared for the common people by manipulating the definition of the words “honorable” and “ambitious,” and using props, thereby delivering the more effective speech in the end.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Julius Caesar

    796 Words  | 2 Pages

    The speeches given by both Brutus and Mark Antony in William Shakespeare’s, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar are very persuasive to the audience. Mark Antony delivers a strong funeral oration in Caesar's honor. Antony was a trusted friend of Caesar and he manipulated the conspirators in thinking that he was fine with their deed. Antony uses a kind of mode of persuasion in order to convince the audience that Caesar is worthy kind of man. Antony then must use pathos in order to call the emotion of the audience. He must have to understand the nature of the audience to successfully induce his audience that Caesar really was not an ambitious man. After Brutus's speech ended it was Antony’s turn but Brutus made a big mistake by leaving as Antony started his speech. Antony starts his speech by saying, "friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears! I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him" (3. 2. 70). He immediately starts using rhetoric and calculated dramatic words to incite the crowd into a frenzy.

    Read More

  • Julius Caesar Rhetorical Analysis

    797 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Antony’s funeral oration contains several elements of deceit, yet wholeheartedly appeals to the desires of the audience. Antony harnesses the power of words, his rhetorical strategies stirring emotions, altering opinions and inducing action. His impulsive, improvisatory nature allows him to persuade the plebeians of the conspirators’ injustice, yet he never acknowledges this behaviour, allowing him to gain the masses’ political support. The mentioning of the will also accentuates the credulous nature of the audience as their desire to be satisfied allows Antony to manipulate their emotions, eventually resulting in several anecdotes appealing to the audience’s pathos yet still incorporating elements of deception.

    Read More

  • Brutus vs Antony

    1056 Words  | 3 Pages

    The most predominate and important aspect In the play Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare are the speeches given to the Roman citizens by Brutus and Antony, the two main charaters, following the death of Caesar. Brutus and Antony both spoke to the crowd,using the same rhetorical devices to express their thoughts. Both speakers used the three classical appeals employed in the speeches: ethos, which is an appeal to credibility; pathos, which is an appeal to the emotion of the audience; and logos, which is an appeal to the content and arrangement of the argument itself. Even though both speeches have the same structure Antony’s speech is significantly more effective than Brutus’s.

    Read More

  • Comparison of the Two Speeches in Julius Caesar

    888 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Mark Antony's Speech Analysis

    853 Words  | 2 Pages

    In William Shakespeare play Julius Caesar, Caesar is assassinated, and the city of Rome becomes enraged, demanding the death of the conspirators that murdered him. Brutus, one of the main assassins, talks to the mob and persuades them to understand that they are at an advantage without Caesar, the tyrant, as the dictator of Rome. He then leaves Mark Antony, who has meticulous orders to not try to pin the murder on the conspirators’ selfishness, but can speak numerous praises about his superior. Mark Antony then speaks to the persuaded crowd about Caesar’s endeavors and the benefits that Caesar gave to the kingdom, giving everything that was necessary and more. Mark Antony’s speech riles the citizens of Rome to mutiny without actually revealing his personal intentions of wishing to do so. In William Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar, Mark Antony’s speech is more persuasive that Brutus’ speech

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis of Mark Antony in Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

    816 Words  | 2 Pages

    “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.

    Read More

More about Mark Antony’s Remarkable Rhetoric

Open Document