Comparing the Speeches of Mark Antony and Brutus in Julius Caesar
The play 'Julius Caesar' was first performed in 1599 at the Globe
theatre in London. The Globe theatre was built earlier that year and
'Julius Caesar' was one of the first plays performed there. This gives
us reason to believe that the play was written towards the end of 1598
and beginning of 1599.
William Shakespeare wrote the play 'Julius Caesar' because 'Plutarchs
Lives', William Shakespeare's source of history, allowed him to use
his imagination and create a sell out play. In the history book of
most of the facts are the same as William Shakespeare's however he had
to change some of the events in order to make it into a play and not
just a documentary. In order to make 'Julius Caesar' more effective he
had to shorten the time span of the play, in reality the whole
scenario took months but William Shakespeare shortened the play to
just a matter of days.
Another reason for William Shakespeare writing the play was his
interest in political assassination and the miseries of rebellion and
civil war. The Queen at the time's reign was almost up, and a subtle
way of informing the public that they needed an heir was through his
play.
Brutus was born into a noble family and from an early age was a close
friend to Julius Caesar. Brutus was not a selfish man and he wanted
the best for Rome, he shows this by having to be persuaded to join
along side with the conspirators. Along with him being kind to his
country and unselfish he also had his faults; he was a bad judge of
character. He believed that his close friend Julius Caesar was
ambitious; he obviously over loo...
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...ch and he
also stands in the same area throughout. Mark Antony involves the
audience by walking into them and surrounding them around Julius
Caesar's body, this is a good persuasive technique amounting to
audience participation. Brutus does not use irony, but the majority of
Mark Antony's speech is spoken ironically, for example he repeats
'honourable' when he means the opposite. Brutus also uses repetition
by repeating with the word 'ambitious' when talking about Julius
Caesar. Both Mark Antony and Brutus use rhetorical questions as a
persuasive technique, this gives the audience time to think and also
so do the pauses that they both use. Mark Antony's speech is full of
anti-climaxes, one line he is filling them with enthusiasm and the
next he is appeasing them, this is an effective way of building their
emotions.
The people of this county, the Romans of this city please listen to me. I have came to Tell you the good about caesar. Brutus has given me permission from all the conspirators to tell the good about Caesar and that I will speak nothing bad of them. Brutus had told you guys that. Caesar was way to committed to do something, he always wanted to thrive in anything and everything and that's why he was killed . both Brutus and caesar are both very nice and noble to their countries and will die if they need to. I am not trying to say that brutus did something wonderful for the community but he could have did it differently. Remember what caesar has done for us, remember what he has done for the poor. I can't read his will aloud because it will make
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.
Giving a successful speech, in any language, is a difficult yet gratifying skill. Great speeches can be inspiring, compelling, and even revolutionary – indeed, these speeches are deliberate, succinct, engaging, and unforgettable. Two examples of such great speeches in both literature and in history are Mark Antony’s eulogy in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar and Robert F. Kennedy’s On the Death of Martin Luther King. Through the speakers’ use of parallel structure, caesuras, and personal references – three stylistic devices and techniques – not only were both speakers able to embellish their speeches; it also allowed each speaker to deliver an even more powerful speech. In these speeches, the use of repetition through the anaphoral and epiphoral structure in both speeches accentuates the purpose of the speech, while the use of caesuras adds texture and tone to the speech, and the use of personal references engages and stimulates the audience.
Julius Caesar’s death was a tragic story in William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. Brutus with the conspirators(Cassius, Cinna,etc.) and Antony played important characters in the occurrence of his death. The day was to come, when Caesar’s death (ides of March) is to be announced at the capital in front of the people of Rome by Brutus, who offered Antony to speak after. Brutus, in his speech announced that he killed caesar for what he honestly felt was for the better . While Antony, says that actually all of them even including Brutus killed the ruler with envy. Both of these people also play an important role in the different views of Caesar’s death that the people of Rome see by their speeches using certain persuasive techniques in some effective and ineffective ways, having some similarities and differences, and with also setting a certain thought point for the audience at the capital.
While giving speeches, people use certain rhetorical devices with the intention of obtaining a certain outcome. In Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Mark Antony stands on the capitol steps, addressing Rome’s countrymen. He speaks on the demerits of Brutus on March 15, 44 B.C. at the capitol building in Rome, just after Brutus assassinated a beloved ruler. In his speech, Antony urges the Romans to recognize Julius Caesar’s merits and Brutus and the conspirator’s immoral act, all while adopting the persona of an emotional friend of the people.
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.
Analysis of the Funeral Speeches of Brutus and Marc Antony from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar At the funeral of Julius Caesar two characters make speeches to the plebeian mob, Brutus and Marc Antony. Shakespeare shows us the personalities of the two orators and gives one an advantage over the other. Marc Antony has an advantage over Brutus because he speaks after Brutus and he has Caesar’s body. He also interrupts Brutus’ speech.
he uses solid fact to show that regardless of the amount of times he proposed that Caesar be the
Marcus Junius Brutus was born about 86 BCE into the family of a Roman politician. He was
Brutus has high social status in Rome. Brutus is a senator, and a popular one at that. Cassius says that “many of the best respect in Rome... have wished that noble Brutus had his eyes” (1103). Many people look up to Brutus, and wish he would help with their problems. Brutus has enough social status and wealth to hire six servants (1097). Brutus’s wife, Portia, is “Cato’s daughter”, a highly respected man (1124). IT would take someone of high status to marry a daughter of Cato’s. Portia asks if Brutus thinks she is “no stronger than [her] sex, being so fathered and so husbanded” (1124). This implies that Brutus is a man on a near caliber to that of her father. Even after Brutus is run out of Rome, he keeps his high status by becoming a general. One of the qualities of being a tragic hero is high social status, and Brutus has this quality.
Brutus vs Antony 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 characters, 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. Both speakers used an ethical appeal to the crowd and established their credibility.
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.
Brutus was not born into power. His father was a roman politician who was murdered by Gnaeus Pompey when Brutus was only seven. Not having his father to raise him, Brutus was educated and adopted by his mother’s half brother Marcus Porcius Cato. However, some believe that Julius Caesar was his real father since he had an affair with Brutus’ mom around that time, but this was never proven. Some would argue that is also the reason Caesar was more lenient and kind to Brutus. Even after the war against Pompey when Brutus sided with Pompey, who murdered his father, and sided against Caesar who showed him unconditional kindness; by giving him more power.
“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.
The play Julius Caesar depicts Brutus to be an extremely noble being who is well respected and honored by all Romans, even his enemies. Brutus was a loving friend of Julius Caesar and wished anything but death on his comrade, but his love and dedication to the majestic city of Rome would force him to commit anything. He fights a war to defend Rome from a king or emperor's tyrannical rule. When the war was finished, even his enemies saw that he was the most respectable Roman of them all.