More handpicked essays just for you.
Analysis of caesar character in shakespeare's play julius caesar
Analysis of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar
Nature of the tragedy play Julius Caesar
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Power had a big role during ancient Roman times. The people who were already in power would do anything to increase their amount of power. Some traits that are common with powerful people are persuasive, good speaker, and charming. These are also traits that describe rhetoric. In the play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, the claim that rhetoric has influence on power is highly credible, based on how the characters act in their hostile and compelling ways can make the characters appear as though power can impact how they treat others.
In the play, rhetoric is used mainly during the eulogies. First of all, Brutus uses rhetoric to convince the people of Rome that the reason he killed Caesar was for their safety. “If then that friend demand why Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer: not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.” (III.ii.21-24). Secondly, Antony uses rhetoric in his eulogy to convince the people of Rome that what Brutus and Cassius did was unnecessary. “Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage, I should do Brutus wrong
…show more content…
Even though Brutus is mostly appealing to the emotional or pathos side of rhetoric, he still is convincing the people of Rome that he killed Caesar for the safety and happiness of the citizens, “Had you rather Caesar were living, and die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live all freemen?” (III.ii.24-26). In addition, Brutus closes his eulogy by saying, “I have the same dagger for myself when it shall please my country to need my death.” (III.ii.48-49). This convinces the people that Brutus is their savior and that Brutus was only looking our for their best interests. Brutus is known for being Caesar’s best friend and having an enormous amount of power in Rome. Since his speech is the first side that the people hear they are certain the Brutus’ way is right, but once they hear Antony’s speech they might change their
Brutus uses prose, perhaps showing less calculation than his words would have one think he'd want to flaunt; in understanding his speech theretofore, the divide between his masterfully premeditated words and his apparently hasty organization of said words is seemingly unintentional and perhaps even sloppy. However, such an odd combination can actually withal have the effect of causing his audience to think he conceived of his reasons on-the-fly; his use of prose can be interpreted as his attempt to appear inherently logical and innately judicial by the most brilliant faculty so as to build up an even bigger ethos in an unexpected and confounding way. And it works; consequent cries from the plebeians include, "Live, Brutus, live, live!", a quote that seems far too emotional for an audience who merely just listened to a speech involving much dispassionate logic; yes, it is the prose style of the speech that allows introspection and application to reality of the part of his audience, causing the mob to associate his more calculated claims with human values and attributes instead of those of, say, a statue (3.2.1419). In contrast, Mark Antony uses blank verse, which is fairly poetic and rhythmic; this is likely so as to provide a structure and flow that shows wherewithal and intention and provides a sense of ethos, which the words themselves seem to lack in pursuing the piercing and vivid pathos they did. It can be said that the sobbing on Mark Antony's part contributed to his speech and even bettered it; but sobs alone do no good in this sort of setting if there's no fruitful organization of them. Mark Antony's weeping before the mass of plebeians could simply result in a lump in the collective jugular anatomy of the people there; however, it is not so: because of the deliberate organization of his speech, Mark Antony is able to convert raw emotional power into neat and logical
We have all tried to convince someone that we are right and another person's wrong.Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose it all depends on how strong your argument is. Other times you're even trying to win over a crowd like in a debate. Well in the tragedy Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare Antony and Brutus both give a speech to the people of Rome trying to convince them to side with either Brutus or Antony. Antony says the murder of Caesar was not justified and Brutus thinks it was. Mark Antony gave a more effective funeral speech than Brutus.
A great civilization may face tremors of external source, though the most fatal of all threats is internal weakness. That is the conjuration of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, a work by William Shakespeare, arguably the most talented writer in the English language of all time. In this play Caesar is a powerful politician with the potential to be dubbed ruler of Rome. Unfortunately, he is slaughtered by his fellow nobles. Brutus, of those who has slain Caesar speaks before a crowd of plebeians (Roman commoners) of why he chose treason-it was for Rome; Caesar was ambitious. However, grief stricken and resolved for revenge, Mark Antony-proven to be Caesar’s only loyal supporter adjust the crowd for his own speech. One exulting Caesar’s name and good deeds. While spoiling the reputation of his murders, and recovering love for the lost Caesar, Antony speaks of which he defines as “what I do
“Sometimes the people who you love the most do the most damage.” This theme is seen in the play when Brutus, one of Caesar’s most faithful companions, literally stabs him in the back. Leading up to the murder, Caesar is unaware of Brutus’ true intentions. He has no idea that one of his best friends is plotting to kill him. Ultimately, this shows Caesar’s naivety. The warning signs regarding his murder were obvious, but he chose not to see them. If it were anybody else, perhaps they would have been able to see who their true friends were. (7)
Brutus’ speech to the citizens was in total character as he goes on to explain his reasons for assassinating his “friend” Caesar. “Brutus was very honorable and Antony was very persuasive. When Brutus spoke at Caesar’s funeral, he appealed to the people’s logic and Antony spoke to the emotions of the people. Antony is very smart and uses his brain frequently during the play and Brutus is very naive about many of things” (“Julius Caesar”). Antony is a very smart man that uses his brain to think things through throughout the play, while Brutus is very foolish about certain
Rhetoric is used on the daily by those that are involved in politics to gain the hearts of the crowd. In the poem The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, rhetoric plays a major role in convincing the crowds of citizens. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar revolves around the election of Caesar as the Roman leader. A group of people, called the conspirators, disagreed with the election and decided to take matters into their own hands. Someone named Cassius gathered the group up and even convinced Brutus, one of Caesar’s best friends, into joining them in the murder of Julius Caesar. After the murder, Brutus allowed Antony a chance to speak at Caesar’s funeral with conditions. Antony was told to not speak badly of them in front of the crowd. Antony does just
A series of unfortunate events could negatively impact an individual, but could also leave a stronger, independent individual in the end. In William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Antony and Caesar share an inextricable relationship as a father with a son. Despite the evident age group between the two, Antony portrays respect, loyalty, and obedience towards Caesar. After Caesar’s assassination, Antony grew to become mournful and incensed after his mentor’s murder. However, after Caesar’s death, Antony begins to demonstrate some hidden traits that he previously has not shown before.
In the play Julius Caesar, the author Shakespeare depicts a persistent controversy between Caesar and his conspirators that turned against Caesar. Brutus remained a great friendship with Caesar for a very long time until he became a disguised rival that was joined by many other conspirators which involved Cassius. Through many struggles and schemes, they achieved their goal to bring Caesar down and assassinated him when the chance was given. “E tu Brute?” were the last words of Caesar that left a mark even in today's history because Brutus turning against Caesar depicts that not everyone can be fully trusted for what they portray to be. But, this play highlights also the importance of real friends such as Antony that tried to bring the best
In Shakespeare’s “the tragedy of Julius Caesar,” Shakespeare uses irony to prove the point in the speech. His repetition of phrases makes the readers question if Brutus really is an honorable man. Caesar is murdered by a bunch of assassins who turned against him, trying to make the people of Rome against Caesar too, until Caesars loyal friend steps in to prove all their opinions about Caesar to be wrong. Antony tries to prove Caesar to be a great leader and a caring man using irony and repetition.
In the play Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, Mark Antony has a more persuasive argument because he was able to persuade the public by using ethos, pathos, logos. He claims that Caesar is not ambitious. He supports his claim by first saying that he had the right to talk about him because Caesar was his friend and he was faithful to him. Then, when the poor people cried because they didn’t have anything, Caesar also cried when he had everything. Finally, Mark Anthony denies what Brutus was saying about Caesar being ambitious. Mark Anthony’s purpose is to persuade the Roman public in order to tell them that what Brutus did to Caesar was wrong. Antony wants to encourage the crowd to be against the conspirators.
Power gives someone the ability to influence the behavior of others. Power is important because without power or strength, people would be loss. Power directs people in the paths they want to take in life, and influences the decisions people make. In William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, power takes a great part in the play. Shakespeare teaches how power can change lives and cause feelings to over rule people. Since power can often be transferred and changed through time, different people in different situations have the most power, which is shown in Julius Caesar.
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.
In the tragedy Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, the theme of persuasion is evident throughout the whole play. Both Brutus and Antony successfully persuade other people by using ethos, pathos, and logos. yet these two characters differ greatly in terms of characteristics. However, Brutus is more naïve whereas Antony is manipulative.
In ending his eulogy, Brutus stated that he “[Has done no more to Caesar than [they] shall do to [him]” (III.ii.26). Brutus is trying to persuade the people of Rome that he does not deserve to die for what he has done to Caesar. Caesar “ Suffered death”(III.ii.29) because he was ambitious and Brutus believes that ambition is a sickness. This definitely leaves the crowd pondering because of course, ambition is a negative trait and they would not want to live under the rule of a person who was ambitious. Antony tells the people that “[He] does not speak to disprove what Brutus spoke”(III.ii.27). This was clever because he is making the people feel comfortable and not as if they have to choose between two people. Marc Antony pulls yet another clever trick on the crowd by indirectly making them feel guilty for praising Brutus. He cleverly reminds the citizens of Rome how they once “[Loved Caesar] without cause”(III.ii.29) and he makes them feel guilty by asking “ What cause with holds you then to mourn for [Caesar]?”( III.ii.29-30). Mark Antony also had more than just cleverly played words to back up his logic and his opinion. He had props. When Antony entered to give his speech, he entered with Caesar’s dead body and this really moves the audience because it taps into their emotional senses especially when he tells them that his “ Heart is in the coffin there with Caesar, and [he] must pause till it come back to [him]” (III.ii.34). Marc Antony also draws up a fake will to support his words and all of the arguments that he made. Professor Maisano assumes that “One might wish to fantasize here that Antony is merely inventing the contents of the will , which only he sees” (Maisano 161-170) because Marc Antony made up all of the contents of the will and this is especially convenient for Antony because the people of Rome
During the play “Julius Caesar” by William Shakespeare two characters, Mark Anthony and Marcus Brutus gave speeches at the funeral of Julius Caesar. Both had great use of persuasive strategies and convinced the crowd to their point of view. Only ,one character was more persuasive than the other and had a better use of rhetorical devices. And that character was Mark Anthony. Although Brutus gave a great speech Anthony had a better use of logos, parallelism and ethos along with the blessing of going after