Every day, persuasion is used, whether it be to get a raise, convince someone to extend a deadline, or even to get the last piece of food. This persuasion is most evident in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, specifically with the character Antony. In a series of lectures and speeches, he manages to accomplish his main goal of getting the hostile plebeians and other Romans to believe his points. He does this through rhetorical talent, to prove that Caesar was an admirable ruler and Brutus wasn’t justified in helping murder Caesar. In order to begin convincing the plebeians, Antony gives them a speech to disprove Brutus’s credibility. At first, the crowd is unwilling to listen to anyone defending their late oppressor, Caesar, but Brutus’s urging …show more content…
Repeatedly during the speech, Antony pairs “Brutus says he [Caesar] was ambitious,” and “Brutus is an honorable man,” making the audience perceive them together. Rhetorically, Antony wants his audience to think “Brutus is honorable because he killed the ambitious Caesar,” so, that way, he doesn’t have to prove that Brutus isn’t honorable, just that Caesar wasn’t quite so ambitious. Using logos, Antony recalls the wealth that Caesar’s military brought to them, and his sympathy for poor people: “He hath brought many captives home to Rome whose ransoms did the general coffers fill ...when that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept” (3.1.87-90). He brings up Brutus's ambition and honour, but in a pessimistic tone, because the people can clearly see that Caesar was a humanitarian. Using logos again, Antony says “You all did see that on the Lupercal I thrice presented him a kingly crown, Which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition? Yet Brutus says he was ambitious; and, sure, he is an honourable …show more content…
He presents Caesar's cloak, then uses logos by describing when he first put the cloak on: “Twas on a summer’s evening, in his tent, that day he overcame the Nervii” (3.1.169-170). Sensing that the citizens were adjusting to the sight of Caesar’s gruesome body, Antony began describing the pain Caesar's friends had caused him. Antony’s division of the scene calls attention to each part of the wound which makes this extremely graphic and allows him to place blame on each of the conspirators— “See what a rent the envious Cassius made: through this the well-beloved Brutus stabb’d; And as he pluck’d his cursed steel away, Mark how the blood of Caesar follow’d it” (3.1.72-76). Antony discredits Brutus’s honour when he implies Brutus betrayed Caesar, without actually saying he betrayed him. Antony describes how much Caesar loved Brutus, and how upset he was when he was stabbed by his best friend — “Judge, O you gods, how dearly Caesar loved him! This was the most unkindest cut of all; for when the noble Caesar saw him stab, Ingratitude, more strong than traitors arms” (3.1.181-184). He uses negative words like “traitor,” and “ingratitude,” to appeal to their emotions and convince the Romans that Caesar didn’t deserve to be stabbed. Having established Caesar's faithfulness, Antony was then able to build on the guilt that the
Julius Caesar Topic: Write an expository essay on the role of persuasion in the play. Julius Caesar is a tragic drama written by William Shakespeare in 1599. This tragedy takes place in ancient Rome around 44 B.C when Rome was a great empire. Julius Caesar was a very important figure at this time as he was a very successful general who helped spread the Roman Empire and after his defeat of his political rival Pompey, he took on the role of becoming a dictator of Rome. But many citizens “feared
William Shakespeare’s famous play Julius Caesar utilizes the literary element of rhetoric multiple times throughout to show the true power that words can hold. The rhetoric in Caesar accompanies the play’s themes of betrayal, deception, and exaggeration. Brutus uses rhetoric to persuade the crowd of plebeians that the murdering of Caesar was positive and beneficial to all of Rome, winning their support and causing them to join his cause. Soon after, Mark Antony gives a terrifically-persuasive speech
Inauguration Speech In examining Brutus's soliloquy from Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" alongside President John F. Kennedy's inauguration speech, we uncover profound insights into the art of persuasion and effective speechcraft. Both speakers employ various rhetorical devices and persuasive appeals to captivate their audiences and convey their respective messages. While Brutus grapples with the moral dilemma of conspiring against Caesar, Kennedy addresses the challenges and aspirations of a nation entering
In Julius Caesar, Shakespeare uses Caesar, Brutus, and Antony to demonstrate the power struggle through fear, murder, and persuasion. Shakespeare exhibits how power is never given but taken by shifting the balance of power from one character to another. The fear of one person having too much power results in murder but this action alone exposes the will of another person trying to gain that same power. Central focus in Julius Caesar is justifying Caesar's murder and persuading the public to believe
appointed dictator of Ancient Rome, Julius Caesar. Both the Queen and dictator were in similar situations, for the Queen had held power for a long period of time and Caesar was soon to become a dictator for life. According to noted literary critic, E.A.J. Honigmann,
The Funeral Speeches in Julius Caesar Words have great power and astounding capability when the wielder uses them to their true advantage. William Shakespeare is a revered writer of the Renaissance Era, and his work continues to be used and influential today. In his play Julius Caesar, two speakers use their ability with words to turn the opinion of their audience, ultimately starting a war. Through analysing their tactics as well as the words themselves we can more fully understanding why it ended
Rhetorical Analysis Essay I can remember being in 3rd grade and seeing those sad pet commercials trying to get people to save these animals from the shelter. I remember feeling so bad for them and wishing I could take them home. Rhetoric is the art of persuasion. It is a device used in everyday conversations to prove to an audience a point, to assure an argument in writing, and in speeches to induce an audience. It’s very useful in connecting with others and compelling them to think and feel in a
Julius Caesar Characterization Analysis Everyday you make judgements about people, you see their appearance and how they act, you may not think of it this way but you are actually characterizing them. Characterization, a word that is frequently used in literature, means the describing of a character’s nature or appearance. A good example of this is in the play, Julius Caesar. Cassius, Brutus, and Antony are characters within this play that are able to use their leadership abilities of intellect
Julius Caesar Argumentative Essay Imagine a world where loyalty and betrayal collide, where personal convictions shape destinies, and where the consequences of one's actions reverberate through history. This is the world we enter when we delve into Brutus' funeral speech for Julius Caesar. Prior to the speeches, the Roman Republic was in a state of confusion following the assassination of Julius Caesar. In the assassination, Brutus wasn’t the only one who had committed the murder, it was both Brutus
Timm 1 Julius Caesar: The Man Who Changed Rome Forever Isaiah Timm CHW3MI Mr. Ballantyne January 15,2015 Timm 2 “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them” (Shakespeare). Julius Caesar’s name is still on people’s lips. The man went from nothing to controlling Rome as its first emperor. Julius Caesar can be considered one of the world’s greatest historical figures because he was a good communicator, he was memorialized by his own people and by
Sally Lutchman CLDV 210 Essay III Is the Monarchist Approach to Government the Right Way? Julius Caesar violated the laws of nature in a number of ways, the amount of awards and honors that he accepted against the Senate. The autocratic position of the “perpetual dictator” he took. His overconfidence position leading to complacency. Defiance of Roman laws by the dissolution of powers of the Senate. Dictatorship used only during exceptional times of crisis, not for absolute
INTRODUCTION The seemingly straightforward simplicity of “Julius Caesar” has made it a perennial favourite for almost 400 years. Despite its simplicity, almost Roman in nature, the play is rich both dramatically and thematically, and every generation since Shakespeare’s time has been able to identify with some political aspect of the play. The Victorians found a stoic, sympathetic character in Brutus and found Caesar unforgivably weak and tyrannical. As we move into the twenty-first century, audiences
In the play, Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, Cassius, Decius Brutus, and Antony use many different types of persuasion to manipulate the people they talk to. Cassius is trying to convince Brutus to think that he should join the conspiracy. Decius is trying to make Caesar’s pride get the best of him to go to the senate-house. While, Antony is trying to convince the plebeians about Caesar’s death. Cassius uses logos to manipulate Brutus to conspire against Caesar, as Decius uses pathos to persuade
only one component of the elaborate and essential process of laying one to rest and preserving their place in the afterlife. Funeral Orations can be witnessed in Grecian art and literature. In William Shakespeare’s ‘The Tragedy of Julius Caesar’, The role of persuasion in funeral orations, moreover Marc Antony’s orations is evident in the preservation of ancient Grecian society indicating that Marc Antony’s use of ethos, logos, and pathos made his soliloquy victorious. When weighing the persuasive
of Julius Caesar ” he wrote about a lot of honorable and ambitious men. I will be expressing my feelings about how Mark Antony is a very honorable man, and Brutus is a very corrupt man. Mark Antony is one of the most honorable men is this play. The first reason I believe this is because he stood by his friend, Julius Caesar even after his tragic death. Antony was very unrecognized by a lot of people, yet he stood by Caesar even when he was getting all of the attention. He didn’t push Caesar when