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Julius Caesar Persuasion Analysis

Decent Essays

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

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