In the tragic play Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, the ruler of Rome, Julius Caesar, is stabbed to death by some of his so-called friends. Brutus, one of Caesar's best friends, is approached by some of the other senators to join the conspiracy to kill Caesar. Brutus weighs his options and decides to join the conspirators for the good of Rome. At Caesars's funeral, Brutus gives a speech to convince the citizens that the conspirators were right to kill Caesar. In contrast, Antony gives a speech to convince the Romans that there was no real reason to kill Caesar. Both characters try to persuade the audience, but they achieve different tones using literary and rhetorical devices. The tone of Brutus' speech is prideful, while the tone of Antony's speech is dramatic and inflammatory. Brutus uses a proud tone conveyed by many literary devices to convince the audience that Caesar's murder was justified. Brutus asks, "Would you rather, Caesar were living, and you all die slaves, than that Caesar were dead, so you all live freeman" (Shakespeare 3.2.20-22). Brutus tries to persuade the audience that Caesar's murder was justified through the use of a rhetorical question and a hyperbole. He tells the audience if Caesar was not killed, Caesar could have become a dictator, and the people would have been oppressed. This persuasive question gives the Roman citizens time to contemplate what Brutus is saying, and prompts them to visualize the Wessinger 2 possibilities of being slaves. The extreme exaggeration of the word slave gives off an intense tone, so the citizens do not speak up. Brutus repeats the phrase "who is here so" followed by words like "vile" and "rude" multiple times (Shakespeare 3.2.25-28). He also repeats the sentence, "If any, speak, for him have I offended" (Shakespeare 3.2.26-29). The repetition of phrases throughout the speech illustrates the rhetorical device anaphora. When Brutus repeats these phrases, he challenges the opinions of the citizens disagreeing with him. Knowing the negative connotations of the words vile and rude, Brutus uses a manipulative tone to persuade the citizens that Caesar's murder was justified.."As Caesar loved me, I weep for him; as he was
Brutus steps out to the capitol and informs them about Caesars death and proceeds to give them an explanation on the reasoning of his death. During Brutus’s speech he appeals to the audiences emotions by stating “There is tears for his love, joy for his fortune; honour for his valour; and death for his ambition.” Brutus uses the strategy Pathos because this statement appealed to the audiences emotions and more than likely made them feel sad or maybe mad. Brutus also states that “Had you rather Caesar were living and die all slaves than that Caesar were dead, to live all free men.” By saying this Brutus is trying to explain to the crowd that if Caesar was to had stayed alive then
The year was 44 B.C, when a group of Senators, feeling lowly, decided to murder the renowned almost-emperor , Julius Caesar. The motive behind this act of violence? Caesar’s prideful and ambitious nature. Immediately following the horrid act, two men gave vastly different funeral speeches. One, Marcus Brutus, used logic and charisma or logos and ethos, while the other, Marcus Antony, relied on the emotions of the people or pathos. Antony’s speech was also filled with rhetorical devices such as paralypsis and rhetorical questions. Brutus’ speech may have been more effective towards intellectuals; however, Antony’s speech resonated more with the general.
In Brutus’ speech he uses many kinds of rhetorical strategies to convince the audience of Rome he did it for them. One of the types of rhetorical strategies he uses is ethos. Brutus states that if Caesar was still alive, they would have lost their freedom. Brutus states, “believe me for mine honor, have respect for my honor, that you may believe” then after he admits that he was one of the killers and the did it for Rome and the citizens. He also talks about how Caesar was becoming a king like figure and how he killed Caesar for Rome and if his death is needed he to is willing to die for Rome.Another strategie Brutus uses is pathos to touch the angry emotion of the citizen by stating, ¨Mark Antony,who thought he had no hand in his death, shall receive the benefits”and “a place in the commonwealth; as which you shall not.”
In the tragedy, Julius Caesar, written by Shakespeare many opinions are spoken after the death of a character. The people of Rome are in a state of shock due to the assassination of their leader, Julius Caesar. Brutus, one of the many conspirators, who deviously planned the death of Caesar, stands on a platform to perform a speech at Caesar’s funeral. Mark Antony, a friend of Caesar, will speak of what he prepared after Brutus. Throughout Brutus’s speech, he portrays a persuasive yet a forthright tone throughout his speech by using one sided evidence, epimone, and antithesis, while Antony conveys a sentimental and sarcastic tone by using apostrophe, verbal irony, and rhetorical questions.
In Act II, Scene I of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, lots of rhetorical language is used as well as an aggressive, honorable tone, and a point of view from one main character, Brutus. Shakespeare paints Brutus as an honorable, fiery man, this is clearly shown in lines seven and eight when Brutus states “bear fire enough/To kindle cowards and to steel with valor”. Brutus shows that the conspirators his view that their ambitions are so strong, cowardly men and women could become strong again. He also proves his aggressive nature by stating “let high-sighted tyranny range on/Till each man drop by lottery” in lines five and six, Shakespeare used these extreme words to show Brutus’ strong-willed ethics. However, Shakespeare also used rhetorical
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 play by William Shakespeare, 'The Tragedy of Julius Caesar', the dictator Caesar is betrayed and murdered by his friends and fellow senators. Among these senators is Caesar's closest friend, Brutus. After Julius Caesar's assassination, Brutus and his co-conspirators are left with a problem. Much of Rome loved Caesar, and rioted in the streets for justice against their now dead powerful leader. To be able to continue on living in Rome, Brutus needed to make a speech explaining his reasoning and remorse to the Roman people.
Brutus’s main claims in this speech are that, the senators and Brutus had killed Caesar for the sake of Rome, Brutus is sorry if they had upset anyone or offended anyone by killing Caesar, and that if Brutus were to ever become like Caesar Brutus would have them do the same as they did to Caesar. Brutus says “Had you rather Caesar were living, and die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live all free.” Brutus is stating that even though to the people’s eyes killing Caesar was wrong Brutus thought it was best for Rome and that Brutus had no personal reason for killing Caesar. After telling the people why he killed Caesar, Brutus apologizes for what he had done and said if he offended anyone. He asked the people of he had offended
In Brutus speech Shakespeare had his speech focus on the reasoning behind Caesar's death, why the conspirators had to kill him. To advocate the conspirators reasoning Shakespeare included the rhetorical appeals of logos and ethos and very little of pathos for Shakespeare wanted Brutus speech to focus mainly on reasoning and his character more than to have an emotional appeal. The main argument for why Brutus killed Caesar was due to how as much as he loved Caesar, he loved Rome more. By stating this, instead of developing an emotional attach to Brutus it creates and admirable setting for him that identifies
After that, Brutus implores to the crowd that they are lucky that Caesar died, shown by, “Had you rather Caesar was living, and die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live all free men?”(3.2.23-24) He wants the crowd to know that there could not be any uniting or wellness under Caesar’s total rule, as a king, or as a dictator. In the end, Brutus had a noble cause, and a compelling speech, but in the end, it’s not always about honor, it’s about way the speaker intertwines facts and lies in their speech, and the way the audience interprets
In the play, Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare uses rhetorical devices antithesis, rhetorical question, and anaphora, in Brutus’ speech to Plebeians to convince them that killing Caesar was the right choice. Brutus uses antithesis to justify the conspirators’ actions towards Caesar to the Plebeians. Using antithesis, Brutus convinces the Plebeians that keeping the Roman Empire is more important. Brutus declares, “Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more” (3.2.23). This example of antithesis helps to justify their actions by conveying the idea that Brutus cares more about Rome.
Brutus, a conflicted senator obsessed with his civic duty, convinces the people of Rome that his motives in killing Caesar were just and noble by rhetoric. Brutus is the only conspirator to have impersonal motives in killing Caesar. In fact, his motives are trying to find the best solution for Rome, and in the end, he must make the hard choice of killing his best friend for his homeland. As early as Brutus’ conversation with Cassius in Act I, Brutus exhibits this deep love and respect for Rome and how this love is conflicting with his love for his friend, Caesar: “[P]oor Brutus, with himself at war, / Forgets the shows of love to other men” (I.ii.51-52). Brutus brings up this internal conflict again when he tells the crowds that although he did love Caesar, he loved Rome and its people more. After Brutus’ murder of Caesar, he realizes that the issue of the public opinion of Rome is of the utmost importance. Because of this love for Rome, Brutus uses rhetoric to persuade these plebeians to approve of him and his cause. When Cassius warns Brutus about “how much the people will be moved / By that which [Marc Antony] will utter[!]” (III.i.252-253), Brutus tells Cassius that letting Marc Antony speak “shall advantage us more than do us wrong” (III.i.261). In these cases, Brutus demonstrates his awareness of
The speeches given by both Brutus and Mark Antony in William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar are very persuasive to the audience that they are given to, but rhetorical devices were used in different ways in order for each to have an effect on the people of Rome. In Brutus’s speech, he uses devices such as rhetorical question and antithesis to convince the Romans that he and the conpirators did a good deed by killing Caesar. In Mark Antony’s speech, he sways them to believe that Caesar did not deserve to die, and that the conpirators were the real enemies by using rhetorical devices like rhetorical question and apostrophe. Both speeches were very
In Brutus' speech, he claims that Caesar was ambitious and killed Caesar for the good of Rome. In order to convey his devotion to Rome Brutus states" not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more" proving that Rome was more valuable to Brutus than his relationship to Caesar. To help the audience see the benefit of Caesar's death Brutus says that with Caesar the people would "die all slaves." He also asks a slavery rhetorical question" who is here so base that would be a bondman" to manipulate