Ethos In Julius Caesar Rhetorical Analysis

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Murphy 1 Patrick Murphy Mrs. Comm Honors English 10 5 April 2023 Antony Persuasive Devices Essay Caesar has been assassinated, and the people are left bewildered. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by Shakespeare wields the appeal to logic, emotion, and ethics to persuade the people and even the reader to change their minds. In Antony’s entrancing speech to the crowd, he heartily persuades the crowd to shift viewpoints on the topic of Caesar’s assassination. He does so by utilizing pathos, logos, and ethos to influence the people. Antony entrances the crowd by utilizing pathos in his speech. He uses this strategy when he speaks about how he was great friends with Caesar and it causes him great sorrow to see him gone. “My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar…” (3.2.103). By noting that Antony’s heart is with Caesar, he evokes a sense of sadness within the audience. He persuades the people by letting them know that he emotionally sides with Caesar. “For Brutus, as you know, was Caesar's angel. Judge, O you gods, how dearly Caesar loved him! This was the most unkindest cut of all, For when the noble Caesar saw him …show more content…

There are multiple occurrences of this type of persuasion in his speech. “Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest -- For Brutus is an honorable man; So are they all, all honorable men -- Come I to speak in Caesar’s funeral. He was my friend, faithful and just to me.” (3.2.78-82). In an effort to boost his credibility among the crowd, Antony calls Brutus and his men honorable. He does this in an almost sarcastic manner, in an attempt to persuade the crowd. “I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke, But here I am to speak what I do know.” (3.2.97-98). Antony states this to prove that he is to be trusted. He wants the crowd to think that they can trust his judgment on the assassination. Antony uses an ethical appeal multiple times throughout his speech in an attempt to persuade the

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