Julius Caesar by Shakespeare explores many modern day themes to tell the tragedy of Brutus, Cassius, and Caesar. The most present of these themes is described as manipulation, and this is present in the time of the Roman Empire, as well as in a high schoolers’ everyday life. Throughout the play, there are many instances where manipulation is used by one character onto another, but this theme is most evident during the funeral speeches after Caesar's death. Brutus spoke first, as this was one of the terms in allowing Marc Antony to speak as well. During his speech, we find that Brutus wants to convince the audience that there was a real reason for Caesar's death. “If then friend demand why/ Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer: not …show more content…
This theme of mistaking hate for love through manipulation is widely present in high school life. There are experiences in many teenagers' lives where a friend wants power over another because of envy or insecurity, and this can cause one to make rude comments and pass them off as helpful words or kind gestures. An example includes one saying “Your hair looks really ugly today, but I’m your friend so I’m just letting you know.” These comments can manipulate someone into feeling unworthy and needing that one friend’s feedback in order to feel adequate. Brutus is attempting something similar to this as he is trying to make the Roman people believe that without him, they would not be loved by Caesar and instead be betrayed by him, and that Brutus saved …show more content…
He takes his whole speech to manipulate the audience from the side of Brutus and the conspirators, to the side of himself and the now deceased Caesar. As he speaks, he describes Brutus and Cassius as having done no wrong and this slowly turns the people into a vengeful mob. “I should do Brutus wrong, and Cassius wrong-/ who you all know, are honorable men./ I will not do them wrong.” (3.2.121-123) Throughout his speech, he gives examples of how most of Brutus’ speech is completely false, like how Caesar is ambitious. He does this all while repeating the phrase that Brutus is an honorable man, until the crowd does not believe it anymore. This theme about the dangers of speech and how you speak about someone to somebody else are definitely present in high school. Like before, “friends” can pretend to be your friend, but out of their own insecurity gossip can arise. An example could be “She’s my friend right? But isn’t she so annoying, like everything she says is so weird.” Now if they are speaking to your actual friend they may defend you by explaining how that isn’t true, but if that fake friend speaks enough lies, it can turn everyone they gossip to, against you. Marc Antony makes it clear that Brutus and Cassius are honorable men, but the fact that he repeats this over and over while giving evidence as to why they are not, is what turns the Roman people
Brutus begins his speech in Act III, scene ii, at Caesar's funeral, with an upset crowd questioning his motives for killing Caesar. The crowd’s initial reaction to Brutus is that he is honorable and venerated, but still needs to explain why Caesar was assassinated. Brutus tells the crowd that he did not kill Caesar because he didn’t care for him, but he killed Caesar because he loved Rome more. In addition, that if Caesar were still alive and king, all of the people would die slaves, and claims that he killed Caesar for the good of Rome. Brutus is able to persuade the crowd that he had honorable intentions for killing Caesar through the use of rhetoric-ethos, logos, and pathos.
In William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Brutus and Antony both used different techniques in order to capture the audience's attention and approval in their speeches about Caesar's death. They both include repetition, rhetorical strategies, dramatic pauses, and parallelism in order to get the crowd on their sides. Both men use different strategies by knowing the audience and they use this to their advantage. Brutus and Antony both choose the use of Pathos and Ethos specifically appeal to the audience and their love for their country.
Brutus did not have enough reasons to kill his best friend, he was threatened. Although he cared about the well being of the Romans, why be friends with someone that you have enough doubt
Even though Brutus kills with the intent of helping the people, many are focused on the aspect that Caesar is the ruler of Rome and no one should kill him- especially his best friend. As Caesar is stabbed, Caesar looks his best friend as says, “Et tu, Brute?” (3.1.77). Caesar is heartbroken to see his best friend is willing to kill him. The idea of a man killing his best friend influences people’s mind to view Brutus as a traitor.
/ Why should that name be sounded more than yours[, Brutus]” (I, ii, 142-143). From this conversation, Brutus is shown to let his naive and too trusting personality overcome him to the point he could be guided by his close friends as seen with Cassius in following whatever path they consider to be noble. Moreover, Brutus is shown to have a weak personality, a characteristic of a tragic hero, since he is easily persuaded in following Cassius’s idea that Caesar is indeed not fit to rule Rome as an emperor and should be taken down, and this naivety of his leads to his own downfall by trusting the wrong person. In addition, due to this tragic flaw, he is taken advantage of by his friends. For instance, when Brutus trusts the words of Mark Antony, a man who is very loyal to Caesar and hates the conspirators who killed Caesar, as Brutus asks him to promise that he “shall not in [his] funeral speech blame [the conspirators]” (III, i, 245) to which Antony, taking advantage of Brutus’s flaw, says “[b]e it so, I do desire no more” (III, i, 253), but as Antony does his speech, he describes
He then came back and shook the conspirators’ bloody hands, he begged to speak at Julius’ funeral, and Brutus allowed him, as long as he did not speak badly of the conspirators. When doing his speech, he used rhetorical devices like repetition and sarcasm when he kept repeating that Brutus was an honorable man and using it in a sarcastic tone. He used pathos by playing with the audience's emotion when showing the cloak and Caesar's body, it made the audience emotional. Brutus' speech convinced the people that his reasoning was enough to kill his friend and they even wanted him to be the new Caesar. Antony's speech convinced the people to turn against the conspirators, kill a poet with the name Cinna, and start a riot.
Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar”, surely was meant for entertainment and to be informative, on the other hand it also displays complexity of humans. Shakespeare constantly uses the writing format of ethos, pathos and logos throughout this play. Ethos and pathos are used to persuade people in devious ways, as Brutus is persuaded to overthrow Caesar and become the new Emperor of Rome. Shakespeare wrote “Julius Caesar” for later generations to remember the history, which took place, as he did state, this play shall be rehearsed in various forms. Although his main intention is to entertain people with his play and to show how easy people in negative or positive aspects manipulate their peers.
If that friend demands to know why Brutus rose up against Caesar, this is my answer: not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more. Would you rather Caesar were alive and all of you were to die slaves, than to have Caesar dead and to live as free men? Because Caesar loved me, I weep for him. Because he was lucky,I rejoice for him. Because he was brave, I respect him.
Brutus decided to join a group of conspirators, who then asked for his help to kill Caesar. Btutus agreed for the sake of Rome, not knowing it would only set up the future for what was to come. Brutus thought that the rise of Caesar would be a threat to the people of Rome, thinking that they would lose all freedom and become slaves. “Caesar straddles the narrow world like a giant, and we petty men walk under his huge legs and look forward only to dying dishonorably, as slaves.”
In William Shakespeare 's play Julius Caesar was killed because people were afraid he would have too much power. He was killed by conspirators. After he was assassinated a guy named Brutus gave a speech immediately after Julius was killed. He wanted to tell the people of Rome the reasoning behind killing him and to calm the people down. After Brutus spoke, Antony, one of Brutus 's friends spoke.
In his speech he explains his horrible doing, the killing of Julius Caesar. He begins his speech by saying: Hear me for my cause, and be silent that for you may hear. Believe me for mine honor that you may believe. Censure me in your wisdom, and awake your senses That you may the better judge. If there be any in this assembly, any dear friend Of Caesar’s, to him I say that Brutus’ love to caesar was not less than his.
Brutus 's speech: Brutus speaks to the people of rome why he killed caesar so they will not turn on him. He talked about how he didnt kill him because he didn 't love him but because it was for the better of rome. He also tells the people of rome that letting caesar become king would mean the government type would change and all the wars and hard work his family had put into the government would go away. He also states, for the welfare of rome that he would die for rome if rome demands his death Rhetorical devices: Brutus used questions, logos, parallelism, and pathos to stir the people of rhome. Question-
When speaking to the crowd, Brutus was very confident in his decision of killing Caesar. Brutus was also certain that letting Antony speak at Caesar’s funeral would do no harm, and he thought wrong. When Brutus addressed the crowd, he explained that he was Caesar’s friend, yet, he cherished the welfare of Rome more than he cherished Caesar. Brutus remind the crowd of how honorable of a man he is and how they had always respected him. He asks the crowd to “ensure” him in their “wisdom” and to awaken their senses so that they will better judge him.
A true friend does not exploit others for their needs. Whether the intentions are good or bad, the outcome is never good. In Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar, Cassius manipulates Brutus to get what he desires. Cassius uses rhetorical questions, allusions to mythical heroes, and degrading anecdotes to appeal to Brutus that Caesar should not rule, for he is not great in any way.
Ancient Rome; the setting by which Julius Caesar’s successes led him to his tragic death. Killed by some of his closest companions, one of which named Marcus Brutus, they justify their crime by the means of the people and the betterment of their country; Rome. In the play, ‘The Tragedy of Julius Caesar”, by William Shakespeare, Brutus, after killing his friend, in light of the danger of Caesar’s growing ambition, uses ethos, logos, and pathos to meet ends with the people of Rome in a speech following the death of Julius Caesar himself. On the other hand, the mourning Marc Antony, a close friend and admirer of Julius Caesar, uses similar methods to speak out against Brutus and the other conspirators for their act of injustice and brutality.