Analysis Of Mark Antony's Persuasive Speech

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What exemplifies a speech in which persuasive appeals and devices convey emotion and persuade audience members without using deceitful or spurious information? In Act III of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, Antony achieves his desired effect on his audience by exemplifying how persuasive techniques can be skillfully manipulated in order to persuade. Mark Antony 's speech consists of several persuasive techniques that amalgamate to form an effective piece of persuasive rhetoric. Antony 's speech is an effective piece of persuasive rhetoric because he uses ethos, pathos, and rhetorical questions. First, Mark Antony employs the persuasive appeal ethos to deliver an effective persuasive speech. Ethos refers to listening and trusting in the speaker. Mark Antony uses ethos in the opening of his address. He commands trust and consideration by proclaiming, "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; / I come to bury Caesar, not to praise …show more content…

Pathos refers to a speaker evoking emotions to influence his or her audience. Antony effectively uses pathos when he eulogizes about Caesar. He evokes empathetic emotions in his discourse. In addition, Antony uses pathos when he expresses his own feelings. Antony proclaims, "Bear with me; / My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar, / And I must pause till it come back to me" (III.ii.107-109). Antony reveals his sentiments about Caesar’s death. By proclaiming his own feelings, Antony is trying to evoke compassion from the crowd. Antony establishes his love for Caesar, which tells his reason for defending Caesar. Since the crowd respects and trusts Antony, the audience members will also express feelings of sadness for Antony because of empathy. With the use of pathos, Antony tries to convince his audience members by trying to get them to align their feelings with his feelings. He tries to use empathy and sympathy to further his persuasive