Antony And Brutus Arguments In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

Both Antony and Brutus make good arguments. So here’s the real question: What make Antony’s argument more persuasive. Let’s look at both of their methods. Antony plays the strings of the people’s hearts. He knows just what to say at the right time. A good example of Antony using this method is when he talks to the people at Caesar’s funeral(2.2.60-105). At first he walks up and tells the people that he is talking to them because Brutus had asked him to(2.2.64). This gives the Plebeians the idea that he is mourning for his friend, which he is. The one thing that Antony is really good at hiding is his aner and bitterness towards the people who killed Caesar. The only thing the plebeians see is pure greif. In a sense this softens the people’s

Which is kind of ironic because he then goes on to say things that praise Caesar but in the most secretive way. Antony says the following “Come I to speak in Caesar’s funeral. He was my friend, faithful and just to me; But Brutus says he was ambitious, And Brutus is an honourable man. He hath brought many captives home to Rome, Whose ransom did the general coffers fill: Did this in Caesar seem ambitious(2.2.83-88)?” Basically what Antony is saying in that section is that Caesar was his dear and faithful friend and that he was generous as well. During that part Antony is still making it seem like he is grieving his friend but that he holds no grievances towards Brutus. Then as he goes on he still continues to praise Caesar, “ When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept; Ambition should be made of sterner stuff: Yet Brutus says he was ambitious, And Brutus is an honourable man. You all did see that on the Lupercal I thrice presented him a kingly crown, Which he did thrice refuse. Was this ambition(2.2.89-95)?” So, Antony has been using the same method for all of

So to end that rant he says “My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar, And I must pause till it come back to me(2.2.104-105).” Those last two lines hit people straight in the heart. So you may be wondering, did this method work on the Plebeians. It sure did. The first plebeian says directly after this “ Methinks there is much reason in his sayings(2.2.106).” Then the second plebeian says “If thou consider rightly of the matter, Caesar has had great wrong(2.2.107-108).” Boom! Just one paragraph affected so many people. Why? Because Antony knows exactly what to say at the right time. Now that we covered Antony’s method now we need to look at why Brutus’s argument isn’t as convincing. One thing that I have learned about Brutus just in general is that he is a very blunt person. So one thing that Brutus does that Antony does not is making an excuse for himself while making himself seem honourable. He tells people that he loved caesar but that he loved Rome more(2.2.20-21). It shows that maybe Brutus is having slightly harder time accepting it. Antony didn’t make an excuse but he accepted the fact that Caesar is gone and there is nothing he can do about