Brutus Use Of Irony In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

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Brutus finds Cassius speech to be convincing with pathos, allusion, and irony. Cassius is trying to convince Brutus that Caesar is not fit to rule Rome as a king. Cassius specifies that their fathers would say, "There was a Brutus once that would have brook'd Th' eternal devil to keep his state in Rome As easily as a king" (Shakespeare). This use of an allusion helps infer to Brutus that his ancestors would have tolerated a devil while they were ruling Rome, before letting a king rule. Cassius use of irony when speaking to Brutus is to convince Brutus that he is saying Caesar should not be king for the right purposes. Brutus tells Cassius that if he comes to him for honor then he came to the right person, and Cassius replies, "I know that virtue