Cassius Use Of Persuasion In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

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More often than not, if a child wants something he will flatter his parents as a form of manipulation so he gets what he wants. In everyday life, people use various forms of persuasion to get what they want. Likewise, characters in Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare use persuasion to get what they want. In the play, Mark Antony is indisputably the most compelling of the orators because of the various appeals he uses in order to enrage the plebeians into turning against the conspirators It it clear Antony is the most persuasive because his audience is already predispositioned against him when he begins to speak. During Cassius’s argument, he tries to persuade Brutus to join the conspiracy. Although Brutus is highly educated, he has poor judgement because honor is so important to him and he is therefore easily coerced. Therefore, Cassius simply had to appeal to his honor and logic in order to persuade Brutus. Similarly, Brutus tries to influence the conspirators to act honorably in their work by …show more content…

Towards the end of his speech, Antony mentions Caesar’s will and claims that “It will inflame” the plebeians (III.ii.156). Antony baits them with the idea of the will in order to galvanize the plebeians, attempting to persuade the mob of plebeians to turn against the conspirators and get revenge for the death of their king by enraging them. Unlike Antony, in Act I, Cassius tries to convince Brutus to join the conspiracy. Despite Brutus’s friendship with Caesar, Brutus is known for his poor judgement, and as a result, he is easily influenced, which demonstrates how weak of an orator Cassius is. Moreover, it is easier to convince someone to join a group, rather than to turn him against his own group. Antony is certainly the most persuasive of the men due to his ability to aggravate the plebeians despite their allegiance to Brutus and the