Ethos, And Logos In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

The three modes of persuasion, according to the famous Greek philosopher, Aristotle, are Pathos, Ethos, and Logos. Pathos describes persuasion which appeals to one's emotions, Ethos utilizes the credibility and appeal of the speaker, and Logos is when the speaker appeals to the audience using logic. These forms of persuasion have been used throughout history, not just in plays by Shakespeare, but have been utilized religiously by really anyone trying to persuade another person. These forms of persuasion are practically “set in stone,” and are very prevalent in Shakespeare’s, “Julius Caesar”. Specifically in Act 3, Scene 2, where we see two different and effective speakers give funeral speeches, which utilizes all three of these methods effectively.

Before he even begins giving his speech, we see that the people of Rome respect and admire this senator, and therefore respect him enough to hear what he has to say. This showcases how he uses Ethos throughout the speech, by using the respect and admiration he has earned from the people, in being noble and doing what's best for Rome, to not only explain his reasoning for the drastic action he and the conspirators took, but actually manage to get the citizens on board with him. He then uses Pathos to appeal to the citizens, by using the known relationship he had with Caesar, to show that his actions were not out of hatred, but rather out of his love for the good of Rome. This is best seen in lines 1555 and 1556, “Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.” This line works to get the people of Rome to realize that Brutus truly loved his friend, Caesar, but then shows the people that he ultimately cares more for the people, and Rome