Ethos And Pathos In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar, dictator of the Roman empire, is dead. In William Shakespears Julius Caesar, Caesar was assassinated by the conspirators at a meeting as a strike against the power Caesar held over Rome. At his funeral ceramony Brutus allowed Mark Antony to say some words to the people of Rome. However, in agreeing to this, Brutus put himself in danger as Antony was able to prusaude the crowd against Brutus using the great phisopher, Aristotles, persuasion techniques. Aristotle created Ethos, pathos, and logos to help with persuasion in literature. Ethos appeals to credibility, pathos appeals to emotion, and logos appeals to logic and reasoning . Mark Antony uses all of these in his speech to the comoners to persuade the people to turn on Brutus and see that Caesar

While portraying himself as a credible figure he feels they will trust his word. Antony states, “ I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke/ But here I am to speak what I do know,” (3.2.100-01). Antony makes a point to inform the crowd that they can trust his word and judegement. By doing so, he is putting it out there that he is a credible man and will tell them the truth, and the truth only. He isnt trying to take away from what Brutus told the crowd, however he is telling his side of the story. Furthermore, he informs the crowd of his friendship with Caesar, and that he served in battle with him. Antony states, “I remember/ The first time ever Caesar put it on./ ‘Twas on a summer's evening in his tent,/ That day he overcame the Nervii,”(3.2.166-69) proving to the crowd he knew Caesar and served in a battle with them. This shows he is more credible because they are more likely to trust someone who knew and served with Caesar than someone who did not. Antonys use of ethos in his speech helps establish that he is a credible man and the friendship he has with