In the excepts from Julius Caesar, Calpurnia warns Caesar of a dream she had foreshadowing Caesar’s own death, and begs him not to go to the senate. Decius, one of the conspirators who understands Caesar’s true nature, persuades Caesar that Calpurnia simply misinterpreted the dream. Unlike Calpurnia who explains her dream to Caesar with gory details and emphasizes her personal feelings, Decius is successful in convincing Caesar to go to the senate by appealing to Caesar’s emotions in utilizing rhetorical questions and hypothetical examples. Calpurnia, having only her dream to provide as her main argument, believes that her exaggerated retelling of her dream would be enough to convince her husband from going to the senate. The passage opens …show more content…
Decius begins his talk with Caesar by telling Caesar that Calpurnia merely misinterpreted her dream – her dream was “a vision fair and fortunate”, not one of death. He then continues to illustrate and manipulate Calpurnia’s dream into something desirable to Caesar. By describing the “many smiling Romans” bathing in Caesar’s “reviving blood”, Decius reveals his understanding of Caesar’s vanity. Decius doesn’t stop there as Decius continues to use many appeals to Caesar’s ego throughout his talk. By calling Caesar “you great Rome,” Decius greatly appeals to Caesar’s emotions by stroking his ego. Decius implies that Caesar is not just a man, but the embodiment of the entire country. Caesar is not just a name – he is Rome. As a result, Caesar agrees that Decius’ interpretation is …show more content…
Decius’ first rhetorical question that would be asked by the crowds: “Lo, Caesar is afraid?” makes Caesar question his self-pride and self-confidence, implying that Decius has a deep grasp on Caesar’s public image. Decius tells Caesar that the senate might their mind of who gets the crown if Caesar doesn’t show up, and the Romans would Caesar for not showing up because of his wife’s dream. Using this cleverly constructed hypothetical scenario, Decius emphasizes the significance of the public and its effect on Caesar’s public image. His persuasion deems to be effective when Caesar agrees to appear at the senate, adding “How foolish do your fears seem now, Calpurnia!” Caesar’s comment on Calpurnia implies that politics means more to him than his personal