ipl-logo

Examples Of Manipulation In Julius Caesar

696 Words3 Pages

Julius Caesar by Shakespeare explores many modern day themes to tell the tragedy of Brutus, Cassius, and Caesar. The most present of these themes is described as manipulation, and this is present in the time of the Roman Empire, as well as in a high schoolers’ everyday life. Throughout the play, there are many instances where manipulation is used by one character onto another, but this theme is most evident during the funeral speeches after Caesar's death. Brutus spoke first, as this was one of the terms in allowing Marc Antony to speak as well. During his speech, we find that Brutus wants to convince the audience that there was a real reason for Caesar's death. “If then friend demand why/ Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer: not …show more content…

This theme of mistaking hate for love through manipulation is widely present in high school life. There are experiences in many teenagers' lives where a friend wants power over another because of envy or insecurity, and this can cause one to make rude comments and pass them off as helpful words or kind gestures. An example includes one saying “Your hair looks really ugly today, but I’m your friend so I’m just letting you know.” These comments can manipulate someone into feeling unworthy and needing that one friend’s feedback in order to feel adequate. Brutus is attempting something similar to this as he is trying to make the Roman people believe that without him, they would not be loved by Caesar and instead be betrayed by him, and that Brutus saved …show more content…

He takes his whole speech to manipulate the audience from the side of Brutus and the conspirators, to the side of himself and the now deceased Caesar. As he speaks, he describes Brutus and Cassius as having done no wrong and this slowly turns the people into a vengeful mob. “I should do Brutus wrong, and Cassius wrong-/ who you all know, are honorable men./ I will not do them wrong.” (3.2.121-123) Throughout his speech, he gives examples of how most of Brutus’ speech is completely false, like how Caesar is ambitious. He does this all while repeating the phrase that Brutus is an honorable man, until the crowd does not believe it anymore. This theme about the dangers of speech and how you speak about someone to somebody else are definitely present in high school. Like before, “friends” can pretend to be your friend, but out of their own insecurity gossip can arise. An example could be “She’s my friend right? But isn’t she so annoying, like everything she says is so weird.” Now if they are speaking to your actual friend they may defend you by explaining how that isn’t true, but if that fake friend speaks enough lies, it can turn everyone they gossip to, against you. Marc Antony makes it clear that Brutus and Cassius are honorable men, but the fact that he repeats this over and over while giving evidence as to why they are not, is what turns the Roman people

Show More
Related
1035 Words | 5 Pages

However, they were not alone- with Mark Antony rising in fury for justice to Caesar. Each opposer gave a speech at the funeral of Caesar for their cause. Brutus in formality, attempted to convey his reasoning in executing the murder, as a representative of the conspirators. Using many rhetorical devices including pathos and logos, the crowd is swooned with his perception. Brutus's victory is short lived, because as soon as Mark Antony steps up, his tactics of persuasion,

Read More
482 Words | 2 Pages

In his speech he explains his horrible doing, the killing of Julius Caesar. He begins his speech by saying:          Hear me for my cause, and be silent that for you may hear. Believe me for mine          honor that you may believe. Censure me in your wisdom, and awake your senses          That you may the better judge. If there be any in this assembly, any dear friend          Of Caesar’s, to him I say that Brutus’ love to caesar was not less than his.

Read More
421 Words | 2 Pages

He then came back and shook the conspirators’ bloody hands, he begged to speak at Julius’ funeral, and Brutus allowed him, as long as he did not speak badly of the conspirators. When doing his speech, he used rhetorical devices like repetition and sarcasm when he kept repeating that Brutus was an honorable man and using it in a sarcastic tone. He used pathos by playing with the audience's emotion when showing the cloak and Caesar's body, it made the audience emotional. Brutus' speech convinced the people that his reasoning was enough to kill his friend and they even wanted him to be the new Caesar. Antony's speech convinced the people to turn against the conspirators, kill a poet with the name Cinna, and start a riot.

Read More
882 Words | 4 Pages

Julius Caesar: Analysis of Tone in Funeral Speeches MLK, Jr. once said, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends” (Goodreads). In the play Julius Caesar written by William Shakespeare, actions and words are used and spoken against a friend and a rival contributing to the assassination of their fellow friend Caesar. Two people that were very close to Caesar speak out against each other during their funeral speeches. Brutus, who is a “friend” and also a conspirator against Caesar, and Antony who is a very loyal friend to Caesar, use several rhetorical and literary devices as they create tone of proud assertive and defiant manipulation to get the Roman citizens on their side.

Read More
338 Words | 2 Pages

He was not allowed to speech bad about the conspirators. His goal then was to try and upset the people and turn them against the conspirators. Brutus first addresses the crowd to calm them down drastically and to explain that if Julius became king, the power could have went to his head and became a bad guy. In his speech Brutus uses logos and ethos.

Read More
916 Words | 4 Pages

In William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Brutus and Antony both used different techniques in order to capture the audience's attention and approval in their speeches about Caesar's death. They both include repetition, rhetorical strategies, dramatic pauses, and parallelism in order to get the crowd on their sides. Both men use different strategies by knowing the audience and they use this to their advantage. Brutus and Antony both choose the use of Pathos and Ethos specifically appeal to the audience and their love for their country.

Read More
378 Words | 2 Pages

Brutus did not have enough reasons to kill his best friend, he was threatened. Although he cared about the well being of the Romans, why be friends with someone that you have enough doubt

Read More
478 Words | 2 Pages

Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar”, surely was meant for entertainment and to be informative, on the other hand it also displays complexity of humans. Shakespeare constantly uses the writing format of ethos, pathos and logos throughout this play. Ethos and pathos are used to persuade people in devious ways, as Brutus is persuaded to overthrow Caesar and become the new Emperor of Rome. Shakespeare wrote “Julius Caesar” for later generations to remember the history, which took place, as he did state, this play shall be rehearsed in various forms. Although his main intention is to entertain people with his play and to show how easy people in negative or positive aspects manipulate their peers.

Read More
449 Words | 2 Pages

Which only caused conflict, because the purpose of his speech was to prove to the citizens that Brutus is wrong and Caesar shouldn’t have been killed. “Brutus is an honorable man. He brought many captives home to Rome whose ransoms brought wealth to the city. Is this the work of an ambitious man?” Act 3, scene 2, line 85-90.

Read More
661 Words | 3 Pages

Antony had already promised Brutus to not speak ill of Brutus or the other conspirators during his speech. Consequently, Shakespeare had Antony get creative and state how Brutus claimed Caesar, who was “faithful and just to [Antony]”(line 94) to be “ambitious”(lines 87,95,102,107), but also repeatedly mention how Brutus was “an honorable man”(lines 79,84,91,95-96). By praising Caesar, artfully pointing out how the conspirators continue to contradict Caesar, and then continually “praising” the conspirators, Antony is able to allude to his true opinions without being accused of slander. Shakespeare’s use of this technique is extremely effective in that on a surface level, Antony’s words are praises for the conspirators, however, the true undertones found in these words do not match their concrete meaning. These contradictions and the way in which they are conveyed demonstrate how Antony is put in a position of power to craftily win over the people’s hearts and minds.

Read More
762 Words | 4 Pages

Brutus’ gullibility allows for him to be too trusting of the people he should not be trusting. Cassius is the one of the leaders of the conspiracy, and it is Cassius’ plan to have Brutus join, since Brutus is the best friend of Caesar, and he is also greatly influential over the Plebians. In order to get Brutus to trust Cassius, Cassius says to him, “Men at some point are

Read More
2081 Words | 9 Pages

If that friend demands to know why Brutus rose up against Caesar, this is my answer: not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more. Would you rather Caesar were alive and all of you were to die slaves, than to have Caesar dead and to live as free men? Because Caesar loved me, I weep for him. Because he was lucky,I rejoice for him. Because he was brave, I respect him.

Read More
709 Words | 3 Pages

/ Why should that name be sounded more than yours[, Brutus]” (I, ii, 142-143). From this conversation, Brutus is shown to let his naive and too trusting personality overcome him to the point he could be guided by his close friends as seen with Cassius in following whatever path they consider to be noble. Moreover, Brutus is shown to have a weak personality, a characteristic of a tragic hero, since he is easily persuaded in following Cassius’s idea that Caesar is indeed not fit to rule Rome as an emperor and should be taken down, and this naivety of his leads to his own downfall by trusting the wrong person. In addition, due to this tragic flaw, he is taken advantage of by his friends. For instance, when Brutus trusts the words of Mark Antony, a man who is very loyal to Caesar and hates the conspirators who killed Caesar, as Brutus asks him to promise that he “shall not in [his] funeral speech blame [the conspirators]” (III, i, 245) to which Antony, taking advantage of Brutus’s flaw, says “[b]e it so, I do desire no more” (III, i, 253), but as Antony does his speech, he describes

Read More
528 Words | 3 Pages

Cassius wants Brutus to believe that their futures need to be changed because Caesar is leading them into tyranny. Cassius then uses flattery to show Brutus that he is equal in power to Caesar. “Brutus and Caesar… Write them together, yours is a fair a name”. Cassius explains this to Brutus that he is just as capable of reaching the height of power Caesar possesses. Following this conversation Cassius develops a plan to further manipulate Brutus.

Read More
922 Words | 4 Pages

Brutus 's speech: Brutus speaks to the people of rome why he killed caesar so they will not turn on him. He talked about how he didnt kill him because he didn 't love him but because it was for the better of rome. He also tells the people of rome that letting caesar become king would mean the government type would change and all the wars and hard work his family had put into the government would go away. He also states, for the welfare of rome that he would die for rome if rome demands his death Rhetorical devices: Brutus used questions, logos, parallelism, and pathos to stir the people of rhome. Question-

Read More

More about Examples Of Manipulation In Julius Caesar

Related Topics

Open Document