In today’s world, almost every speech contains one element that makes it very successful. That is persuasion. Persuasion is the act of making others agree with you through reasoning and argument. The main goal of persuasion is to gain the trust and the alliance with the people who the speaker is communicating with. Many famous activists and public speakers include persuasion in their work to obtain the side and opinion of the people they are addressing their words to. In famous speeches and quotes, it is very common for speakers to include parts of the rhetorical triangle, such as kairos, ethos, pathos, and logos to gain the trust of the audience. In Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare gifts his characters by granting them the ability to persuade …show more content…
By including his use of kairos and pathos, Mark Antony tries to overthrow the citizen’s opinion on the death of Caesar, and make the republic rebel against Brutus and the conspirators.
During his speech to the republic of Rome, Mark Antony expresses his sadness and anger at the murder of the person who he cares most for, Julius Caesar. Antony gains the opinions and trust of the crowd by using pathos, a part of the rhetorical triangle which refers to emotion. Antony convinces the crowd that the conspirators who killed Caesar did not do it for the good of Rome, but instead for their hate for Caesar and greed for the power that he had obtained. Antony explains to the crowd how Caesar was a man of honor and ambition, and how Caesar deeply loved Rome with all of his heart. The audience understands Caesar’s love and care for Rome when Mark Antony says, “He hath brought many captives home to Rome whose ransoms did the general coffers fill” (Shakespeare 3.2.86-87). From only this, Antony makes the crowd remember what Caesar did for them. Caesar housed many captives and strays and gave them a safe place to stay in Rome, which made the crowd emotional. By mentioning the less fortunate
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Antony knows that if he wants to persuade the Roman republic, he cannot just rely on emotion, but also wants the crowd to know that he is a part of them. Antony does this by using kairos, another form of the rhetorical triangle that refers to date and location. While Brutus is delivering his speech, he stands on the stairs of the senate, which is above the level of the people. “Go to the platform, Brutus.” says Casca (Shakespeare 3.1.86). Throughout the entirety of Brutus’ speech, he stays on the same platform and does not move. Instead of speaking with the people, he is speaking to them. By standing above the people, it makes it seem as if Brutus is more powerful than the republic of Rome. On the other hand, during his speech, Antony politely asks the people, “Shall I descend? And will you give me leave?” (Shakespeare 3.2.157). Instead of standing above the people, Antony stands with them. Antony convinces the crowd to believe that he is the one who truly cares for Rome and that he is a part of the people. Another thing to realize is that Antony includes a rhetorical question in this quote, which emphasizes the meaning of kairos. To highlight his use of kairos, Antony does one act that absolutely changes the crowd’s mind. Antony carries Caesar’s dead body out into the crowd, and gently lays the carcass with the level of the people. “Here