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How Does Brutus Use Antithesis In Julius Caesar

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In William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Julius Caesar, Brutus uses antithesis, rhetorical questions, and parallelism to express his love for Rome and to justify his actions to persuade plebeians that the murder of Julius Caesar was for the best. Brutus’s use of antithesis helped him justify his actions and gain support from the plebeians for his actions. Explaining himself to all the plebeians in the crowd Brutus states, “Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more,” (3.2.23-24). The rhetorical device, antithesis, is used as the balanced structure of juxtaposing words ‘less’ and ‘more.’ When Brutus states that he did love Caesar, but his love for Rome was far greater, he emphasizes his love for Rome considering the fact that Caesar …show more content…

Brutus convinces the plebeians by asking the rhetorical question, “Had you rather Caesar were living and die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live all free men?” (3.2.24-26). By directly asking the people Brutus cleverly places thoughts into the minds of the plebeians so they feel as though they are a part of the solution to a problem. The question posed makes people think logically about the situation which makes them realize that if the conspirators had not murdered Caesar, every citizen of Rome would be living under Caesar’s rule as slaves. Brutus combines both logos and pathos in his speech to emphasize the passion he has for the future Rome. By asking a question and making the plebeians think about what could have been, the people feel that they are making their own decision and therefore no longer feel conflicted between what they believed and what Brutus is preaching to them. This question really only has one simple answer, which is why this rhetorical question is so effective. With one simple question Brutus was able to persuade the revengeful citizens of Rome that his actions liberated everyone from Caesars demeaning

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