How Does Marc Antony Use Ethos In Julius Caesar

The philosopher Plato once said, “Rhetoric is the art of ruling the minds of men.” It is language that is designed for persuasion. Plato claims this because good rhetoric gives man the power to influence others. For centuries, great leaders and politicians have used it to convince and govern their people. One of the most famous examples is Marc Antony’s funeral speech in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. This story is about Julius Caesar, who was slain by his friends after receiving control of Rome. Marc Antony uses rhetorical strategies such as repetition and irony along with the appeals ethos, pathos, and logos to sway the people of Rome. Julius Caesar was murdered by conspirators that wished to remove him from power. These men needed to show the citizens of Rome why they killed Caesar. If not, the conspirators would pay dearly for their crime. The leader of these men, Brutus, spoke to the crowds and convinced them that they executed Caesar for the good of Rome. Brutus tells the crowd, “I slew my best lover for the good of Rome, I / have the same dagger for myself when it shall please my country to need my death” (III.ii.39-41). Brutus has the crowd on his side, and then departs to allow Antony to speak. Brutus mistakenly believes that Antony is on his side. However, he is actually one of Caesar’s closest friends and would

For example, when speaking to the crowd he repeats the phrase, “But Brutus says he was ambitious” (III.ii.83). Each time after saying this, Antony describes an honorable trait of Caesar. He does this to undermine Brutus’ argument. In addition, he also repeats the phrase “Brutus is an honorable man” (III.ii.84). He declares this numerous times so that it will stick in the minds of his audience. This emphasis of “honorable” causes the people to question if it is true. Simple repetition can be very effective. Repetition is “the top strategy of every master persuader” (Romm