How Does Mark Antony Use Ethos In Julius Caesar

We Killed This Guy, Let’s Talk About It: A Compare and Contrast Essay Following the death of Julius Caesar, in the play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, Caesar’s body is to be presented in front of the crowds of Rome. During this time, the crowds are asked to form an opinion of the assassination from the speeches of Brutus and Mark Antony. Brutus tries to justify the speech claiming though Caesar was good, he was too ambitious while Antony claims this is false and tries to discredit; both utilizing ethos, pathos, and logos for these effects. Both speeches present themselves in a similar way and follow with the argumentative strategies of ethos, pathos, and logos.. Brutus begins with the line “Romans, countrymen, and lovers”

By appealing to logic, Brutus says “Would you rather that Caesar be alive and you be slaves?” He deduces in this excerpt that it is only logical that he be killed, otherwise his power would have overtaken Rome. Antony applies this same strategy when he says, “Caesar was a war hero who brought back captives for ransom that benefitted Rome.” Antony draws attention to the fact that Caesar benefited Rome, so logically, it makes no sense to kill him due to these benefits. Brutus then tries to establish credibility with the line “Believe me for mine honor.” Antony in turn does something similar when he says “Friends, Romans and countrymen…” By starting this way, Antony attempts to persuade the audience that he is one of the common man and should be trusted as their own. Finally,

His main point boils down to ambition being a negative as he says to the crowd, in his explanation of the death ‘as he was ambitious, I slew him.” Brutus them attempts to persuade the crowd that he is trustworthy and did this for the good of Rome. He explains to the crowd “ As Caesar loved me, I weep for him; as he was fortunate, I rejoice at it; as he was valiant, I honour him…” Though Caesar did all these great things, it was the fatal flaw of ambition that brought the daggers to him. In the mind of the conspirators they ask the crowd the rhetorical question,“Had you rather Caesar were living and die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live all free men?” Finally, the effect this speech has on the outcome is almost ironic. By trying to justify this power struggle, Brutus and the others cause a division amongst the people as to whether or not this death was justified. This eventually leads to the conflict between Brutus and Antony, resulting in Brutus’s