How Does Mark Antony Use Ethos In Julius Caesar

Mark Antony’s Speech Shakespere is considered by many to be one of the greatest playwrights of the renaissance period entertaining playgoers of all social classes with his comedies and tragedies. Julius Caesar, one such tragedy written by Shakespeare, has within it many speeches; however, Mark Antony’s funeral speech that he gives after Julius Caesar is assassinated contains a myriad of examples of rhetorical argument techniques. In Act three, scene two of Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Mark Antony uses ethos, pathos, and logos to turn a despairing and disoriented crowd of mourners into a volatile and rebellious crowd of rioters turned against Brutus and his co-conspirators. Through his use of ethos, Mark Antony is able to convince

Mark Antony reveals to the crowd that Caesar has left them as his heirs however does not tell them what he has left. He says he, “... found it in his [Caesar’s] closet,/ 'tis his will: Let but the commons hear this testament--/ Which, pardon me, I do not mean to read--...” (The Tragedy of Julius Caesar 3.2.129-31) Mark Antony knows exactly what he is doing when he says this statement aloud. He wants to reveal to the crowd that Caesar left them as heirs but does not read what has been left yet, swaying the crowd's emotions towards anticipation and curiosity while the crowd reflects on Caesar. Mark Antony also uses Caesar’s love and adoration of Brutus against the latter by pointing it out to the crowd: “For Brutus, as you know, was Caesar's angel./ Judge, O you gods, how dearly Caesar loved him!/ This was the most unkindest cut of all…” (The Tragedy of Julius Caesar 3.2.177-79). Mark Antony uses words with strong connotations to deliver powerful emotions to the crowd. These emotions make the crowd more malleable and allow Mark Antony to more easily sway them. By tapping into the crowd’s emotion, Mark Antony makes the crowd more malleable and more ready to listen to his arguments and

He points out that Caesar brought home immense wealth from his campaigns and gave it to the “general coffers” instead of saving it for himself. Antony points out to the crowd that this is out of character for an “ambitious man” by saying, “He [Caesar] hath brought many captives home to Rome/ Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill…” (The Tragedy of Julius Caesar 3.2.88-89). If Caesar truly was ambitious, he would have saved it for himself thereby increasing his own power and influence rather than give it to the people and increase their ability to oppose him and rebel against him. Mark Antony himself tried to give Caesar a crown which would have given him near limitless power but, “...[Mark Antony] thrice presented him [Caesar] a kingly crown,/ Which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition?” (The Tragedy of Julius Caesar 3.2.96-97). If Caesar was truly ambitious, he would have taken the crown the first time it was presented to him. This would have made him emperor and given him the power he wanted. Mark Antony’s use of logos convinces the crowd to join his cause and not the conspirators’