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How Is Julius Caesar Effective

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Recommended: The tragedy of julius caesar literary analysis: shakespeare's tragic heroes

This essay is written on The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, written by famous English poet, William Shakespeare. The play is included in the genre of tragedies. The story follows the events leading up to and succeeding the killing of the Roman ruler, Julius Caesar. In Act III of the play, one of the main characters in the play, Brutus, must speak to the crowd of common Romans to try and justify killing their leader. After this, another character, Antony, delivers an opposing speech that is taken more to heart by the Romans and incites riots against Brutus and the group of conspirators that helped him kill Caesar. In Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Antony’s speech is more effective than Brutus’s because Antony appeals to the emotions of the commoners …show more content…

Brutus says to the people, “Had you rather Caesar were living and live as slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live all free men?” (Act III, Scene ii, Lines 22-23) By this, he is trying to make the commoners understand that if Caesar were to be kept alive, the entire city would be living a slave-like lifestyle under a tyrannical leader. Brutus also tries to use his already acclaimed respect for his honor and nobility from the commoners to his advantage by saying “Believe me for mine honor, and have respect to mine honor that you may believe.” (Act III, Scene ii, Lines 15-16) Brutus at this point is a well known character throughout the city of Rome, and is highly respected among the commoners and senators …show more content…

Antony publicly questions Brutus’s motive for Caesar's ambition. Antony says, “When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept. Ambition should be made of sterner stuff” (Act III, Scene ii, Lines 90-91) By saying this, he is trying to show the commoners that Caesar was not clouded in his own ambition as the conspirators thought, and that he had the best interest in mind for Rome and its people. Antony also explains how the conspirators are bad men and have committed a dishonorable act on their leader. Antony cries out, “For Brutus, as you know, was Caesar’s angel” (Act III, Scene ii, Line 176) He tells the crowd how Brutus was a man that Caesar knows that he could trust, and has been one of his best friends for a long time, but Brutus turned his back on his old friend and betrayed him. Anony then goes on to show the crowd the stab wounds on the corpse and read Caesar’s will, inciting further uproar and

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431 Words | 2 Pages

When he ascends the pulpit to speak at Caesar’s funeral, Antony repeatedly says that Brutus is an “honorable man”, (Act III, Scene II) but continues to disprove his own claim with multiple pieces of evidence. By disproving his claim while seeming compassionate, Antony makes his audience believe that he is caring yet naive. This allows the audience to let their guard down and think that their later ideas are their own. Antony uses the crowds’ emotions to convince them that Brutus and the Conspirators aren’t honorable. Antony says that he won’t do the Conspirators wrong by stirring up a mutiny.

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526 Words | 3 Pages

Marc Antony’s speech in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar excels in persuasive rhetoric. He uses all three modes of persuasion- ethos, pathos, and logos. Shakespeare uses them to express different perspectives of human emotion. The use of these writing methods are important because, it appeals to the audience. Everyone likes to hear valid reasons why they should believe, buy, or boycott something.

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807 Words | 4 Pages

Antony knew this would have an impact on the plebeians and it certainly did. Finally Antony destroys Brutus’ argument. First off he reminds the plebeians that Caesar truly did care about all the people of Rome. “When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept” (III.2.90). He also brings up how he offered Caesar the crown three times and three times he refused it.

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671 Words | 3 Pages

In Antony’s speech to the people, he speaks about Caesar over his dead body. His words make the commoners feel something, as opposed to Brutus,

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916 Words | 4 Pages

By saying this he is saying that people will only remember the bad of Caesar, but not the good that he had in him. The people will begin to fear what will live on from Caesar's death. As the people are showing anger towards Brutus, Antony continues on with his speech saying, "When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept; Ambition should be made of sterner stuff. Yet Brutus says he was ambitious; and Brutus is an honorable man." He points out that Caesar constantly felt bad for those who were struggling in his country.

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696 Words | 3 Pages

His acknowledgement of Brutus saying “[Caesar] was ambitious” (III.ii.82) followed immediately by his saying that Brutus “is an honorable man” (III.ii.83) repetitively shows the crowd that Antony is ungrateful for the conspirators allegedly saving Rome. This repetition becomes sarcastic, creating an ungrateful feeling throughout the crowd. He also repeats good traits of Caesar, including how “He was [Antony’s] friend, faithful and just to [Antony]” (III.ii.81) which establishes an emotional connection between him and the citizens. He uses aposiopesis to display how the assassination has affected him, once again using emotion to persuade the crowd to see the murder the same way he views it. He reminds the citizens that “when that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept” (III.ii.87) which establishes another emotional connection between the fallen leader and the

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708 Words | 3 Pages

This shows that Caesar wasn't ambitious and trustworthy. Antony uses his emotions to also win the people's trust. Antony is talking about the emotional story of how Caesar was murdered. He brings the people to a sad state and the Romans start to respect Antony more. Brutus thought that his reasoning behind the assassination of Caesar would be enough to persuade that the killing of Caesar was the right thing to do.

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563 Words | 3 Pages

Antony's speech got the people so worked up they ended up starting riots, burning houses and killing people. In Brutus’s speech he uses logos and ethos, He starts by saying Caesar was too ambitious to be the leader of Rome. He talks about how he loved Caesar a lot, but he loved Rome more. If he really loved Caesar, why would he join the conspirators? Brutus uses a rhetorical question, saying, “Had you rather Caesar were living, and die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live all free men?”(III,ii,23-24).

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1556 Words | 7 Pages

Antony speaks to the citizens and is able- without angering the people further, making them hate him, or dishonoring Brutus openingly- to convince them that the conspirators are in the wrong. He does this in a number of ways, all proving him to be very convincing and intelligent. Antony helps the people of Rome remember the good Caesar has done for Rome, and reminds them of how he denied the crown offered to him three times. He shows them the body of Caesar, emphasizing the holes and blood, saying, "Look, in this place ran Cassius' dagger through: See what a rent the envious Casca made: Through this the well-beloved Brutus stabb'd;" Act III, Scene II of Julius Caesar.

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960 Words | 4 Pages

During the meeting with the Conspirators at his home, Brutus says to them, “No, not an oath” (II.i.125) because “what other oath” is better “than honesty to honesty engaged” (II.i.137-138). Brutus believes they do not need to pledge an oath because he already thinks they are loyal to Rome and that none of them will “palter”. Even before getting to know the rest of the conspirators, he already assumes that they are all there to plan the assassination of Caesar in order to make Rome a better place. All the conspirators, excluding Brutus, have a personal reason on why they want to kill Caesar, whether it is out of envy or pure hatred, but Brutus does not see that they harbor strong resentment towards Caesar. When the conspirators were talking about killing Caesar, Cassius brings up that they should kill Antony too, but Brutus dismisses that notion by claiming that “Antony is but a limb of Caesar” (II.i.179).

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978 Words | 4 Pages

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar- Rhetorical Analysis In the novel, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by Shakespeare, after Brutus brutally executes Caesar in Act 3 Scene 2, Antony is allowed to give a speech to the people of Rome whom have seen witnessed this fatal tragedy in Scene 3. Antony uses anaphora, connotative diction and details throughout his speech to persuade the Romans to change their perspective of Caesar and Brutus. The way Antony speaks about both Caesar & Brutus are a dispute of what he is actually trying to announce to the Romans. At the end of his speech, Antony hopes to reach the Romans emotionally (pathos) by enraging them against Brutus’s false statements against Caesar.

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949 Words | 4 Pages

Antony wants to remind the Romans that he is credible for speaking of Caesar “that love my friend, and that they know full well, that gave me public leave to speak of him” (III.ii.215-216) Antony uses ethos after telling the Romans everything to convince them in being against that conspirators’ that he can speak of Caesar because he was a close friend of Caesar. Antony convinces the Romans to retribute the conspirators’ for what they have done “In every wound of Caesar that should move the stones of Rome to rise and mutiny” (III.ii.225-226) Antony wants revenge and is convincing the Romans to riot by using pathos. Antony wants the Romans to feel sorry about Caesar’s death “here was a Caesar! When comes such another?”

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754 Words | 4 Pages

In this scene Caesar has been murdered by the conspirators including Brutus. Brutus is one of Caesar's good friends who is driven by honor; who thought Caesar’s ambition was going to be the end of Rome. Antony is a very loyal friend of Caesar’s who does not agree with the conspirators. Brutus and Antony are both smart well thought out characters. They desire to persuade the commoners to their side of the situation.

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717 Words | 3 Pages

“O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth, That I am meek and gentle with these butchers! Thou art the ruins of the noblest man That ever livèd in the tide of times.” Act 3 Scene 1. Antony is genuinely distraught at the sight of Caesar and hates that he must play along with the conspirators in order to gain their trust. Later on Antony realizes that with Caesar gone, this conspirators will be the ones who rule over Rome.

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Antony wanted people to be patient with him. He also says, “When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept: Ambition should be made of sterner stuff” (3.2. 100-101). Antony says this to show that Caesar was a good man who cared about the people. It was also to show that Brutus was wrong when he stated that Caesar was ambitious. Antony makes the citizens feel that the conspirators murder was

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