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How Is Julius Caesar Effective

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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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