Julius Caesar: Brutus Vs. Antony While the death of a single man may seem upsetting at most, it is actually the sole cause for the fall of Rome. The future of Rome was in the hands of the presenters who provided the funeral speeches from the second that Julius Caesar perished. In his play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare reflects on current powerful events within his time period through the relationships between Julius Caesar, and his two right-hand men: Marcus Brutus and Mark Antony. After Caesar was viciously betrayed by Brutus’s decision to assassinate Caesar, from the influence of a jealous Cassius, Brutus attempts to justify his wrongful actions while Antony successfully rebuttals Brutus’s claims. By highlighting Caesar’s …show more content…
To begin, Antony purposely utilizes specific diction which contributes to his legitimacy when he states, “Come I to speak in Caesar’s funeral. / He was my friend, faithful and just to me…” (Shakespeare 3.2.86-86). Antony's authority can be proven by illustrating his close association and connection with Caesar. Antony offers himself as a reliable source of understanding and insights into Caesar's personality by portraying himself in a way that convinces the audience that the two were close, which therefore establishes credibility among the audience. Furthermore, by underlining Caesar's traits as a loyal friend, Antony implies that the assassin’s acts, including Brutus's, were cruel. Following this deduction, Antony constructs a defense against the murderers of Caesar with the objective of altering the audience's view and inducing empathy for Caesar's tragic end. Next, not only was Antony a close friend of Caesar, but he is an honest man who doesn’t have ulterior motives. Antony further proves his credibility when stating, “I should do Brutus wrong and Cassius wrong… / I will not do them wrong; I rather choose / to wrong the dead…” (Shakespeare 3.2.126-128). Antony’s refusal to speak poorly of Brutus reveals that Antony’s sole desire in giving his funeral speech is to remind the audience of Caesar’s good qualities and attributes, which ultimately convinces them that his death was undeserved. Additionally, Antony develops his credibility through his practice of the Roman virtue, pietas, when he rejects the idea of disrespecting a fellow Roman. Brutus’s approach in convincing the audience of Caesar’s unfair death is seen purely as a way to seek justice for his late best friend. Antony is able to heighten his credibility by intentionally expressing his close friendship with Caesar and exposing his morals within the