Blake Brennan
F 9CP2 English
Ms. Bradley
March 23, 2023
Julius Caesar Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Having strong persuasive language will compel people to change their views about a topic. The play Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, follows a group of conspirators and the aftermath of Julius Caesar's assassination. During Caesar's funeral, Brutus, a conspirator, makes a response that manipulates the plebeians' to rebel against Caesar. By saying this, Brutus persuades the plebeians to trust him and not Caesar. However, Caesar’s right-hand man, Mark Antony, does not like the conspirators nor Brutus, so he desires revenge. Throughout Antony's speech, he manipulates the plebeians to avenge Caesar's death and overthrow the conspirators by emphasizing rhetorical strategies like word choice and tone. At the beginning of his speech, Antony tricks the plebeians
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During Caesar's assassination, Brutus delivers the final blow, "the most unkindest cut of all" (3.2.195). The plebeians desire to burn Rome after Antony guilt trips and portray Brutus as a villain. By guilt-tripping, Antony persuades the plebeians to feel bad for siding with Brutus. As the plebeians are listening and getting ready to be let loose, Antony tries to calm them down "Let me not stir you up/ To such a sudden flood of mutiny" (3.2.222-223). He acts like he does not want to get them riled up, but in reality, he wants them to burn Rome. Antony is being two-sided and uses diction to make sure his statement succeeds in working. The room gets quiet, and as Caesar's body gets brought in, Antony exclaims, "Show you sweet Caesar's wounds, poor poor dumb mouths, And bid them speak for me" (3.2.237-238). As Antony wraps up his speech, he lowers his tone and makes the plebeians ashamed of Caesar's death. As Antony finalizes his speech, he lowers his tone, and since the plebeians respect Antony, they do the