ipl-logo

Julius Caesar Rhetorical Analysis

941 Words4 Pages

Rhetoric persuades people to a great extent as it can change their entire mindset. The persuasion and rhetoric in the play, Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, revolves around the idea of Julius Caesar, a powerful leader of Rome, and the plot to kill him. The rhetoric is utilized to add the necessary aspects and views to persuade characters; and engage the audience with elaborate points. The rhetoric of the different characters provides intensity to the arguments being made. Mark Antony convinces the Roman people that the killing of Caesar was a dishonorable act with the use of repetition. This indicates that Antony wants to get the matter across so he restates the same ideas to make sure the people of Rome comprehend them. Far from Antony, …show more content…

Across the play, examples of rhetorical devices and persuasive techniques alter the characters’ opinions on matters. Similar to the purpose of mind control, statements adjusted to be spoken to a crowd of people can influence the overall mindset of individuals. One person’s thoughts can impact many and when the same idea is expressed constantly it will have a greater effect. The model from the play, Julius Caesar, occurs with Antony speaking at the funeral of Julius Caesar after Brutus articulates why the killing of Caesar was not a movement of hate. Mark Antony has the advantage of winning the audience over Brutus because he speaks after him indicating he can use the same statements as him but counter-argue them. He starts his speech by reaching the people’s attention and clarifies that he has come to speak with the …show more content…

To adequately compare Caesar with something of great power that ignores what's beneath them, Cassius analogizes Caesar walking “bestride the narrow world” which articulates his authority roaming the entirety of Rome (1.2.142). As Cassius’ persuasion carries on with his conversation with Brutus he finalizes his rhetorical intellect, with the usage of a simile. Therefore, he names Caesar “like a Colossus'' which signifies a giant (1.2.143). This illustrates his power with rhetoric as he “walks” on the entire civilization. He simplifies how he and Brutus are affected by Caesar’s influence. Also, Cassius describes how they are insignificant people who are beneath the giant Caesar and do not get buried with honor. This ultimately maintains persuasion from Cassius to Brutus because he is constant with the idea that Caesar impairs Rome and its people. This reaches the endpoint, for Cassius is able to overthrow Brutus’ thoughts so he denies maintaining Caesar in

Show More
Related
1498 Words | 6 Pages

Shakespeare exposes the cutthroat politics of Rome through the speeches of Brutus and Antony in his play Julius Caesar. This play epitomizes the benefits of using rhetorical devices in a persuasive speech. Antony applies the modes ethos, logos, and pathos to establish credibility, provide evidence, and evoke emotion throughout his eulogy to Caesar. Preceding Antony’s speech was that of the senator, and friend of Caesar, Brutus. Conclusively, Antony’s use of rhetorical devices surpasses Brutus’s; Antony successfully persuades the crowd that Brutus’s speech posed as a clever ruse to justify his cold-blooded murder.

Read More
850 Words | 4 Pages

He is trying to get the Romans to be angry at the conspirators because of what they did to Julius Caesar. The goal of his speech is to get the schemers caught because of their crimes as well as avenge his friend, Caesar. The intended audience is agreeable with what Antony is telling them. Although the audience is

Read More
911 Words | 4 Pages

Antony, through the use rhetorical devices of diction and verbal irony, develops an argumentation in order to turn the Plebeians against the conspirators and persuade them to avenge Caesar. Specifically, Antony declares, “Have patience, gentle friends, I must not read it; / It is not meet you know how Caesar loved you. / You are not wood, you are not stone, but men; / And, being men, bearing the will of Caesar, / It will inflame you, it will make you mad: / ‘Tis good you know not that you are his heirs; / For, if you should, O, what would come of it!”

Read More
256 Words | 2 Pages

Although at the military camp, the relationship between Brutus and Cassius gets weak due to each other’s unfavorable behaviors. The argument continues

Read More
885 Words | 4 Pages

He continuously says how much Caesar loved the people of Rome, hoping to entice the crowd. Antony yells, “It is not meet you know how Caesar loved you,” (Shakespeare 3.2.138). This reinstates the idea that Caesar loved all the citizens of Rome. Antony knows that if the crowd knows this, it will continue to fuel their rage against the conspirators. The next use of pathos in the speech is Antony’s large story, that is completely fabricated, just to continue his plan of turning the crowd in his favor.

Read More
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.

Read More
558 Words | 3 Pages

His first sentence was this: “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears” (3.2.82). Here, Antony is appealing to the plebeians’ feeling of friendship. His asyndeton involving the words “friends,” “Romans,” and “countrymen” imply that in Antony’s point of view, the plebeians are

Read More
506 Words | 3 Pages

In the Shakespeare play, “Julius Caesar” many types of rhetorical devices are used by numerous characters to persuade the audience. Marc Antony uses all these rhetorical devices to their fullest when talking to a crowd about the murder of Caesar and how these conspirators should be held accountable. The devices that Antony effortlessly crafts into his argument are irony, in the first half of his speech, and the props he uses, in the second half of his speech. Marc Antony uses verbal irony to indirectly led the crowd to new conclusions about the conspirators.

Read More
1062 Words | 5 Pages

Marc Antony, a character in Julius Caesar, a play written by Shakespeare, applies rhetorical devices into most of his lines in the play. He proves this effective when his elaborate plan works out in the end and he emerges the victor. Throughout the play, Marc Antony speaks to a wide number of people and obtains

Read More
617 Words | 3 Pages

The ability to persuade and use rhetoric effectively is one of the most important themes in William Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. Several characters, such as Cassius and Brutus, employ rhetorical strategies. Cassius uses persuasive language to convince Brutus to support his effort to assassinate Caesar. Brutus uses logos in his speech at Caesar's burial to demonstrate rhetoric. The plan thickens as the play progresses, and Brutus, as well as some of the conspirators, become enraged with Julius Caesar.

Read More
897 Words | 4 Pages

The first rhetorical device that Antony uses is ethos. When he steps up in front of the crowd he is faced with a crowd that hates him and his beloved friend Caesar. The layout of this situation is similar to a game of chess

Read More
1426 Words | 6 Pages

Despite the collective dread students often exhibit when hearing the word “Shakespeare,” William Shakespeare’s plays are considered some of history's most renowned pieces of literature and performing art. While some of his masterpieces take on more fictional plotlines, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is a historical play based on the political rivalries and conflicts within the Roman Republic of Ancient Rome. Throughout his plays, Shakespeare utilized several rhetorical techniques to demonstrate character relationships and essential character arcs. In William Shakespeare’s dramatic play Julius Caesar, Shakespearean characters employ rhetorical strategies such as rhetorical questions, appeals to emotion, and classical allusions to facilitate the

Read More
773 Words | 4 Pages

In the play Julius Caesar written by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare creates two speeches projected to the people spoken at Caesar's funeral, in both these monologues the characters use subtle and not so subtle manipulation in order to sway the audience in their favor. The first to speak is Brutus, in which he defends his murder of Caesar. Brutus claims the man was full of dangerous ambition and that if kept alive this ambition would lead to the destruction of Rome.

Read More
606 Words | 3 Pages

Consequently, the people because of their beastly minds, after hearing Anthony’s speech will act chaotically. Thus proving Anthony’s use of rhetoric in Julius Caesar will unleash chaos because the common people are killing mercilessly and recklessly because they are incited by the rhetoric used in his speech. Although the people at times may think they are entitled to their own beliefs and individuality in this play,the people of Rome killing Cinna mercilessly supports a theme of “Mob mentality influences actions” because the people of Rome are acting based off of generalized group belief which is to kill in order to gain justice for Caesar. In conclusion, In the play Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare,the use of rhetoric has a greater power than it is in itself,but the use of rhetoric is manipulated by two deceiving men Cassius and

Read More
617 Words | 3 Pages

Sydney Stone Mrs. Paul English 10A 16 October 2017 Rhetorical Analysis Essay William Shakespeare, a very famous writer, tells the story of Julius Caesar. In his play, Marc Antony delivers a powerful speech that uses many different rhetorical devices, appeals, and different styles of writing. Some of these include repetition, rhetorical questions, pathos, logos, ethos, and diction. These help enhance Marc Antony’s speech by persuading the audience towards considering that Caesar was a good man.

Read More

More about Julius Caesar Rhetorical Analysis

Related Topics

Open Document