Julius Caesar Rhetorical Analysis Essay

Emir Jusic

Kessler

English II

6 february 2023

The death of brutus “ A city on fire then the world”. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is a classic play written by William Shakespeare, which depicts the events leading to the assassination of Julius Caesar and the defeat of the conspirators in the Battle of Philippi. The play is primarily centered around Marcus Brutus and his inner struggle between honor, patriotism, ego, and friendship. In order to understand Brutus as a Tragic Hero, it is important to consider the key characteristics of this type of protagonist. A Tragic Hero is of high social rank, such as a king, prince, or general, and must have a tragic flaw, an error in judgment or character defect that they often do not realize until

Throughout his speech, Brutus makes use of rhetorical questions to appeal to the emotions of the crowd. He asks the people of Rome to consider whether Caesar was ambitious, to which the crowd responds that he was. Brutus then asks whether it is nobler to let Caesar live and let the consequences fall where they may or to take arms against a sea of troubles and end them (3.2.13-16). This rhetorical question effectively portrays Brutus as a man of noble character, acting in the best interest of Rome. Moreover, Brutus also makes use of parallel structure in his speech. He repeats the phrase "not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more" (3.2.21) multiple times to emphasize his patriotism and to gain the sympathy of the crowd. In contrast, Antony's speech also uses rhetorical questions but focuses more on repetition. He repeatedly states that "Brutus is an honorable man" (3.2.82-87) to slowly erode the trust of the crowd in Brutus's actions. He also makes use of repetition to further emphasize his own credibility and to establish his control over the

“Then fall caesar” (3,1,77). Brutus’ speech is characterized by its use of ethos, while Antony’s speech uses pathos and logos. Brutus’ speech is primarily based on his credibility and the moral responsibility he feels to explain the events to the people. On the other hand, Antony’s speech relies on emotional appeals and logical arguments to sway the people. One of the most prominent rhetorical strategies used by Brutus is repetition. In his speech, Brutus repeats the phrase “not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more” (3.2.21). He repeats this phrase to emphasize his loyalty to the Roman Republic and to explain why he was compelled to participate in the assassination of Caesar. This repetition helps to create an impact on the audience and makes Brutus’ argument more persuasive. Another rhetorical strategy used by Brutus is parallel structure. In his speech, Brutus uses a series of parallel phrases to emphasize the reasoning behind the assassination. He says, “Had you rather Caesar were living and died all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live all free men?” (3.2.20-21). The repetition of the word “rather” and the parallel structure of the sentences highlight Brutus’ argument that the assassination was necessary to preserve the freedom of the Roman