Julius Caesar Rhetorical Analysis Essay

William Shakespeare’s plays are considered some of history's most renowned pieces of literature and 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 that occurred within the Roman Republic of ancient Rome. Throughout his plays, Shakespeare utilized several rhetorical techniques to demonstrate character relationships and important character arcs. In William Shakespeare’s dramatic play Julius Caesar, Shakespearean characters’ employment of rhetorical strategies such as rhetorical questions, appeals to emotion, and classical allusions facilitate the shifts of other characters’ perceptions. Cassius describes how he and Brutus measure

On the contrary, Cassius compares himself to the noble hero Aeneas, emphasizing how Caesar’s lack of swimming skills make him dependent on Cassius, and by proxy Brutus, whose swimming skills can also be inferred. By feeding Brutus the idea that Caesar is merely a dependent without true survival skills, Cassius presents Brutus with the idea that Caesar is below him, inflating Brutus’s sense of self and upending the societal respect expected between Brutus and Caesar. After comparing Brutus’s, Cassius’s, and Caesar's childhoods, Cassius’s skepticism for Caesar’s achievements is highlighted when he states, “Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world/ Like a Colossus, and we petty men/ Walk under his huge legs and peep about/ To find ourselves dishonorable graves” (Shakespeare 1.2.142-145). Through Cassius’s allusion to the Colossus, a statue that casts smothering shadows with its height, Cassius exposes the unfair way that people of the same upbringings and talents are overlooked in comparison to Caesar simply because he is favored to receive the

Additionally, Mark Antony’s speech at Julius Caesar’s burial demonstrates his proficiency at complex political manipulation which upends Roman society’s perception of Caesar. Describing his personal experiences with Caesar, Antony recounts that “[Caesar] was my friend, faithful and just to me./ But Brutus says he was ambitious,/ And Brutus is an honorable man” (Shakespeare 3.2.94-96). He goes further, stating that “[he] thrice presented him a kingly crown,/ Which [Caesar] did thrice refuse.Yet Brutus says he was ambitious,/ And, sure, he is an honorable man” (Shakespeare 3.2.105-108). Mark Antony skillfully pairs the words “friend” and “faithful” with alliteration to utilize their benevolent connotations and attach these characteristics to Caesar. Specifically, hearing Antony, a triumvir of high social class, describe Caesar creates conflicting perceptions of Caesar. Furthermore, Mark Antony’s repetition of building up Caesar’s character through his personal experiences and discrediting it highlights the trust the people have put into Brutus’s word under the impression that he has honorable qualities and therefore is completely