Julius Caesar Rhetorical Analysis Essay

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

“You have some sick offense within your mind” (Shakespeare 2.1.283-288). Utilizing a hypophora, Portia emphasizes her knowledge of Brutus’s persona and habits by calling out his odd behavior of being outside at night. Furthermore, her ability to learn these habits highlights their close relationship, their time together, and how closely their lives are intertwined, a partnership typically unheard of in Roman society, where women were often deemed as less than their partners. In addition, Portia also appeals to Brutus’s emotions by referring to him as “my Brutus” to remind Brutus of their connection to one another. Thus, Portia convinces him to divulge information by reminding him of their trusting relationship. Providing a retort to Brutus’s sudden praise for her own character, Portia questions how “[it is] excepted I should know no secrets/ That appertain to you?.Dwell I but in the/ suburbs/ Of your good pleasure? If it be no more, Portia is Brutus’ harlot, not his wife” (Shakespeare 2.1.302-310). Utilizing rhetorical questions, Portia highlights her understanding of how Brutus values her and their relationship by insinuating she is a harlot, a

Through his rhetorical question, Antony also reinforces the skepticism building in the plebeians. Antony further appeals to the Roman people’s emotions through the connotation of “wept” and “cries,” suggesting that Caesar felt deeply for the Plebeian plight. Thus, Mark Antony created an image of a compassionate and empathetic individual that greatly conflicted with the ambitious and stoic character previously accepted by the Romans. In conclusion, Shakespeare’s characters effectively use the rhetorical devices of rhetorical questions, emotional appeals, and classical allusion to challenge their old perceptions of social expectations in Roman society. Cassius convincing Brutus of Caesar’s incapacities, Portia convincing Brutus of her trustworthiness to reveal his secrets, and Mark Anthony convincing the people to turn against the conspirators were but a few significant shifts within the plot of Julius Caesar that led to Caesar’s assassination and the subsequent conflict between Mark Anthony and