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Analysis of mark antony soliloquy
Analysis of mark antony soliloquy
Rhetoric in julius caesar
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Analysis of mark antony soliloquy
Analysis of mark antony soliloquy
Rhetoric in julius caesar
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Recommended: Analysis of mark antony soliloquy
Among many different rhetorical devices, Antony mainly used pathos. Pathos evokes people's emotions to become fragile. “My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar” (Stanza 4). Antony uses this to encourage the people of Rome to grieve the loss of Caesar because he is hurting too.
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!”
Julius Caesar lived around 100 BC to 44 BC. In his early life he had great ambitions to lead Rome into another Golden age but like all dreams, you have to put in the work to get there. So at an early age he joined the Roman Army to gain more knowledge about the battlefield. While in the army, Julius had much praise because he had saved his comrade. When Julius left the army he thought that it would be better if he went to Italy to increase his intellect and his rhetorical skills.
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.
(weeps) (3.2.116-117) In this moment, Antony is appealing to the plebeians’ sense of compassion. He is showing his intimacy and love for Caesar while discrediting the conspirators at the same time. He uses a pun on the word “brutish” and the name “Brutus,” creating the implication that the conspirators are uncivilized animals pretending to be honest. Antony also uses a hyperbole with his heart and the coffin of Caesar to emphasize his immense sorrow and longing for his friend.
By refusing to read the will several times and admitting that what it contains will cause the people to have such a great love for Caesar that knowing he is now dead will be unbearable, Antony ignites curiosity in the people and furthermore, a subconscious feeling of respect and graciousness toward Caesar. Basically, Antony uses Caesar’s will to convince the people that Caesar was a selfless, kind-hearted man and those who killed him should be ashamed and punished for killing an innocent man. Through Antony’s use of paralipsis, he is able to plant a seed of admiration for Caesar and one of hate for the conspirators in the hearts of the plebeians. In his speech to the citizens, Antony also asks many rhetorical questions to cause his audience to pause and reflect on how they really feel, or how Antony wants them to feel, about certain people and events that have recently become important. In one instance.
In Antony’s speech to the people, he speaks about Caesar over his dead body. His words make the commoners feel something, as opposed to Brutus,
His acknowledgement of Brutus saying “[Caesar] was ambitious” (III.ii.82) followed immediately by his saying that Brutus “is an honorable man” (III.ii.83) repetitively shows the crowd that Antony is ungrateful for the conspirators allegedly saving Rome. This repetition becomes sarcastic, creating an ungrateful feeling throughout the crowd. He also repeats good traits of Caesar, including how “He was [Antony’s] friend, faithful and just to [Antony]” (III.ii.81) which establishes an emotional connection between him and the citizens. He uses aposiopesis to display how the assassination has affected him, once again using emotion to persuade the crowd to see the murder the same way he views it. He reminds the citizens that “when that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept” (III.ii.87) which establishes another emotional connection between the fallen leader and the
In William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Portia delivers a powerful speech to her husband Brutus, urging him to confide in her and share the weight of his secret plan to assassinate Caesar. Portia’s speech is a masterful display of persuasive language, as she employs rhetorical strategies to appeal to Brutus’ sense of honor and duty. This essay will analyze the rhetorical devices used in Portia’s speech and their effectiveness in convincing Brutus to trust her. Portia’s speech begins with an appeal to Brutus’ sense of duty and responsibility as her husband.
Early on in the speech Antony begins frustratedly: You all did love him once, not without cause: What cause withholds you then, to mourn for him? Oh judgment!
This pulls on the pathos of the audience because the rhetorical question pulls on their conscience. Their conscience is questioning whether the murder of Caesar is justifiable, since he was not all the ambitious according to Antony. This allows for Antony to take advantage of the easily pliable minds in the audience and flip their introspections to vanquish the conspirators. Shakespeare uses the repetition of the word ambitious in Antony’s speech to instigate the plebeians, and fill their minds with enough doubts to get them to rebel against the conspirators. Talking about how Caesar refused the crown three times at the Luperical, Antony proclaims, “Which he did thrice refuse; was this ambition. /Yet
Within Antony’s speech to the Romans he uses anaphoric text to spike a whirl of rage towards Brutus. Repeatedly Antony states “Brutus is an honorable man” emphatically for the duration of his speech to contradict Brutus’s nobility ( March Antony, Lines 83,88,95 ). Before Antony begins his speech he is approached by the Romans with comments to not speak bad on Brutus’s name, which is why he utilized the anaphora to repeat that Brutus is an honorable man therefore allowing him to gain the Romans trust to speak. Antony does not say these lines truthfully but sarcastically to make the people of Rome feel furious against Brutus for taking Caesar to his mortal death.
By emphasizing certain words such as "honorable" in his speech, Antony manages to create a persuasive effect that leads the audience to view Caesar and his supporters as victims deserving of justice. In Act III, Scene II, Antony alludes to Brutus and his co-conspirators as "honorable men," yet continuously undermines their honor. He highlights their betrayal of Caesar and their disregard for Caesar's loyalty to Rome, ultimately leading the crowd to question their true intentions. This use of charged language and deliberate emphasis is a crucial factor in Antony's ability to sway the opinions of
In Shakespeare's writing, Hamlet, he conveys underlying meanings, morals, and lessons through his storyline. He exemplifies the betrayal and changes that his characters experience. Shakespeare gives prime scenarios of this betrayal and personality changes. The themes of Hamlet give insight into the world Shakespeare lived in and the things he may have experienced. Hamlet displays the themes of betrayal, morality, and the value of sanity.
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.