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Julius Caesar Rhetorical Devices Essay

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Rhetorical devices are the fundamentals needed for persuasion. Authors incorporate rhetorical devices by appealing to logic, emotion, and ethics through ethos, logos, and pathos. Such rhetorical devices are seen throughout many Shakespearean plays. In William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, rhetorical devices such as Antony’s speech, are used to persuade the Roman people to go against Brutus and the conspiracy and start a rebellion. The opening rhetorical device seen in Julius Caesar is ethos, which is used to convince someone of another person's character or trustworthiness. In Antony’s oration at Caesar’s funeral, Antony uses ethos to establish credibility for Brutus. The first glimpse of ethos in Antony’s speech is in the line, “The noble …show more content…

Logos is used to convey a message with supported reasoning and factual information. Logos appears in Antony’s speech to prove that Caesar's death was unjustifiable. The first example of logos is when Antony states, “ I thrice presented him a kingly crown, which he thrice refuse, was this ambition?” (III.ii.47) This quotes takes the audience back to act 1 scene 2. In this scene Antony presents a “kingly” crown to Caesar, at which he declines all three times. Antony adds this example to show that since Caesar denied the crown he is refusing to accept power, hard work, and authority. Thus making him an unambitious person. The second example of logos in the oration is when Antony states, “ When that the poor have cried Caesar hath wept” (III.ii.47). This statement is very logical of Antony since it connects the audience to Caesar wept for to the audience due to the fact that they aren’t the richest people in Rome. Through this connection the audience gets the implication that Caesar cared and had sympathy for them so his death was wrongful and savage. Although Caesar had his flaw, he can be considered a “good” person who cared for others and was not always power hungry. Thus Caesar death can be seen now by the Roman citizens as a brutal murder without reason, making the conspirators motives

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Fourth, logos was also used in Julius Caesar. Shakespeare writes “he was ambitious, I slew him (III, ii, 25-26) Brutus seeks to demonstrate that the assassination was planned action based oh that fact it would have been good of Rome. Before the citizens were cheering Caesar now Brutus.

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945 Words | 4 Pages

Brutus and Antony both have several examples of ethos in their speeches but Antony’s are more convincing. First of all, Antony establishes his credibility by leveling himself with the crowd he’s speaking to. “Shall I descend? and will you give me leave?” (3.2.117)

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In William Shakespeare’s tragedy Julius Caesar, Mark Antony uses rhetorical devices such as paralipsis, rhetorical questions, and verbal irony in his speech to the plebeians in order to plot them against the conspirators. During his speech to the plebians, Antony uses paralipsis in order to kindle curiosity and interest in the audience. Antony mentions to the plebians that he had Caesar’s will with him but tells them, “Have patience, gentle friends, I must not read it; It is not meet you know how much Caesar loved you” (3.2.152-153). By drawing attention to Caesar’s will, something Antony desperately wants to show the plebeians, but then dismissing the idea of reading it, Antony uses a type of verbal irony called paralipsis. Antony is aware that the contents

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789 Words | 4 Pages

William Shakespeare, in his tragedy Julius Caesar, uses the rhetorical devices of a rhetorical question, repetition of the word “ambitious,” and a direct reference in Antony 's speech to persuade the plebeians to rebel against the conspirators. Antony appeals to the pathos, ethos, and logos of the audience to get them to exile the conspirators. Shakespeare uses a rhetorical question in Antony’s speech to get the plebeians to notice the wrongdoings of the conspirators and excite them to revolt. Antony discusses the economic dominance and vigor that Caesar brought to Rome, and with sarcasm he states, “Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?” (3.2.99).

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437 Words | 2 Pages

At the funeral, both of Caesar’s friends, Brutus and Antony, made a speech. In Brutus’s speech he was very concise and was saying that he did it all for Rome. Brutus used logos and ethos in his speech. To fortify his speech, he used logos which is logic and reason. In his speech, he says listen to my reasons and he goes onto his reasons that Caesar would have become ambitious and enslaved them all.

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704 Words | 3 Pages

William Shakespeare, in his tragedy Julius Caesar, uses the rhetorical devices of a rhetorical question, repetition of the word ambitious, and direct reference in Antony 's speech to instigate the plebeians and persuade them to rebel against the conspirators. Antony pulls on the pathos, ethos, and logos of the audience to get them to exile the conspirators. Shakespeare uses a rhetorical question in Antony’s speech to get the plebeians to notice the wrongdoings of the conspirators and excite them to rebel. Antony discusses the money that Caesar left to the countrymen, and with sarcasm he states, “Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?” (3.2.99).

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978 Words | 4 Pages

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.

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Antony wants to remind the Romans that he is credible for speaking of Caesar “that love my friend, and that they know full well, that gave me public leave to speak of him” (III.ii.215-216) Antony uses ethos after telling the Romans everything to convince them in being against that conspirators’ that he can speak of Caesar because he was a close friend of Caesar. Antony convinces the Romans to retribute the conspirators’ for what they have done “In every wound of Caesar that should move the stones of Rome to rise and mutiny” (III.ii.225-226) Antony wants revenge and is convincing the Romans to riot by using pathos. Antony wants the Romans to feel sorry about Caesar’s death “here was a Caesar! When comes such another?”

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Antony is using physical evidence, in the form of a will ‘created’ by Caesar, to sway the Romans to his side and even though the evidence is fake, it still is evidence to the people and is making the them ponder how someone who is said to be ambitious could be so generous therefore fostering a reason for the Romans to stir themselves up to mutiny. Antony is using direct evidence so that the plebeians, who are simple people, have an observable object that they can see so they have physical proof of Caesar’s goodness therefore proving that Antony’s usage of logos is the most effective reversing the intense hatred the had against Caesar to an absolute devotion to

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791 Words | 4 Pages

In this quote, Antony is talking about the cuts in caesar and what person made them, This is a example of logos because, He is showing the audience all of the cuts trying to make them feels bad for Antony because he was his friend. Which also makes them not like Brutus because he is one of the people that killed

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The appeals in Antony’s speech were persuasively better than the use of them in Brutus’s speech. Marc Antony uses all three appeals in his speech to make a very sturdy argument. An example of logos in his speech is when he states, “He hath brought many captives home to Rome Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill: Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?” This speech is Antony stating facts of Caesar’s work which proves that he is not ambitious and does not deserve to be killed. Antony also uses ethos and pathos when he says, “He was my friend, faithful and just to me.”

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884 Words | 4 Pages

Brutus delivers his speech in a laudatory manner by conveying Caesar’s deeds and claiming he was ambitious, although Antony contradicts Brutus’ claims and says Caesar spurned the crown with the intent to merely rule as a de facto dictator. Brutus’ speech reveals his motives were truly for the benefit of Rome given his nationalistic tone and Antony’s speech was merely used to obscure his true motives, which was to embroil Rome in a series of civil wars to attain power. Brutus and Antony’s speeches consisted predominantly of Pathos and Ethos, but it is Antony who ultimately it is Antony who prevails because of his almost disingenuous attitude and even use of Logos which is seen when claims that reading Caesar’s will would dishonor his compeers and even Caesar

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The murder of Caesar was not noble nor honorable. He had murdered a really good friend. He didn’t want the crowd to believe that Brutus murdered Caesar for them and that he had other motives. Antony was able to effectively use logos to his advantage throughout his whole argument and was able to deliver his message in a very strong, emotional and logical

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755 Words | 4 Pages

In the play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar one of the main characters Caesar is killed in Scene 3 act 2.Then Brutus and Antony both give speeches about how bad they feel. Brutus gives a good speech by using all three of the rhetorical appeals to persuade the crowd to want to listen to what he say by using logos,ethos,pathos to his advantage. Brutus gives a better speech that draws the audience attention,Antony not as much. Therefor here are some very valid points on why Brutus’s speech used the Rhetorical Appeals better.

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Antony then steps up to the plate to give his speech. “The noble Brutus hath told you Caesar was ambitious… He hath brought many captives home to Rome Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill: did this in Caesar seem ambitious? When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept:... I thrice presented him a kingly crown, Which he thrice refuse: was this ambition?”

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