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Rhetorical Devices Used In Julius Caesar

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Great speakers words over time been imbedded in history for their amazing and captivating speeches. To do this, speakers often use different devices to hook their audience and get their point across. In the historic play Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare is a story about a heroic and noble man who is betrayed by his own senators, some were even his close friends. After his untimely death Brutus has to give a speech to the people as to why he betrayed his friend and take his life from him. However Caesar still has Antony, who gives a fantastic speech whilst staying in the boundaries set by the conspirators. Antony paints a vivid picture of the bad people the conspirators really are and sway the audience in his favor. However, not all speeches …show more content…

They both use empathy and rhetorical questions to pull in their audience. For example, Brutus asks “Who here so base that would be a bondman… who here is so rude not to be a Roman? (JC 3.2.21-23). Not only does Brutus use a rhetorical question as a technique he also questions the patriotism of the people for how loyal they are to Rome. Antony also uses rhetorical questions to sway his crowd when he asks “He hath brought many captives home from Rome... Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill: did this in Caesar seem ambitious?” (JC 3.2.16-18). Antony’s question make them actually think conspirators, are the conspirators good? Antony did this not only to stay in the guidelines but also to make the audience realize that they are not good people. However, they both used rhetorical questions to try to persuade their audiences and make them think on their …show more content…

Well true it may be good in some amounts but the amount of repetition Brutus uses is way over the top. He reminds the crowd of how nobel he is how honorable he is, how much valor he has, and how much he loves Rome. But he says it was to much, he uses it so much that it make some audicance feel like they are being dumbed or their intelligence is being questioned. It is good to use repetition to stick but Brutus uses way to much that it makes the audience feel dumb and they might feel like they are being stepped on, the audience might even zone off and not pay attention that is why it is important to use rhetorical questions in moderation. Antony however only uses just enough to hook and engage the audience and spreads out what he has to stay so it is easy to

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Antony the Rhetorician In William Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar, there are a few rhetoricians who used their speaking skills to trick others into accomplishing their plan. First, Cassius used his speaking skills to convince Brutus to join the conspiracy. Then, Brutus used his abilities to convince the people of Rome that killing Caesar was the right and only thing to do for them. Finally, Antony used his rhetoric to convince the crowds, who just accepted what Brutus told them, to turn against the conspirators, now called traitors, and kill them. Out of these rhetoricians, Cassius, Brutus, and Antony, Antony was the best.

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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.

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Now the difference between the use of rhetorical questions in these speeches is that Antony's was used effectively, he worded it in such a way that stirred feelings as well as made them think. Brutus, on the other hand, only appealed to logic and talking to the citizens in such a way that almost offended them. Brutus says “Who is here so Vile that will not love his country?”. This is a rhetorical question that is weak because it is offending people in a way of making them feel bad if they don't love Rome with a burning passion. This isn't effective because the only thing this could do is make the romans feel as if they are being attacked.

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Antony’s speech is strong because he uses emotionally charged rhetoric in order to manipulate with the position of the audience. At the beginning of the speech the audience stands completely by the Brutus’s side: Fourth Citizen: “Twere best he speak no harm of Brutus here”. First Citizen: “This Caesar was a tyrant” (Act III, scene II). Antony’s speech begins by justifying the actions of Brutus. It seems so because the speaker uses the device of contrast: I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.

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Mark Antony is trying to win over the people of Rome by his very effective use of rhetoric. In his speech, his overall point is to persuade the Roman citizens that Brutus’s claim of Caesar being ambitious is not true. Antony’s use of rhetorical devices such as a rhetorical question give the people a good message. When he is telling them that Caesar brought many captives to Rome, he asks, “Did this in Caesar seem ambitious” (3.2.18). Antony’s rhetorical question was very effective since he is making the people question Brutus’s claim.

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There are many twists, turns, ups, and downs in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. Many characters impacted the opinions of the citizens, some more than others. After Caesar's murder, the conspirators allowed Antony to speak after Brutus at the funeral under a few conditions. While following these conditions Antony had a much larger impact than Brutus on the citizens. The tone in Antony's speech in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare is passionate, Shakespeare proves this through his use of rhetorical questions and reverse psychology in order to change the citizens opinion of Brutus and Caesar.

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Antony is not looking for an answer, he is making the plebeians notice how they might have been wrong about the way they view Caesar. This is the point of his rhetorical question. This contributes to 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 at all 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.

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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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The Tragedy of Julius Caesar- Rhetorical Analysis In the novel, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by Shakespeare, after Brutus brutally executes Caesar in Act 3 Scene 2, Antony is allowed to give a speech to the people of Rome whom have seen witnessed this fatal tragedy in Scene 3. Antony uses anaphora, connotative diction and details throughout his speech to persuade the Romans to change their perspective of Caesar and Brutus. The way Antony speaks about both Caesar & Brutus are a dispute of what he is actually trying to announce to the Romans. At the end of his speech, Antony hopes to reach the Romans emotionally (pathos) by enraging them against Brutus’s false statements against Caesar.

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Antony’s Speech Using Rhetorical Appeals In William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, after Caesar’s death, the Romans are conflicted about what should be done. After Brutus’ speech the Romans are ready to crown Brutus king and be on the conspirators’ side. Though Brutus then leaves the crowd while Antony delivers his speech, the crowd realizes what should be done of Caesar’s murder and Antony prevents the conspirators from getting away with the murder of Caesar.

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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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In Cassius’s eloquent speech against Caesar, he primarily utilizes persuasion through tools such as pathos, rhetorical questions, and compare and contrast. Cassius uses pathos to begin his monologue when he claims, “I know that virtue be in you, Brutus, / As well as I do know your outward favor” (Shakespeare 1.2.95-96). By expressing that Brutus has “virtue” and “outward favor”, Cassius appeals to Brutus’s emotions, but not to an exaggerated extent. This emotional appeal is a persuasion technique because it is used in moderation and in pertinent locations. The context is appropriate since rather than using it as a tool to feed on Brutus’s emotions, Cassius only uses it to get Brutus’s attention as an appropriate hook.

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Marcus Junius Brutus and Mark Antony both deliver speeches to justify the death of Julius Caesar in 44 BCE and both use Logos and Ethos to convince the Roman citizens to join their sides. Both sides deliver their speeches with vehemence and start by elucidating why Brutus killed Caesar to begin with, why Antony’s desire for revenge is justified, and what the future of Rome will be because of his death. Antony teases the citizens of Rome with the will of Caesar that he holds in hand and claims it will dishonor Brutus and the other conspirators and is also one of his vital uses of Ethos in his speech. Most of the citizens, if not all of them side with Antony and will most likely help him accede to a great title of power in the future and also betray Brutus because of what Antony has them believe, i.e. an ignoble assassin. Brutus and Antony 's speeches were both compelling, although Antony´s speech was more successful, but it is because he was able to manipulate the people of Rome with

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Brutus uses Pathos most out of all of the three Rhetorical appeals. He tries to use the crowds and the reader’s emotions to win their heart. As Brutus talks to the crowded they are very angry,so Brutus starts off by trying to cool them down. ”Be patient till the

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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.

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