Why Is Julius Caesar Ambitious

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In Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, Antony implicitly challenges Brutus’ defense of why he killed Caesar by imparting a message of the humility and goodness of Caesar to the plebeians most effectively through the use logos, or reason, through explanations and physical evidence. For example, Antony began his speech with examples of how Caesar wasn’t ambitious, as Brutus suggested, by bringing up an occasion that the plebeians witnessed of when“on the Lupercal I thrice presented him a kingly crown, which he did thrice refuse. Was this ambition? Yet Brutus says he was ambitious” (Shakspeare 3.2. 97-100). Antony gives several other examples of the exact reasons why Caesar isn’t guilty, but this is most impactful one because the people personally saw Caesar rejecting the crown therefore making it a testimony of Caesar that he could never have the traits of always trying to add to his power since he …show more content…

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