...Who Said It Better? Julius Caesar, a play driven by persuasion, is known for rhetorical devices used by many prominent characters to sway one another. The use of rhetorical devices can be seen in the monologues of Marc Antony and Brutus during Caesar’s funeral. Though both executed rhetorical devices well, Marc Antony’s use of emotions made his monologue more successful in convincing and riling the crowds. He uses his sympathy, strategy and devices to his advantage. To begin, Marc Antony’s speech was more personal and emotional rather than cold and rehearsed. He opens his speech with, “Friends, Romans and Working men…”(Shakespeare.3.2). Marc Antony uses this opening to join everyone together. Unlike Brutus, who is speaking above the crowd,...
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...Rhetorical Devices in Julius Caesar “There’s not a nobler man in Rome than Antony” (Shakespeare 3.2.134). This is a great example to represent the huge effect that Mark Antony’s speech had on the citizens of Rome. In Rome, Italy during 44 B.C., all the citizens of Rome were gathered together for the funeral of Julius Caesar after his tragic death. Characters Brutus and Mark Antony both delivered a speech at this event sharing their thoughts and opinions on Julius Caesar before and after his death. There was a very clear distinction to determine who had the most powerful speech. This character was Mark Antony. Shakespeare’s character Mark Antony delivers as very powerful speech after the death of Julius Caesar to sway the beliefs of the Plebeians in the right direction. Mark Antony had such a huge effect on the crowd by cleverly...
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...Avery Jarosh Rhetorical Device Essay In the play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, Antony speaks at Caesar’s funeral and uses this time to persuade the people to ignore Brutus’s speech and prove that the Conspirators should pay for their crime by speaking positively of the conspirators. In President Bush’s Address on 9/11, President Bush tried to explain that as a country, we will remain united and strong, also that we are going to do everything possible to find the terrorists and punish them for their evil acts. Both of these speeches use pathos to be more effective reaching out to the people and get them on board. In Julius Caesar, Shakespeare uses many examples of pathos to get the public to feel a greater connection with Antony as he is giving his speech at Caesar’s funeral. One example is when Antony’s “heart is in the coffin there with Caesar/And [Antony] must pause till it [comes] back”(Shakespeare 132). When the public is able to see see an emotional side of a person, it is a shock. Most upper class are stoics and when Antony starts to break down, it makes them feel as if they can connect with him. His “heart in the coffin with Caesar” shows that when Caesar was killed, a part of him was also killed and the public sympathizes with him, Shakespeare uses these words to emphasize the emotional attachment Antony has with Caesar. Also, when Antony tells the people that “When the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept”(Shakespeare 131), he is trying to...
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...and distrust of others’ motives and intentions are left”-Unknown. In the play “Julius Caesar” Antony uses the rhetorical devices ethos,pathos, and logos to help persuade the people of Rome to trust him. He tugs at the Roman’s heart strings when he explains how amazing and thoughtful Caesar was. He says examples of how he put Rome and the Roman people before anything else and how devastating it is now that he was murdered. He tells stories about him helping the starving and hungry people of Rome and how their unhappiness and sorrow reflected on him.He repeatedly stated that Brutus was an honorable man, but his actions were wrong and that Rome has lost an honourable and devoting leader. This, without a doubt, shows his amazing use of pathos throughout his speech. He makes the people of Rome trust what he saying by stating honourable facts about Caesar which shows the usage of both ethos and logos. Antony uses the rhetorical device ethos to help him persuade the people of Rome to trust him. One way he uses...
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...brilliant play, Julius Caesar he discusses the tragic and brutal death of Julius Caesar. After this tragedy, Mark Antony and Marcus Brutus hold a ‘funeral’ for Caesar. Both Mark Antony and Marcus Brutus are close friends of Julius Caesar. But, Marcus Brutus turns on Caesar, Brutus and a group of conspirators stab Caesar multiple times, resulting in his death. Brutus overall is not loyal to Julius Caesar. During both Mark Antony and Marcus Brutus’ speeches during Act III, Scene ii of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, both conveyed a life changing point about Caesar's death, but, Mark Antony by far gave the better speech, through the use of pathos and rhetorical questions to show his honesty,...
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...Was Brutus’s or Antony’s speech more effective at Caesar’s funeral? In Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar, Brutus was a Roman politician who used to be Julius Caesar’s best friend back then, but some tragic things happened. Such as Brutus getting manipulated by Cassius (a Roman senator who was against Caesar), joining a conspiracy group, stabbing poor Caesar, and then telling all the Roman citizens that Caesar was ambitious at his own funeral because he feared he would destroy Rome. While on the other hand, Antony was a Roman general who was a real friend of Caesar. After Caesar's death, he took on the role of being a leader and stood up for him at his funeral. At the funeral where both Brutus and Antony spoke, Antony was a better eulogist. He used more...
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...playscript Julius Caesar, written by the famed Shakespeare, is notable for its riveting plot, thoughtfully-planned characters, and most of all its use of rhetorical devices and persuasive appeal. Following the assassination of Julius Caesar, two funeral speeches are given at the leader’s memorial- one by Brutus, who was a main conspirator against Caesar, and one by Caesar’s closest friend, Antony. Within Antony’s speech, the mourning friend of the late leader of Rome uses multiple strategies to win the public over in support of Caesar, including pathos, aposiopesis, and rhetorical questions. By effectively doing so, Antony establishes himself as a successful orator and the majority of the Roman republic began to believe in Caesar’s...
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...envious conspirators against Caesar, for they all wanted was their time to shine. In the tragedy, Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare the close ‘friends’ of Caesar form a conspiracy to plan his murder. Their dissatisfaction and covetousness of his single handed rule set the stage for the revolutionary action to take place; the murder of the emperor, Julius Caesar. The scheming Cassius, praising Decius, and dedicated Antony all use a labyrinthine combination of rhetorical devices and modes of persuasion to coerce their victims into their desires of either the death of Caesar or the condemnation of the conspirators....
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...Summary of Mark Antony’s Speech In William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, there is a character named Mark Antony, he gives a speech at Julius Caesar’s funeral. People consider this speech to be one of the most finest and most remembered lines written by Shakespeare. This speeches main function was used to invalidate Brutus’s convincing statement of how Caesar actually died, Antony also wanted to shift the mood of the crowd. Mark Antony knew that Brutus had made the crowd believe that the death of Caesar was going to be most beneficial towards Rome. Brutus had just finished giving his speech on what had happened to Caesar and it was Mark Antony’s turn to address the crowd and he knew that he would have to hold a neutral ground at first to gain some support of the “plebeians” in line 75, Antony says, “ I have come to bury Caesar, not to praise him”. Antony then begins to talk about how Caesar is remembered by his bad deeds, but then he goes forth and addresses them on how Caesar also did good things he had done. “The evil that men do lives after them, the good is oft interred with their bones…” in this quote Mark Antony uses a literary device called personification and in this quote Antony personifies the attributes of good and evil. Antony also uses another device called reiteration to suit a common person’s emotion. Antony keeps on repeating “Brutus is an honorable man”. However Antony uses a sarcastic tone whenever he mentions these words. Antony returns again and again...
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...A rhetorical question is a figure of speech in the form of a question that is asked in order to make a point. The question is used as a rhetorical device, posed for the sake of encouraging its listener to consider a message or viewpoint. Though these are technically questions, they do not always require a question mark. For example, the question "Can't you do anything right?" is asked not to gain information about the ability of the person being spoken to, but rather to insinuate that the person always fails. While sometimes amusing and even humorous, rhetorical questions are rarely meant for pure, comedic effect. A carefully crafted question can, if delivered well, persuade an audience to believe in the position(s) of the speaker. In simple terms, it is a question asked more to produce an effect than to summon an answer. Negative assertions Often a rhetorical question is intended as a challenge, with the implication that the question is difficult or impossible to answer. Thus the question functions as a negative assertion. For example, What have the Romans ever done for us? (Monty Python's Life of Brian) should be read as The Romans have never done anything for us. Similarly, when Shakespeare lets Mark Antony exclaim: Here was a Caesar! when comes such another? (Julius Caesar, Act 3, scene 2, 257), it functions as an assertion that Caesar possessed rare qualities that may not be seen again for a long time, if ever. Such negative assertions may function as positives...
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...in Shakespeare’s play ‘Julius Caesar’ and Phyllida Lloyd’s film ‘The Iron Lady’. The personal and public displays of one’s personality can cause the audience to develop a sense of confliction. In ‘Julius Caesar’, Caesar was portrayed as a man who was loved by the populace of Rome, but the target of jealousy of the conspirators as those who achieve greatness in society become the target of those who are incapable of emulating their achievements. The masses admiration for Caesar was the result of his successes as a politician and military general. This outlook of Caesars popularity with the common people is demonstrated in the opening scene as people made ‘holiday to see Caesar and rejoice in his triumph’ after annihilating the sons of Pompey. The audience is left to question whether or not the conspirators really did have Rome’s best interests at heart. Additionally, a Shakespearian audience would’ve known the military history behind Julius Caesar and sympathised him due to the characters of the play thinking ill of him. Therefore the conspirators had to justify their actions and decision to assassinate Caesar in order for the audience to think righteously of the conspirators. So for the first act of the play, the conspirators employ the use of rhetorical devices to sway the views of others and justify the act of the assassination. ‘And why should Caesar be a tyrant then?’ uses a sense of logos and syllogism to present Cassius’ arguments as to why Caesar should be killed. Furthermore...
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...Tragedy of Julius Caesar written by William Shakespeare, Mark Antony uses his words to change the perspective of the commoners about the horrid death of their former commander Julius Caesar. Throughout the play, the commoners are found changing their minds on issues constantly and can be swayed just by words spoken by Antony. The intentional use of rhetoric used by Antony at Caesar’s own funeral persuades the commoners to revolt against the senators. Throughout Antony’s speech, he uses all three modes of persuasion (ethos, pathos, and logos) to make his funeral orientation a success. Ethos is a key point in making Antony an influential speaker towards his audience. Antony’s use of ethos helps convince the commoners to take his side and influences the commoners. When Antony explains how much of a friend he was to Caesar, he convinces the audience of how qualified he is to speak at Caesar’s funeral. Antony states, “Come I to speak in Caesar’s funeral. / He was my friend, faithful and just to me;” (III.ii.85-86). Antony explains to the commoners that he has in fact been one of Caesar’s noblest men, an honorable friend....
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...There are many themes shown in Julius Caesar, but the ones that are most frequently known are suicide and psychological manipulation they were both tools heavily used by Cassius and Antony. Their close friends also manipulate lots of people in the play. It starts with Brutus being mislead by Cassius to think that killing Julius Caesar will be the best for Rome (1, 2, 32-321). Cassius is able to influence Brutus into thinking that Caesar is the same as Brutus. He says, “Brutus and Caesar: what should be in that Caesar/ Why should that name be sounded more than yours?” (1, 2, 142-143) Cassius also uses many other examples to manipulate Brutus. Later, when the conspirators gather at Brutus’ home, Brutus thinks the other conspirators are...
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...is using them. William Shakespeare displays the concept of how words can be powerful weapons when manipulated by the right person in his play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar (JC) as Brutus persuades the citizens of Rome to understand the righteousness of his delusional actions in his eulogy at Caesar’s funeral. The way Brutus charismatically urges the approval of the Romans is similar to the way Hitler brainwashed the citizens in Germany to exile Jews with his hypnotic way with words. Brutus’s intelligence does not diminish in the slightest as his choice of words cause the citizens’ change of heart towards his sinful actions and intentions, proving the theme that words can be powerful weapons. Brutus is very convincing when he argues that he assassinated his friend for the good of Rome, simply because “[he loved] Rome more” (JC 3.2.20) than his best friend. Brutus participates in killing Caesar, and he stands before the citizens saying that his death is a good thing because Rome will stay a Republic and not go back to an empire. He explains that while he loves his friend, his heart was always set on what was best for Rome. Brutus cleverly questions the citizens with, “who here is so vile that will not love his country” (JC 3.2.28-9). Brutus tests the citizens’ integrity and how civilized they are with this rhetorical device. He questions whether or not they would put their country first because he wants the citizens to put themselves in his shoes, so to speak. Brutus thoughtfully...
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...5 Rhetorical Devices in Speeches of Brutus and Antony 1. As Caesar loved me, I weep for him; as he was fortunate, I rejoice at it; as he was valiant, I honour him: but, as he was ambitious, I slew him. This line from Brutus’s speech is an example of paralellism because Brutus says I ___ for him, as he was ______. These repeated phrases then form paralleism in the sentence. 2. Who is here so base that would be a bondman? If any, speak; for him have I offended. Who is here so rude that would not be a Roman? If any, speak; for him have I offended. Who is here so vile that will not love his country? If any, speak; for him have I offended. This line from Brutus’s speech is an example of anaphora because the same groups of words “who is here” and “if any speak, for him I have offended” are repeated at the beginnings of successive clauses 3. For Brutus is an honourable man; So are they all, all honourable men— This line from Antony’s speech is an example of antimetabole because the words honourable men are repeated in succcessive lines, in reverse grammatical order. 4. Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more This sentence from Brutus’s speech is an example of antithesis because there is a contrast between loving Caesar less and loving Rome more. 5. There is tears for his love; joy for his fortune; honour for his valour; and death for his ambition. This line from Brutus’s speech is an example of isocolon because each successful clause is...
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