A Rhetorical Analysis Of Julius Caesar's Death Speeches

Introduction Sometimes it doesn’t matter how bad someone may be, they just have to be better than their competition. In the play Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, the central conflict lies with Julius Caesar. People like Cassius viewed Julius as an up and coming tyrant so he wanted him dead. He convinced Brutus and few other to people help him kill Caesar.

No matter what the circumstances, people always look for someone to blame. When Caesar was murdered the Plebeians needed someone to blame for what happened. Despite Brutus’s honor and respect among the Romans, Antony gave the more convincing speech at Caesar’s funeral by having an emotional impact on the Romans, therefore convincing them that an injustice had been done. Brutus first spoke at Caesar’s funeral with the goal of justifying his actions to the plebeians. Out of the three rhetorical appeals Brutus used Logos the least.

Brutus begins his speech in Act III, scene ii, at Caesar's funeral, with an upset crowd questioning his motives for killing Caesar. The crowd’s initial reaction to Brutus is that he is honorable and venerated, but still needs to explain why Caesar was assassinated. Brutus tells the crowd that he did not kill Caesar because he didn’t care for him, but he killed Caesar because he loved Rome more. In addition, that if Caesar were still alive and king, all of the people would die slaves, and claims that he killed Caesar for the good of Rome. Brutus is able to persuade the crowd that he had honorable intentions for killing Caesar through the use of rhetoric-ethos, logos, and pathos.

Idealistic Brutus misplaces his trust on his army and the conspirators. Manipulated, Brutus joins into the conspiracy without knowing the hidden intentions. By the time conspirators had brief meeting at Brutus’s house before the plan, Brutus addresses that “they are all welcome” (2.1.97) and shakes hands with the conspirators without any doubt. He misplaces his trust on the conspirators thinking that everyone share same purpose and intention. After the death of Caesar and Antony’s funeral speech, Brutus and Cassius run away from Rome and set up a camp where they can fight against the army of Antony.

Mark Twain, an American writer, once said that “actions speaks louder than words but not nearly as often.” This certainly holds true in William Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. In this play, after conspirators led by Brutus succeeds in killing Julius Caesar, the dictator of Rome, Mark Antony, Caesar's friend, is given a chance to speak at his funeral. Although through verbal words instead of actions, Antony is able to manipulate the plebeians to seek revenge and revolt against the conspirators. If we examine Mark Antony’s funeral oration, we can see that he persuades the crowd to his side by applying the three rhetorical devices, ethos, pathos, and logos.

In act 3 scene 2 of Julius Caesar, Brutus addresses the crowd regarding the assassination of Julius Caesar performed by a group of conspirators with himself included. When Brutus is done speaking to the citizens it is clear that most if not all, are on his side and believe that killing Caesar was necessary for Rome to prosper. Brutus exits, leaving Antony alone to say a few words about Caesar. It is what he says through an array of different techniques and devices, that convince the plebeians to rise against Brutus and the conspirators and take revenge of Caesar behalf. The very first technique used in Antony's speech is equalizing the relationship between himself and Rome’s citizens.

A rhetorical device is defined as “A rhetorical device is a use of language that is intended to have an effect on its audience. ”(Vocabulary.com). Rhetorical devices may help a speech, poem, or any form of writing get the main point across, exaggerate a point, or even manipulate the readers feeling. In Antony’s speech in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Antony uses sarcasm, pathos, and rhetorical questions to persuade the puebloans to believe that Caesar was incredibly noble and what Brutus and the other conspirators did to Caesar was ignoble.

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.

Funeral Speech Showdown Most people have a friend or two that they love dearly, and would do nearly anything for. What happens whenever those friends betray you? In the play Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, Brutus and fellow conspirators kill Caesar for, what they feel is, the good of Rome. At Caesar’s funeral, two speeches are given.

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar was written about four hundred years ago. This story demonstrates the corruption of Roman government in 44 BC. Rhetoric and theatrics are the main tools that current politicians, and ancient politicians use to gain popularity, commandeer power, and make crucial relationships. Important Roman political figures such as Brutus, Cassius, Antony, and Caesar along with present-day politicians use these rhetorical methods to accomplish their goals. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare demonstrates how rhetoric and theatrics largely affect politics and political relationships.

When it comes to murder, the culprit almost always rationalizes his or her actions to make them seem innocent in the situation. The murderer usually rationalizes their actions by using the victim's characteristics and using that to measure the value of the victim's life. In the play Julius Caesar, written by William Shakespeare, Brutus and others decide to kill Caesar to protect the citizens of their home for they fear Caesar and his “ambition” would enslave the people of Rome. After they murder Caesar, Brutus speaks to the people to explain his actions and Mark Antony, one of Caesar's close companions, speaks on Caesar's behalf. Mark Antony was able to use rhetorical strategies better than Brutus in his speech in order to gain a level of

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

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.

When making an argument to sway someone, one must first recognize when speaking that it is not so much what one says so much as how they say it. This can be seen in none other than Shakespeare’s renowned Tragedy of Julius Caesar when Calpurnia attempts to tell Caesar to stay home while Decius Brutus attempts the opposite. In Act II, scene ii, both make their arguments to convince Caesar to attend, or not attend, the senate meeting on the Ides of March in which the conspirators plan to assassinate the leader. While Calpurnia approaches Caesar using an emotional appeal, Decius decides to use a more logical appeal to persuade the general to fall into his trap. Ultimately Decius proves to be more successful in his attempt than Calpurnia, due to

Rhetorical strategies used in Act three scene two (Brutus funeral speech) of Julius caesar written by Shakespeare. Has the thought of sacrificing something you love for something you supposedly love more ever crossed your mind? In the play julius caesar, caesar returns to rome and the people are overjoyed by his defeat of Pompey and offered him the crown. Cassius a long time political enemy of caesar was envious of his power and prestige. Convinces brutus a friend of caesar’s to turn on him in fear of a republic.