The art of manipulation itself is a tactic used by skillfully managing or influencing another, and is especially used in an unfair manner. Throughout the entirety of William Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, one can find manipulation weaved within the majority of the actions carried out by the characters within the tragedy. A multitude of characters within The Tragedy of Julius Caesar utilize the tool of manipulation in order to achieve a desired goal. Proceeding the stabbing of Julius Caesar, Antony swore to reek havoc in the name of Caesar by turning the Roman people against the conspirators. With permission from Brutus, Antony was able to manipulate the people of Rome with his manipulative speech packed with various rhetorical …show more content…
In the end, this allows Decius to accomplish his task of getting Caesar to the Senate House. Likewise, Decius attempts to gain Caesar’s sympathy in hopes of making Caesar give in and go against his wife who begs him to stay behind. In order to gain Caesar’s sympathy, Decius mentions how he wishes to avoid the humiliation of entering the Senate House without Caesar; Decius mentions, “Most mighty Caesar, let me know some cause, / Lest I be laughed at when I tell them so” (II.ii.73-74). By mentioning his desire to avoid public humiliation and to receive a reason as to why Caesar will not leave with him, Decius causes Caesar to consider whether or not it is really necessary to stay behind. This questioning that is done by Caesar enables Decius to easily manipulate Caesar into accomplishing his goal. Decius also uses Caesar’s ego in order to convince him to go to the Senate House; Decius claims, “If Caesar hide himself, shall they not whisper, / ‘Lo, Caesar is afraid’? / Pardon me, Caesar, for my dear dear love / To your proceeding bids me tell you this” (II.ii.104-107). Mentioning the fact that the senators may question Caesar’s credibility and bravery, immediately makes a large impact in favor of Decius. With a troubled Caesar, Decius is able to make him bend to his will with ease, and ultimately accomplishes his task of getting Caesar to the Senate
By using rhetoric and specific rhetorical devices, Brutus is able to convince the already easily influenced
In the Shakespeare play, “Julius Caesar” many types of rhetorical devices are used by numerous characters to persuade the audience. Marc Antony uses all these rhetorical devices to their fullest when talking to a crowd about the murder of Caesar and how these conspirators should be held accountable. The devices that Antony effortlessly crafts into his argument are irony, in the first half of his speech, and the props he uses, in the second half of his speech. Marc Antony uses verbal irony to indirectly led the crowd to new conclusions about the conspirators.
By asking questions such as, "Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?" (Act III, Scene II), Antony highlights the contradictions and hypocrisies present in the statements made by Brutus and his co-conspirators. Moreover, Antony's repeated emphasis on Caesar's virtues and his loyalty to Rome serve to further engender the crowd's affection towards him. In doing so, Antony is able to gain the support of the masses, ultimately leading to a chaotic and violent uprising against the conspirators. His skillful employment of rhetorical questions and his masterful use of language play a crucial role in swaying the opinions of the Roman
It amazes me that a man so lacking in courage is able to outdistance the pack and become the emperor” (1.2. 121-129). Cassius evokes the emotions of pride and pity. He makes Caesar seem feeble and vulnerable, discrediting his immense sense of pride and narcissistic personality. He uses these emotions to lead into his next point, where he questions how a weak and feeble man is suitable to be emperor. Furthermore, Cassius defames Caesar’s character while subtly hinting that Brutus
Decius convinces Brutus to go to the senate house through the use of pathos, ethos, and logos. Through the use of pathos, Decius appeals to Caesar’s emotions and ultimately convinces him to go to senate. First, Decius refers to him as “Mighty Caesar (2.2.69)” to appeal to Caesar’s desire to be mighty and powerful. Decius convinces Caesar that a mighty man would not go into reclusion over a dream. Next, Decius appeals to Caesar’s insecurity that people view him as timid and weak.
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.
Antony successfully manipulates the citizens into joining him against the conspirators. He does this while giving his speech in the funeral oration. There are many different ways he did this but through all of these he used spin. Spin is not telling the truth, but you are also not lying, it is used most of the time in manipulation and in politics. Antony manages to persuade and manipulate the citizens that Caesar was killed wrongfully with the use and power of spin.
This rational method of comparing Brutus and Caesar serves to emphasize Cassius’s argument through a logical method of persuasion. As evidenced by the techniques of pathos, rhetorical questions, and compare and contrast, Cassius uses persuasion in a skillful way in order to convince Brutus to overthrow
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
Most of this play centers around the conspirators in the plot to assassinate Julius Caesar, and the main conspirator was Cassius. During the first half of the play Cassius’ main goal was to convince Brutus to betray his best friend Caesar and join the conspiracy. Cassius’ best skill in speaking skill was manipulation; in order to get Brutus on his side Cassius lies and manipulates Brutus by telling stories about Caesars weaknesses and praising Brutus on his honor. Cassius boosts Brutus’ on many occasions, starting his story about Caesar stating, “I know that virtue to be in you, Brutus,/ As well as I do know your outward favor./ Well, honor is the subject of my story” (1.2.92-94).
He captures them with the revealing of Caesar's will, and then entices them into listening to him by promising to show them what Caesar had written. A
Antony’s manipulative behavior intensified during this scene as he attempted to persuade Brutus into allowing him to speak at Caesar’s funeral, which had major consequences later in the act. Another group that Marc Antony successfully persuaded was the citizens of Rome. After the citizens praised Brutus for his honorable speech, Marc Antony presented Caesar’s body to the crowd, revealing each fatal stab wound that shattered the beloved Caesar. Antony’s crying and speech about Caesar’s accomplishments appealed to the citizens’ sympathy, which later escalated into anger. He used his strength of public speaking to convince the crowd that his intentions were in their favor.
Cassius saves the life of Caesar, sees him beg for water, and witnesses his epileptic seizure. From these weaknesses, Cassius finds himself to be just as worthy of the crown as is Caesar. His reasons are emotionally tied to getting rid of Caesar, Brutus chooses to become a conspirator for the good of Rome. He does not know how Caesar will use his power.
Cassius manipulates Brutus to the point of making him feel as if there are several people wanting Brutus to do something about Caesar. Cassius also wants to convince Brutus that “Caesar’s ambition shall be glanced at” so they can eliminate his power for fear that “worse days [may] endure”. Cassius is not the only senator wanting to eliminate Caesar’s growing
He ends up joining them for honor for Rome, not jealousy of Caesar’s power, and it ends up very badly for him. As you can see, manipulation is a major theme in this play and becomes very clear because of the way Cassius, Antony, and Decius manipulate the people of Rome. The way Cassius manipulates is very smart, and this is because of his interactions with Brutus. The fact that Brutus wanted to honor Rome so much that he is able to get manipulated by him makes Brutus ignorant and Cassius’ way of manipulating people to do what he wants is very clever and sly.