Shakespeare is known for his incredible tragic drama writing in which he constructs different types of rhetorical devices to influence the setting, mood, and tone of a play, one being The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. These devices demonstrate the enhancement in a speaker’s attitude, personality, and emotion to get a point across. In one particular scene, Shakespeare works in Mark Antony’s speech where he reads to the Plebeians using various amount of rhetorical devices to get his point across. The purpose for Antony’s speech is to show how Julius Caesar died in vain, how the Plebeians are now supporting his murders, and how the Plebeians are not being open minded about the situation. Mark Antony uses repetition to enhance his sarcasm to potentially help his speech influence the Plebeians behavior in a convincing manner, making them turn on Brutus through emotional appeal. …show more content…
Antony shows this type of emotional appeal through persuasion by making the Plebeians understand who Caesar truly was which is not ambitious as Brutus states. In his speech, he says, “He hath brought many captives home to Rome, Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill: Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?”(Shakespeare Act 3, Scene 2: 88-90). This shows how Antony first made the Plebeians reflect on their prior mindset and decision to Antony’s speech convincing/persuading them that Caesar was not ambition as they were told. Antony also states, “I thrice presented him a kingly crown, Which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition?” (Shakespeare Act 3, Scene 2 96-97). This entirely convinces the Plebeians of Caesar’s true act towards the Plebeians. The device of emotional appeal helps get part of his point across to the people in the crowd eagerly wanting to hear more of what he has to say about the
Antony’s use of rhetoric and appeal to the emotion allowed him to sway the crowd to his side and to begin the manhunt for Brutus and Cassius. Subsequently it acts as a political message from Shakespeare to the people watching the play. The people that watched his plays ranged from all social classes, where many of the higher classes were the subject of the message. as they were more likely
The most common type of pathos that Antony used was in the form of sarcasm, which can be seen when he said, “The noble Brutus hath told you Caesar was ambitious: if it were so, it was a grievous fault; and grievously hath Caesar answer’d it. Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest, (for Brutus is an honourable man; so they are all, all honourable men)” (III.ii.79-85). Antony’s emotional approach was completely effective on the crowd, and he was able to turn the people into a mob and start civil war by using reverse psychology. Antony uses reverse psychology by teasing the crowd with Caesar’s will, by constantly referring to the conspirators as honorable men, and saying that he does not want to turn the Romans against Brutus, even though he clearly does.
Brutus starts off the speech by telling the audience his reasoning for Caesar’s murder, getting the crowd on his side. Knowing how to use devices properly gives Antony an advantage of winning over the audience. He uses all rhetorical appeals by repetition, deductive reasoning, and restating Brutus’ opposing viewpoints fairly and accurately. Antony provides a strong speech with many rhetorical devices to push the audience to agree with his argument. One of Antony’s best appeals was pathos.
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.
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’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.
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.
Julius Caesar: Effective Manipulation Using Rhetorical Fallacies People can be very quick to misjudge a situation when they don’t understand the full story. Mark Antony knows this, effectively manipulating the crowd he gathered at Caesar's funeral. In the play, Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, Antony uses Pathos and Logos to create the more effective speech as a means to turn the people against Caesar’s murderers. Antony uses pathos to convince his audience that Brutus isn’t an honorable man.
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
These devices strike sympathy in the plebeians for Caesar, but also a strong displeasure towards Brutus. By talking about his friend’s death in a tragic way, Antony not only persuades the plebeians to side with him instead of Brutus, but he also causes the plebeians to come together in a massive horde and become a violent riot through
He then came back and shook the conspirators’ bloody hands, he begged to speak at Julius’ funeral, and Brutus allowed him, as long as he did not speak badly of the conspirators. When doing his speech, he used rhetorical devices like repetition and sarcasm when he kept repeating that Brutus was an honorable man and using it in a sarcastic tone. He used pathos by playing with the audience's emotion when showing the cloak and Caesar's body, it made the audience emotional. Brutus' speech convinced the people that his reasoning was enough to kill his friend and they even wanted him to be the new Caesar. Antony's speech convinced the people to turn against the conspirators, kill a poet with the name Cinna, and start a riot.
Antony wanted people to be patient with him. He also says, “When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept: Ambition should be made of sterner stuff” (3.2. 100-101). Antony says this to show that Caesar was a good man who cared about the people. It was also to show that Brutus was wrong when he stated that Caesar was ambitious. Antony makes the citizens feel that the conspirators murder was
William Shakespeare, in his tragedy Julius Caesar, uses the rhetorical devices of a rhetorical question, repetition of the word “ambitious,” and a direct reference in Antony 's speech to persuade the plebeians to rebel against the conspirators. Antony appeals to 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 revolt. Antony discusses the economic dominance and vigor that Caesar brought to Rome, and with sarcasm he states, “Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?” (3.2.99).
In William Shakespeare's play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Mark Antony wants revenge on the conspirators who killed Caesar. Following Julius Caesar's death, Mark Antony uses many different rhetorical devices such as pathos and ethos in his speech that help convince the Plebeians to go against the conspirators. Attempting to draw the emotions out of the plebeians, Mark Antony uses pathos to persuade them. Mark Antony says, “ My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar, and I must pause till it come back to me” (3.2. 106-107). This statement emphasizes how much Antony loved Caesar and the grief he is now feeling that his closest friend is dead.
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).