Many people say, “The way to a person’s heart is food.” Some will agree to this statement and some will disagree. The people who disagree will most likely concur that words play a bigger part to appealing to a person than food. The way that a person speaks and uses rhetorical devices play an immense part in the way the audience reacts and responds. Many politicians and public figures manipulate their words to appeal to their audience. Marc Antony, a character in Julius Caesar, a play written by Shakespeare, applies rhetorical devices into most of his lines in the play. He proves this effective when his elaborate plan works out in the end and he emerges the victor. Throughout the play, Marc Antony speaks to a wide number of people and obtains …show more content…
One of the main reasons as to why he won the battle is because Brutus let words get the best of him. Antony is smart in a way that shows he can manipulate his words for his own benefit. Antony did not see Brutus’s suicide coming, but fortunately his death convenienced Antony immensely, earning him victory. To start this off, he mocks Brutus by saying, “In your bad strokes, Brutus, you give good words. Witness the hole you made in Caesar’s heart, Crying ‘Long live, hail, Caesar!’” (5.1.30-32). Antony uses a taunting tone to mock and agitate Brutus because he knows that Brutus will take it whole-heartedly in a negative way. Though “bad” and “good” aren’t generally known to be descriptive adjectives, they really are descriptive in this quote. At first Antony attacks with an insult straight to Brutus, but rebounds with complimenting his words only to attack again with “hole you made in Caesar’s heart.” This could hurt anyone, and it did a great deal to Brutus, and these words stick with him all the way to his suicide. As Brutus dies with Antony’s words in mind, the battle is ultimately decided as his victory. Again, rhetorical devices work in favor of
“But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.” (George Orwell, 1984). William Shakespeare intensified his quality of work by insinuating manipulative and persuasive language within his writing. Cassius, a loyal server to Brutus, was easy to coax Brutus into rebelling against Julius Caesar, gaining an additional member to his group of conspirators. Cassius altered Brutus’ thoughts of Caesar’s ruling, within the use of multiple effective rhetorical techniques.
Antony is sarcastic whenever he says brutus is an honorable man and calls him out on his faults and choices. In the text Antony says “He hath brought many captives home to rome whose ransoms did the general coffers fill:Did this in caesar seem ambitious?”. This is when Antony uses an example and a rhetorical question to show that brutus was wrong and that caesar was a good man and wasn’t ambitious. Secondly, Antony did a better job because of the way he pulled everyone in and included logistic examples.
Brutus has a hero complex; this is his Achilles heel. The way he justifies his actions makes it sound like he is taking credit for the great deed of murder. Antony uncovers this and uses it to expose Brutus’s hypocrisy. Ethos, logos, and pathos add substantial potency to Antony’s persuasiveness. No matter the motive, the crowd was bound to see the flaws of Brutus’s defense.
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.
Finally, the effect this speech has on the outcome is almost ironic. By trying to justify this power struggle, Brutus and the others cause a division amongst the people as to whether or not this death was justified. This eventually leads to the conflict between Brutus and Antony, resulting in Brutus’s
Brutus and Antony’s speech really shows how important rhetoric is to present a good argument. During Act III, scene II of Julius Caesar, Rome is mourning the loss of Caesar after he is stabbed by the conspirators. Antony, Caesar’s best friend, joins the conspirators to seem like he is on their side. Antony’s final goal is to get revenge on them and start a civil war to avenge Caesar. He makes an agreement that he will not accuse or blame the conspirators in his speech at Caesar’s funeral.
Brutus blindly believes Antony’s loyalty towards Rome and the conspirators, which gives Antony the chance to foil their plans. After Caesar’s death, Antony immediately sends his servant to deliver a message to Brutus saying, “If Brutus will vouchsafe that Antony / May safely come to him” and give the reason why “Caesar hath deserved to lie in death” (Shakespeare III.i.145-147), then Antony “will follow / the fortunes and affairs of noble Brutus” (III.i.149-150). Knowing that Brutus is the least likely person to kill him out of the conspirators, as he is an honorable person, Antony takes advantage of Brutus’ overly trusting nature. In his message to Brutus, Antony acts sincere by pledging his loyalty to him in order to save himself and to be in an advantaged
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 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
Rhetoric in the Speeches of Brutus and Antony The death of Caesar is a controversial topic and was even more controversial at the time of his funeral when when senators were trying to benefit from his death by getting the Roman citizens on their side. At Caesar’s funeral, two senators gave speeches as an attempt to get the roman people on their side. Out of the two speeches, Marc Antony’s speech was more effective because of his use of appeals and biases, being 100% true and had a larger variety of rhetorical devices.
Sydney Stone Mrs. Paul English 10A 16 October 2017 Rhetorical Analysis Essay William Shakespeare, a very famous writer, tells the story of Julius Caesar. In his play, Marc Antony delivers a powerful speech that uses many different rhetorical devices, appeals, and different styles of writing. Some of these include repetition, rhetorical questions, pathos, logos, ethos, and diction. These help enhance Marc Antony’s speech by persuading the audience towards considering that Caesar was a good man.
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).
He successfully accomplishes his objective of convincing the mob that Brutus is a traitor and the conspirators are at fault. He played with emotions which was the right thing to do rather than applying logic. He used emotional phrases such as, "My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar" and "Oh judgment; thou art fled to brutish beasts". Which allows him to have a connect with the crowds feeling at the death of Caesar .Antony does not let the restriction of going against the conspirators hinder his speech. He begins not by attacking Brutus or the conspirators, but by praising Caesar.
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).