Julius Caesar Rhetoric

Julius Caesar Essay Words are more powerful than weapons. Throughout the play of Julius Caesar the idea of powerful words is a key theme. Through speeches lies and cunning plans the characters in this play are able to convince people to join conspiracies and move people to action. This play reflects on the need for excellent speaking skills and its importance in ancient Rome, Elizabethan, and modern times.

The Better Speech “A speech should not be just be a sharing of information, but a sharing of yourself.” This quote by Ralph Archbold is relevant in Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar when Brutus and Antony spoke to the people of Rome, after Caesar’s death. Although Brutus was an honorable man, his speech did not get the outcome he wanted. Antony was very cunning, concise and used pathos to influence the people of Rome. Overall, Antony knew beforehand how to manipulate the crowd with his speech more than Brutus.

Rhetorical Differences The reason Brutus failed to continue to have the citizens of Rome persuaded is simplified in this quote by Robert A Heinlein: “You can sway a thousand men by appealing to their prejudices quicker than you can convince one man by logic.” Brutus failed while Antony succeeded because Brutus relied on logic whereas Antony relied on the emotions of the people. Despite the fact that Antony did it for the wrong reasons, he obviously was more skilled in rhetoric than Brutus.

Mark Antony  In the play "Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, Mark Antony delivers a persuasive speech to the Romans. Before Antony spoke, Brutus had given his speech saying that he killed Caesar because of his ambition. During Antony's speech, Antony is trying to turn the citizens of Rome against the conspirators. After Antony turned the citizens, the citizens  wanted to get revenge for Caesars death.

Persuasion can either be the most easiest or most difficult venture one could take on. It all depends on the different strategies used to make the argument effective. In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, two of the characters speak at Julius Caesar 's funeral, Marcus Brutus and Mark Antony, to address the reason of Caesar 's death. Both speakers use the rhetorical appeals: ethos, pathos, and logos in their speeches to convince the people different reasonings of Caesar’s death.

Antony’s funeral oration is one of the most important speeches in Julius Caesar. Antony is the most skillful speaker because of his ability to turn a mass of uneducated plebeians once faithful towards the conspirators completely against them with emotional appeals. In Antony’s speech, one of his uses of emotional appeals is to create a kind and friendly relationship with plebeians. At the beginning of his discourse, he uses a synecdoche and asyndeton with his appeal.

The action of repeating something that has already been said or written is known as, repetition. A natural instinctive state of mind deriving from one’s circumstances, mood, or relationships with others is known as emotion (pathos). In the play Julius Caesar, these two persuasive techniques are used by Brutus and Antony in their speeches at Caesar’s funeral. Although they had different opinions on Caesar’s death, they were both trying to convince their audience to take their sides. Repetition is a rhetorical device that Brutus and Marc Antony used in their speeches at Caesar's funeral.

How would you persuade the common people to support the correct cause? During this time in Act 3 of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, Caesar was recently assassinated by Brutus and other conspirators. Brutus first delivered a speech to try and gain people on his side, and Antony followed. Antony's speech was the most effective because he appeals to the peoples emotions and uses evidence. The first reason why Antony's speech was the most effective was because it appealed to the audience's emotions.

In the play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar one of the main characters Caesar is killed in Scene 3 act 2.Then Brutus and Antony both give speeches about how bad they feel. Brutus gives a good speech by using all three of the rhetorical appeals to persuade the crowd to want to listen to what he say by using logos,ethos,pathos to his advantage. Brutus gives a better speech that draws the audience attention,Antony not as much. Therefor here are some very valid points on why Brutus’s speech used the Rhetorical Appeals better.

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).

Brutus and Antony both give speeches at Julius Caesar's funeral. Both men use a variety of ethos, pathos and logos as well. Although both men have very good points, it is clear Antony's speech is more persuasive because he uses ethos, pathos, and logos to appeal to the crowd more than Brutus does. Antony's speech is also more efficiet because he shows emotion and sympathy for the plebeians this makes the plebeians feel as if Antony is one of them and understands how they feel.

Antony vs. Brutus The death of Julius Caesar- renowned military dictator and statesman will be forever remembered. He was brutally murdered by his best friend, Brutus and fellow congressmen. The conspiracy follows out through his funeral where Brutus and his adoptive son, Antony speak upon his death. After carefully analyzing the speeches, one may say Antony did a better job due to his message, use of rhetoric, a rhetorical fallacies.