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Julius Caesar Rhetorical Devices

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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

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