Through the use of of several rhetorical devices like comparison, pathos, and figurative language, Cassius is able to twist Brutus' sense of honor and view of Caesar. In order to begin twisting Brutus' Caesar, Cassius finds the "virtue...in [Brutus]" and uses that "outward favor" to become "[Brutus'] glass"(I:ii:68-93). Cassius uses figurative language to appeal to Brutus. Cassius finds Brutus's 'virtue' and uses it in order to give Brutus a way to make sure he is doing the right thing. This is powerful in manipulating Brutus, because Brutus is an honorable man, and he is always concerned with what the most honorable decision is. Moreover, Cassius distorts Brutus' view of Caesar by telling Brutus that, "[Caesar has] become a god," and that Cassius "is a wretched creature," that if, "Caesar... [nods at] him," he, "must bend his
The power of language Language, when used to manipulate, can solely cause war. Language can be used to manipulate others for the purpose of political change to the point of war. In Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, the power of language is represented by the use of strong language by characters to persuade others to follow them. War is caused by the manipulation of the senators to kill Caesar and the manipulation of the plebeians to revolt. Cassius in act 1 shows how figurative language can strike emotion in the minds of people.
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. Since this context does not distort any information, pathos is a
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.
Deception and Manipulation William Shakespeare’s play “Julius Caesar” illustrates many facts and characteristics of Ancient Rome, such as betrayal and confederacy. However, deception and manipulation are the most significant aspects of the play and played a huge role in the story, which eventually lead to the death of Julius Caesar. Examples of deception and manipulation in this play are the fake letters that sent to Brutus, Decius assured Caesar about Calpurnia’s dream, and Anthony’s speech against Brutus. One of the most significant deceptions in the play is when Cassius sent fake letters to Brutus to convince him to join the conspiracy. Cassius addressed the letters to make it seem that they were coming from the citizens.
Flattery in Julius Caesar In Julius Caesar, many themes arise in the book, but one theme that seems consistent is the theme of flattery. Many scenes in Julius Caesar have many accounts of flattery shared between characters. Three scenes however, show of flattery very well and these three scenes will be the examples of flattery in the story. These scenes show that flattery is an important theme in the story of Julius Caesar. Flattery is an important theme in Julius Caesar.
During the play, the conspirators attempt to predict what kind of leader Caesar will become after he gains the title of dictator. In the beginning of the play, Caesar notices Brutus speaking with Cassius at the race. Since Caesar is now such a powerful ruler, he starts to fear what may be occurring and voices his concern, “Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look / He thinks too much. Such men are dangerous” (I.ii.204-205).
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
In the play "The Tragedy of Julius Caesar" by Shakespeare, two individuals named Brutus and Antony give a funeral oration to the people of Rome in concern of the justification of Caesars death. Both of them share an opposite view towards the death of Caesar, Antony thinks his death was unjustified, while Brutus believes in the opposite. Despite the fact that Brutus was able to deliver a better ethical appeal. Antony delivers a more persuasive rhetorical speech since he appeals to the crowd more with his
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.
When it comes to murder, the culprit almost always rationalizes his or her actions to make them seem innocent in the situation. The murderer usually rationalizes their actions by using the victim's characteristics and using that to measure the value of the victim's life. In the play Julius Caesar, written by William Shakespeare, Brutus and others decide to kill Caesar to protect the citizens of their home for they fear Caesar and his “ambition” would enslave the people of Rome. After they murder Caesar, Brutus speaks to the people to explain his actions and Mark Antony, one of Caesar's close companions, speaks on Caesar's behalf. Mark Antony was able to use rhetorical strategies better than Brutus in his speech in order to gain a level of
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.
The fact Brutus uses his speech to convince himself his actions are just is quite apparent as his speech comes to a close, but Antony fuels the crowd with rage, wishing for chaos after Cæsar’s fall. Brutus responds with a simple, “Then none have I offended,”(Shakespeare III.ii.38-39) to the crowd after they tell him no one wants to be a slave, almost as if it was more for himself than for the crowd. Antony, however, spoke for a much longer time than Brutus, and plants the seeds of doubt in the crowd’s mind by telling them “Brutus is an honorable man,”(Shakespeare III.ii.89) more than six times, which makes them curious as to if that is really true. Brutus a single appeal to logos, which tells the crowd that “The question of [Cæsar’s] death
“Words are singularly the most powerful force available to humanity. We can choose to use this force constructively with words of encouragement, or destructively using words of despair. Words have energy and power with the ability to help, to heal, to hinder, to hurt, to harm, to humiliate and to humble.” -Yehuda Berg. Words are an important part to everyday life. In the play Julius Caesar, speeches are essential, they influence each through their play of words. I believe that words can hold more power than any weapon and can be shown throughout much of history. Words can do many more things than any weapon, they cause fear, or they can cause inspiration. This is shown in the play when Cassius influences Brutus to join the conspiracy with his way of words and the letters he gave him. Even though weapons can be used to create fear, words can
Both Calphurnia and Decius use fear as a part of their arguments but, while Calphurnia taps into her own fear for her husband, Decius exposes Caesar’s fears about his reputation. Calphurnia tells Caesar of a dream in which blood was spouting from his body and as a result she argues that he should not go to the Senate House. Caesar, however, is not convinced by this omen because he feels that all events are “purposed by the mighty gods” (Line 16). Here he is claiming that the great, powerful gods would have more important matters to sort out than the life of Caesar. Of course, because Caesar’s true nature is egotistical his contention that he is not important enough to be of concern to the gods reveals his tendency to say things that are inconsistent