Examples Of Manipulation In Julius Caesar

Humanity has become the most dominant species on Earth due to our high intelligence and communication skills but our communication can also be used to easily manipulate and convince. This manipulation is shown when, Mark Antony delivered a deeply passionate and articulate speech at Caesar’s funeral, altering the political dynamics of the Rome in William Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar. Antony uses his words to influence the Roman people. He effectively uses rhetorical devices to prove his point and gain the support of the citizens. Antony also uses the rhetorical device of Pathos to invoke emotion in the crowd and Ethos to use Brutus’ and the conspirator’s reputation against them.

Brutus is shown as being easily manipulated in the play. This trait is shown a few times in the play. At the beginning, Brutus is tricked by Cassius into believing that killing Julius Caesar would be for the better of Rome (1, 2, ll. 32-321). Cassius is able to deviously influence Brutus into thinking that Caesar is no different from Brutus. He says, “Brutus and Caesar: what should be in that Caesar?/ Why should that name be

In William Shakespeare's play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, two speeches are given to the people of Rome about Caesar's death. In Act 3, Scene 2 of this play Brutus and Antony both try to sway the minds of the Romans toward their views. Brutus tried to make the people believe he killed Caesar for a noble cause. Antony tried to persuade the people that the conspirators committed an act of brutality toward Caesar and were traitors. The effectiveness and ineffectiveness of both Antony's and Brutus's speech to the people are conveyed through tone and rhetorical devices.

Persuasion is a concept that is at the very center of the play. Everyone is trying to convince someone of something. Cassius, a general and acquaintance of Caesar, is trying to win over men he believes would be valuable conspirators. Cassius’ persuasion wins Brutus over in a pivotal scene in Act II and Brutus states his intentions, “It must be by his death, and for my part I

Manipulation and spin is a vital asset if Cassius is to survive with Julius Caesar as the dictator, and Cassius knows that if he does not find the right man to manipulate then Cassius would most certainly die. Using his talents as a Roman politician, he finds his man Brutus as a target that is ripe for the taking. Cassius preying on Brutus’s doubt and confusion, uses flattery, fake letters written from the people, and Julius is just a human to convince Brutus to join him.

Manipulation, the ability to alter one’s position, is almost seen as a professional sport in the play Julius Caesar. The play constantly conveys the emphasis on manipulation to the readers, and displays persuasion as the main rhetorical device. Many characters, such as Brutus, Caesar, and even the people of Rome, are influenced heavily by sources such as their close friends, or even skilled politicians. Throughout Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar, the theme of manipulation is revealed through several instances, leading to detrimental occurrences in the story’s plot and clashes among the characters.

Julius Caesar is a play written by the well known author William Shakespeare. In this play the characters show relatable emotions and use methods of persuasion such as ethos, logos, and pathos. Persuasion is needed to fortify their explanations because Brutus has killed his friend Caesar, with the help of Cassius, and Antony is disturbed by the death of his friend. The murder was committed in a public place, so each person needs to get the crowds on their side. The first to speak was Brutus who committed the murder on concisely logical and ethical terms.

People often wonder why tragedy happens. In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar it is clear that devastation strikes because of the manipulative nature of the characters. Early in the play Cassius manipulates Brutus into killing Caesar. He starts by opposing Caesar, reasoning that Caesar is no better than the other senators so why should he get to be king. Cassius then goes on to talk about Brutus being the hero Rome needs. Brutus falls for all of this, which is what leads to the war and his death. On the other side of the war, Antony is coercing the plebeians into following him by pulling at their heartstrings retaining to Caesar. This causes them to want to go to war with Brutus for killing their beloved Caesar. Antony, as well as the plebeians, want revenge for Caesar’s death. This anger is what causes disaster for the people of Rome. As a result of the motives of Cassius and Antony, the use of manipulation to achieve their ambitions only causes tragedy.

Shakespeare also demonstrates that the manipulation of a large amount of people increases the manipulator’s power because there is power in numbers and Brutus was not able to manipulate anyone.

The spoken word is a very powerful tool in the right hands. People can use the spoken word to manipulate people into doing their bidding. There are many examples of this in the play. The first notable example is in an anonymous letter to Brutus it read, “Speak, strike, redress! / Brutus, thou sleep’st awake!” (II.i.23). This essentially told Brutus to speak up, take action, and fix the wrongs that Caesar is causing. The letters accuse him of standing by and watching as Caesar becomes more and more dangerous. This letter weighs heavily on Brutus until he joins the conspiracy. After Brutus has decided to join this conspiracy, he had to be convinced that it was the right thing. Brutus has no personal issue with Caesar, so Cassius has to convince Brutus that Caesar is dangerous. After much deliberation Brutus came to the conclusion that Caesar was “as a serpent’s egg / Which, hatch’d, would, as his kind, grow mischievous” (II.i.22). Brutus, Caesar’s right hand man, had

In Julius Caesar, Antony utilizes the people's indecisive minds with manipulation in Act III, scene ii, 74-147. Antony shows how easily the crowd can sway in conscience as he disputes Brutus’ point of view. This scene happened soon after Caesar's death and immediately after Brutus’ speech. Up to this point, the general public had favor for the conspirators and resented Caesar. Antony gets his point across when he states Brutus as an honorable man while at the same time, telling of good-hearted motives Caesar had towards the people.

Overall, the main character, Julius Caesar is a character that readers are often very ambiguous about. On one hand, it is said that Julius Caesar would likely become a tyrant if he was crowned king. On the other hand, Julius Caesar is made out to be a great hero. Therefore, readers are faced with a dilemma about who they should side with in this story. By having many of the supporting characters going against the decision to crown Julius Caesar king, this creates an even larger dilemma for readers. If a man’s own friends are against him, is there any way that he could good? By creating these scenes of ambiguity in Julius Caesar, Shakespeare is able to lead readers to feel indifferent about the main character in the story as

When manipulation is used to achieve the goals of few, it ends up causing more damage to the lives of many. This is shown throughout the Tragedy of Julius Caesar, by guards, wives, citizens, and especially, by Cassius and Antony. Ambition is each of their flaws, and they both act as catalysts for the plot, further escalating the situation in Rome, after the death of Pompey. Wars are started, innocents are killed, and lives are ruined, due to manipulation and its impacts on others. It’s not just a fictional thing either, manipulation is everywhere, and it’s had real-life consequences. However, the tale of Julius Caesar does a great illustrating its lasting effects. As a result of the motives of Cassius and Antony, the use of manipulation to

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare contains many important themes to the development of the plot; however, none are as important as the theme of deception. Shakespeare used deception to keep the plot rolling and to acknowledge the key moments in the play. By reading the play, it can be clearly seen that the people of Ancient Rome were easily swayed by deception. One of the main examples of deception in the play was Marc Antony’s funeral dirge. Another example of deception was when Decius assured Julius Caesar that nothing would happen to him at the senate. Lastly, the deceptive acts of persuasion committed by Cassius to convince Brutus to join the conspiracy.

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is a play written by William Shakespeare. There are numerous themes in this story. But one of the themes is the power of capricious attitudes towards the characters inside the play.