Mark Antony Speech Analysis

The year was 44 B.C, when a group of Senators, feeling lowly, decided to murder the renowned almost-emperor , Julius Caesar. The motive behind this act of violence? Caesar’s prideful and ambitious nature. Immediately following the horrid act, two men gave vastly different funeral speeches. One, Marcus Brutus, used logic and charisma or logos and ethos, while the other, Marcus Antony, relied on the emotions of the people or pathos. Antony’s speech was also filled with rhetorical devices such as paralypsis and rhetorical questions. Brutus’ speech may have been more effective towards intellectuals; however, Antony’s speech resonated more with the general.

This emotional connection is with the thesis, which highlights Antony's skillful use of pathos, which proves more effective in winning over the Roman citizens. Antony's speech demonstrates wisdom and cunning in its execution. Unlike Brutus, Antony employs irony and sarcasm, such as when he repeatedly calls the conspirators "honorable men," subtly revealing their dishonorable actions. This use of language showcases Antony's intelligence and strategic thinking, which allows him to effectively undermine the credibility of the conspirators. By highlighting Antony's clever rhetorical tactics, this supports the argument that his speech is more effective due to his approach.

Because Antony cannot speak negatively about the conspirators, he uses verbal irony and repetition in his speech to say one thing, but make the audience believe the opposite.  The tone of voice he uses in his speech is one indication that he does not mean what he says.  When Antony calls Brutus and Cassius "honorable men," he uses a sarcastic tone to show that they were actually not very honorable.  Again and again he repeats the phrase "honorable men," and each time the irony is more powerful.  Antony connects the audience's new belief that Cassius and Brutus were not honorable to his message that they should not mutiny.  He says, "O masters, if I were disposed to stir/Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage,/I should do Brutus wrong and Cassius wrong,/Who (you all know) are honorable men" (III.ii.133-136).  The crowd thinks that the conspirators were not honorable, therefore they believe that mutiny would be acceptable.  To gain the full effect, Antony repeats that the crowd should not mutiny five times, so they lose the main point of his message, and only remember from the indignation in his voice that mutiny is a possible solution.

It was, however, the most apparent example of repetition in the epistrophe, “Brutus is an honourable man” (III, ii, 84, 89,) that outlines the heart of Antony’s speech – that the conspirators were, in fact, not the least bit honourable in their murder of Caesar. Antony uses the epistrophe again to illustrate the other major concept in his speech; Caesar wasn’t ambitious – he didn’t deserve to die. “Brutus says he was ambitious.” (III, ii, 88, 96, 100). Through the heavy-handed use of repetition in Antony’s eulogy to Caesar, he delivers a strong message to the crowd. More importantly, however, such repetition was able to compel the audience into believing his words instead of Brutus’.

Antony’s ability to make things happen by words alone is the strongest type of power and authority. Antony’s manipulation of words and scenarios ensure that his control over Brutus and the other conspirators allows him to give Julius Caesar a funeral speech succeeds. Antony’s use of persuasive rhetoric, “Let each man render me with his bloody hand” demonstrates to the audience how Antony cleverly convinces the conspirators of his desire to side with them. Whilst appearing to make a gesture of reconciliation, Antony silently marked all the conspirators as guilty. It is under the guise of friendship that readers can see Antony want vengeance.

To start his speech, Antony opens with some kind words about Caesar. Antony uses ethos by speaking kindly of Caesar and saying, “He was my friend, he was faithful and just to me” (line 81). Antony appears to be a honest and humble man mourning for his friend. By saying “Brutus is an honorable man” (line 83), Antony places himself on the crowd’s side because up to this point the crowd is in favor of Brutus. Antony has made himself seem more trustworthy which also utilizes ethos. He then continues to speak of Caesar’s great deeds that do not support Brutus’s claim of Caesar’s ambition. For example, Antony tells of Caesar saying, “He brought many captives home to Rome whose ransoms brought wealth to the city” (line 83). This is all Brutus wants Antony to say but Antony continues and asks the crowd, “Is this the work of an ambitious man” (line 89)? Antony is using logos to influence the Roman people because he provides a counterexample to the claims of Caesar’s ambition. Furthermore, Antony places doubt in Brutus by saying, “Yet Brutus says he was ambitious, and Brutus is an honorable man” (lines 91-92). This use of logos allows Antony to prove Brutus wrong, even if he does not say it out loud.

After Brutus finishes his speech, Antony speaks about his opinion on the issue; unlike Brutus, Antony acts slyly and communicates a very manipulative tone to persuade the Romans to rebel. Because of Antony's use of parallelism, he creates vivid reasoning for his speech. He states, “ I come here to bury Caesar, not to praise him” (III.ii.44). By using this device, he shows the people of Rome that he isn't praising Caesar, he is putting the leader to rest. This particular line creates a very manipulative tone, because his speech is all about what great this Caesar has done and how he wants to rebel against the conspirators. Further more, Antony uses a lot of irony to slyly get his point across. One example that he uses throughout the speech is “Yet Brutus says he was ambitious, and Brutus is a honorable man” (III.ii.44). Because of the repitition of this ironic statement, the meaning of it changes and intensifies. At first, his tone was sincere, but as the speech progresses, you can see his sarcastic tone increases. Antony does this because he has to use this device to surpass the regulations of Brutus, as well as make the romans listen. Lastly, he uses personification to give life and further meaning to a word. Early in the speech, Antony says, “The evil

"Friends, Romans, and Countrymen lend me your ears"(49). In the play Julius Caesar written by William Shakespeare, Mark Antony is given an opportunity to speak at Caesar's funeral. In his speech, Antony addresses the death of Caesar and draws attention to the foul play at hand. Not only that, but he also discusses the legacy that Caesar left behind. In doing so, Marc Antony uses verbal irony to being to light the conspirator's betrayal toward not only Caesar, but to the people of Rome.

As Antony delivers his provoking speech, many impressions of major characters are depicted.The scene illustrates the craftiness of Antony, how gullible the plebeians are, and the nobility of Brutus. After Brutus’s oration the crowd is in heavy support of the crime and believe that Brutus indeed is a noble Roman. A plebeian even exclaims in support of Brutus, “Bring him with triumph home unto his house!” (3.2.46). However, moments later through literary techniques and devices, Antony is able to sway the commoners to love Caesar and doubt Brutus’s honor. In contrast after Antony’s speech, that same

The final demonstration of the theme is when Antony, a follower of Caesar, cleverly uses pleasant words against Brutus and the conspirators. In the scene where Antony speaks, Caesar is already dead and Antony could publicly speak only if he did not dirtied Brutus’s name or Caesar’s. He blatantly calls the conspirator honorable: “The noble Brutus/ Hath told you Caesar was ambitious. / If it were so, it was a grievous fault, / And grievously hath Caesar answered it. / Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest/ (For Brutus is an honorable man, / So are they all, all honorable men), / Come I to speak in Caesars’ funeral” (3.2. 912-13). The power of Antony’s speech and the manner her referred to his enemies was fabulous. He achieved the plebeians’ ultimate approval and will succeed in avenging Caesar’s death. He did so by using wise and well-chosen words.

Roman politician and popular figure in the Roman Republic, Mark Antony, uses the rhetorical devices of pathos, logos, and ethos in his funeral oration for Julius Caesar, in order to deem the assassination of Caesar by Cassius, Brutus, and their conspirators, wrong. The speech conducted by Mark Antony, a good friend of Caesar’s, has a sorrowful tone due to the fact that Mark Antony wants the crowds of Romans to agree with him. Antony conducts his speech in such a way to strike pity and regret in the assassinators and conspirators of Julius Caesar. Usage of pathos, ethos, and logos is essential in winning over the plebeians trust and respect.

Then Antony holds up what he claims to be Caesar’s will and tempts the crowd with its contents. He pretends that he is reluctant to read it because it would wrong “the honourable men/ whose daggers have stabbed Caesar.” The crowd goes into rage upon this and cries out, “Honourable men!” “villains, murderers!” Their greed has come to make them think that the conspirators would have cheated them of their inheritance. Antony takes immediate advantage of their self-interest:

plebeians in Act 3 Scene 2. He uses this in order to create a sense of

Antony gave an emotionally charged speech today at the funeral of Caesar. Antony is a member of the senate and worked closely with Caesar and was not involved in his gruesome murder. He calls the member of the senate that participated in his murder “”[t]he evil that men do lives after [Caesar].”. Antony is dismayed at their actions of stabbing a promising leader to death. Antony mentions that Caesar was a humble man who he “thrice presented... a kingly crown, [w]hich [Caesar] did thrice refuse: was this ambition?” and after which say [y]et Brutus says he was ambitious. Antony contradicts the statements of Brutus in a mournful tone. The Romans rally around him remembering the ruler that they all trusted. The Romans know Antony as a senate member