Mark Antony's Assassination Analysis

Antony's performance on the pulpit should come as no surprise. It is obvious from his Act III, sc. i meeting with the conspirators that he means something different in nearly everything he says. He even subtly mocks the senators with his lines "My credit now stands on such slippery ground/That one of two bad ways you must conceit me/Either a coward or a flatterer." Antony is the picture of disingenuous. Brutus, ignoring the more sensible misgivings of Cassius, takes Antony at his word. We, however, know what's in store when Antony in private utters, "O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth/That I am meek and gentle with these butchers!"

Brutus convinces Cassius not to worry about Antony once Caesar is murdered, “for Antony is only a limb of Caesar”. Basically Brutus believes Antony to be a follower of Caesar and is only capable of “loving Caesar”. Brutus believes that he will be helpless without Caesars rule for “all that he can do is to himself, take thought and die for Caesar; and that were much he should; for he is given to sports, to wildness, and much company” meaning all Antony can do is grieve or commit suicide, but Brutus doesn’t think that he will because he is too hung up his sports and leisure ect.

All throughout Rome, Brutus is known as being nobleman, yet, in his funeral speech to Caesar, he purposely talks in prose, a way of speaking or writing that is not formal. Brutus’ ethos of nobility is so strong that patricians, noblemen, and plebeians, commoners, directly address Brutus as “the noble Brutus” (III.ii.11) Being as noble as he his, the commoners have a difficult time relating to him; yes, they may respect him, but believing or being convincing in what he says is more difficult for Brutus than Antony. In contrast, Antony can relate to the commoners and is not seen to have an overruling ethos; so, this is why Antony ultimately has a more persuasive speech. At the beginning of his speech, he is presented as not being at all against the conspirators, the group Brutus was apart of. He repeatedly kept reassuring the crowd that the conspirators were "all honorable men" (III.ii.81). By reassuring that the conspirators are honorable, the commoners believe in Antony's statement, which increases his authority power. Noticing that his authority is becoming more powerful, Antony decides to secretly turn against the conspirators. He questions on Brutus’ statement, again, on his reasoning for killing Caesar; yes, Antony is well aware that “[Brutus] is an honorable

In his speech Antony asks, “ Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?”(Shakespeare. 3.2.18). Antony asks the people whether or not Caesar and Brutus’ definition of ambition are the same. He allows the audience to decide who was the real ambitious man in the situation and whether or not that man’s ambition was used for the good of the people. Antony questions the people, “You all did love him once, not without cause; What cause withholds you then to mourn for him?” (Shakespeare. 3.2.30-31). Antony tells the people that they all loved Caesar and now, after his murdered, they do not grieve for their leader. His real question in this quote is why the people allow the conspirators to feed them lies about Caesar and then turn their back on him after his death. Mark Antony’s questions in his speech allow the people to question themselves about the things they believed about Caesar and the

To begin with, Antony is wanting to uncover the truth to the people but also keeping his word. Antony is delivering the message to the people, keeping the promise of what he was told and allowed to say for Caesar’s death. He speaks because he is authorized to by consent of the conspirators, and to mourn his dear friend Caesar. Antony’s goal was to hint at the crowd what had actually happened, and for the conspirators that were listening to feel ashamed about what they’ve done. The speech was intended for the population of Rome to hear, to know the truth, not to convince but to let them know that even the so called “honorable men” in their city had done wrong to one of their own. The audience is quite in between with being hostile and agreeable as many are still deceived by how Caesar had previously acted. However at one point he had shown himself to the people of Rome that he had rejected the crown approximately thrice. As he keeps his word of not praising Caesar, “I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. The evil that men do lives after them;” (III, ii, 71-72). Then gradually turning the conspirators away from support of the conspirators. For example “He hath

Through out our world’s history, many assassinations of countries strong leaders have occurred. Ranging from presidents, Czars, dictators, and more. Assassinated for either better or worse reasons, or simply for the fame of it.

Was this ambition? Yet Brutus says he was ambitious, And sure he is an honorable man.” (III.ii.82–96)” ). In this statement, Antony is trying to persuade the audience to think that Caesar is a good man as he refused the crown and through this he is trying to emphasize on the goodness of Caesar. So Antony, a friend of Caesar, when speaking a funeral oration over Caesar’s body, he spectacularly persuaded the audience to withdraw their support from Brutus and condemn him and the conspirators as a traitor. Antony engages masterful rhetoric to stir the crowd to revolt against the conspirators.”3

The speech began using strong Logos, specifically Faulty Syllogism. Antony starts by stating that, “Brutus is an honorable man; So are they all, all honorable men,” (I.ii. 78-79) and that whatever this honorable man says must be true. Except, he says it all very ironically. “[Caesar] was my friend, faithful and just to me; But Brutus says he was ambitious, and Brutus is an honorable man.” (I.ii. 82-84) And if he is so honorable, then why would he lie, except to cover up what they did. Antony continues to tell the people these caring things Caesar had done, and following it by asking them, “Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?”(I.ii.87) As said in Joseph Romm’s book Language Intelligence, “Repetition, the re-experiencing of something identical, is clearly in itself a source of pleasure,”(Romm, 29). So by using repetition, he

Looking more closely at the repetitive phrases Antony uses in his speech, it can be said that these repetitions serve as a tool to engrave his views into the citizen's heads. One idea that Antony tried to get across to the citizens is that Caesar is not as ambitious as they deem him to be. Antony starts off by stating the humble qualities of Caesar which includes, him bringing wealth to the country (89), Caesar’s empathy for the poor (91), and him refusing the crown three times (96-97). After stating each quality, Antony refers back to Caesar’s ambition. In two of the instances, he asks rhetorical questions, “Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?”(90) and “Was this ambition?” (97). This makes the audience question whether if Caesar is actually ambitious. His references to Caesar’s lack of ambition indicates a disagreement with Brutus who killed Caesar for this same ambition. To add onto the doubts the audience may have about Brutus already, Antony repeats “And Brutus is an honorable man” (94). This sets a sarcastic tone as he disproves just Brutus before saying it each time. This is used to point out that Brutus is not actually an “honorable man” because he murdered Caesar for his ambition, which according to Antony, that Caesar does not have.

After the Death of Caesar there was lots of controversy with the people of Rome. There were people that thought his death was for the best of Rome, and Then others thought that they people who killed him were wrong for doing so. So when Brutus gave his speech it was to make the slaying of Caesar look good. This was because he made him look bad and hungry for power. On the other hand Antony was a good and loyal friend to Caesar. When he first starts his speech he says "I come to bury Caesar , not to praise him". This shows that Antony is a true friend of Caesar and understands and accepted the death of his good friend.

Brutus’ was justifying why the conspirators had killed Caesar. Antony’s was trying to counter Brutus’ justification so the people of Rome would turn against Brutus. In Brutus’ speech, the first thing he says to the people is him asking them to listen, be silent, and keep in mind his honor, so they can believe him, (III, ii, 15-19). That statement alone should have been a “red flag”.

He is exceptionally suave with his words so he can get Brutus to hear him out. It initiates after Caesar and the others exit. Cassius and Brutus remain behind. Not too far into the confidential discussion you see Cassius manipulates Brutus into believing this will not only better Rome, but himself as well. All Cassius has to say that will spark Brutus’s interest is, “Men at some time are masters of their fates./The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,/But in ourselves that we are underlings./'Brutus' and 'Caesar'—what should be in that/ 'Caesar'?/Why should that name be sounded more than/yours?/Write them together, yours is as fair a name;/Sound them, it doth become the mouth as well;/Weigh them, it is as heavy; conjure with 'em,/'Brutus' will start a spirit as soon as 'Caesar.”' (1.2.146-156) Cassius believes Brutus wants self glory and is using that as bate. By virtue of this discussion Brutus eventually thinks to himself while pacing back in forth in his garden, ”And therefore think of him as a serpent’s egg./Which, hatched , would, as his kind, grow/ mischievous,/ And kill him in the shell.” Here is where Brutus makes the iconic decision to take part of one of the biggest betrayal toward

The death of Caesar caused many in Rome great grief. Even Antony and Brutus although they had involvement in his death. But, in their funeral speeches they make it hard for you to actually think that either of them wanted him dead. In Brutus’ speech he talks about Caesar being ambitious and how the death of Caesar is beneficial to the people of Rome. Antony’s speech contradicted Brutus’ because he did not agree that Caesar was ambitious and he appears saddened by the death of Caesar and doesn’t think Caesar’s death was beneficial to the people of Rome.

The speech was in honor of Caesar not like Brutus’ speech at all. Four times he said that Brutus said that Caesar was ambitious. But each of those times he showed that he was not ambitious for himself but loved Rome. Antony said this four times that “Yet Brutus says he was ambitious; And Brutus is an honorable man”(III,ii, 95-96). But because he showed that Caesar was not ambitious then maybe Brutus was not honorable. He also discussed how hurt he was that he lost his good friend. Antony does twist his promise around so it will backfire on Brutus as the killer. Antony did keep his promise to Brutus and give them all away. In the end, Antony did change the crowds' mind and they realized Brutus had lied to them the whole time before. He told them how he offered Caesar to be king and handing Caesar the crown. But Caesar denied it three

The second plebeian responds to the first plebeian, ‘ “If thou consider rightly of the matter, Caesar has had great wrong.” ’ Antony turns the plebeians away from Brutus’s reasoning by saying that the people of Rome loves Caesar, but is now hating on him because the conspirators think they are right. The fourth plebeian says to Antony, ‘ “They were traitors. Honorable men? These rhetorical techniques Antony is using on the plebeians are working. The people of Rome think Antony is once again right because he keeps saying how Brutus is an honorable man to show the people that he is not just bashing Brutus. The second plebeian joins in on the plebeians conversation, ‘ “We’ll hear him, we’ll follow him, we’ll die with him.” ’ He did not want to go against Brutus and the conspirators because he respects them, but he has to in order to get Rome back to its tyranny ways. Antony has a way with words especially the ones involving persuasion and manipulation.