Julius Caesar Rhetorical Analysis

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In William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, the power of persuasion takes center stage as Mark Antony and Brutus address the Roman crowd in the aftermath of Caesar's assassination. Through the use of rhetorical devices such as repetition and rhetorical questions, Antony strives to sway the people's opinion regarding the conspirators. Meanwhile, Brutus employs his own rhetorical ability to justify the assassination, relying heavily on appeals to ethos. These speeches provide a fascinating study of the art of persuasion in a political context, showing the importance of rhetorical persuasion. In Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, Mark Antony uses repetition and rhetorical questions to convey to the people of Rome that the conspirators were not thinking for the …show more content…
Utilizing Brutus' status in such a manner lets Antony kill two birds with one stone. First, it disproves, outlandish claims, and secondly devalues Brutus’s status, or at least forces the Romans to think twice about accepting Brutus’s honor. Later, during his supposed praise of Brutus, Antony notes an observation he made of Caesar previously. “When the poor have cried, Cesar hath wept; Ambition should be made of sterner stuff. Yet Brutus says he is an ambitious man. And sure he is an honorable man” Act 3 Scene 2 lines 100-102 Yet again Antony uses repetition to directly conflict with the evidence he provides in Caesar's favor. This real-world example, conflicting with Brutus' supposed honor, which is now crumbling in the minds of the Roman crowd, helps sway the crowd more to Antony’s side. Mark Antony also makes use of rhetorical questions to prove Caesar's innocence and help the crowd see the