Pathos And Rhetoric In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

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Contrary to popular belief, people are not governed by their minds, but rather by their hearts. Rhetoric is always an important part of literature and history. Two kinds of rhetoric are often employed: pathos, and logos. While pathos is the use of emotions in persuasion, logos is the use of logic. In Julius Caesar, Shakespeare uses both pathos and logos to reveal how people are really persuaded. Every character tries to convince others that they are right, however those that use pathos are much more successful. It has always been true that emotions are a better method of persuasion than logic, and Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, is an exemplar of this.
Cassius, who is a master of persuasion and manipulation, uses emotions to convince Brutus to join the conspiracy. Cassius uses emotion to flatter Brutus, as well as make him believe that Caesar is his enemy. Cassius convinces Brutus that Caesar is not worth of being emperor. He speaks of Caesar saying, “Why should that name be shouted more than yours?” (JC I.ii.151-152). This is an emotional argument because he does not present any facts, or use logic, but instead invokes Brutus’s inner …show more content…
This is not only true of this play. Throughout history, and even today, people use emotions to make others believe that the speaker is right. In current politics, many politicians disregard facts entirely. They do not care if what the are say is accurate, they only care about making those listening feel that they are right. Because of human nature, this works. People forget what the truth is and listen to what makes them feel things. This happens because pathos is an inherently better way of persuasion than logos. Because of this truth, people are led astray by their feeling. It is not always best to feel and not think, but because of human nature, people can easily be persuaded to do

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