The Speech of Marcus Antonius in Julius Caesar -- William Shakespeare

The name and address made by Marcus Antonius, called Antony, in Act Three, Scene Two of Julius Caesar shows that disdain being considered a sportsman above all else, he is exceedingly skilled with the art of oratory as well. In the play by William Shakespeare, this saving is made at the funeral of Caesar after he is killed by Brutus and the new(prenominal) conspirators. Brutus claimed earlier, in his own funeral speech, that the killing of Caesar was justified. He felt that Caesar was a threat, and as well ambitious to be allowed as ruler. Much of this sentiment, however, was developed by the undependable Cassius. Antony, on the other hand, felt that the conspirators were traitors to Rome and should be dealt with. This speech utilize a variety of methods to gradually bring the crowd to his side, yet honour his side of the deal with Brutus. This deal was that he, shall not in your funeral speech goddamn us... (3.1.245) for the death of Caesar. Antony holds his end of t he deal for the majority of the speech, yet by doing so convinces the crowd of Brutus and the others disloyalty. In many ways, this speech dejection be seen as the ultimate rhetoric, and it includes all three of Aristotles methods of persuasion. This are the aggregation to credibility, called ethos, the appeal to emotions, called pathos, and the appeal to logic, called logos. All three of these devices are used to great effect during the speech of Marcus Antonius.Antony begins with the now famous words, Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.(3.2.62) In referring to the commoners as equals, they feel a sense of empathy stock-still at the first line. This can be seen as a sort of ethos. He goes on to say that Brutus has said that Caesar was ambitious, and that this, if true, is a serious... ...2.248)Antony, though he kept to his bargain, brought the audience to his side in a variety of ways. He used all three methods of persuasion to his advantage. He claimed th e killers of Caesar to be honorable and noble, and in the very act of doing so sour Brutus followers against him. This shows the true ability of Marcus Antonius, and that he is a far great threat than the conspirators recognized. This power of words is well known, and Aristotles three methods of persuasion cost on in modern speechwriters. Ethos, logos, and pathos are just as effective in our time as in that of Shakespeare, the Roman Empire, and wherever there are people to speak and people to listen. Thus even today, this speech of Shakespeare through Antony shows the sheer impact that mere words can have.Works CitedShakespeare, William. Julius Caesar. New York Simon, 1975.