Shakespeares Julius Caesar Antonys Language English Literature Essay
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A president seems the most powerful within the government, because he appears in the medium regularly. Nevertheless, the president and his branch posses equal amount of power as the other two branches. The reason for separation of power is to avoid one branch from over-powering, such like Julius Caesar's regime. During Roman times, a faction of senators, including Brutus and Cassius, conspired to kill Julius Caesar, because they fear his becoming a dictator. After Julius Caesar's assassination, Brutus reasons in Spartan style about necessity of the assassination, which wholly satisfies the Roman citizens. Next, Antony, Caesar's best friend, presents a speech, after he promises to not destroy the conspirators' reputation. Verbally but not psychologically, Antony maintains his promise by expertly utilizing rhetorical skills. Through his speech, he shifts the commoners from feeling delightful to vengeful. Applying techniques of disclaiming, refrain, sarcastic, irony, tempting remarks perform effectively to maximize the rage of a mob; therefore, he appears to oppose his ideas but in fact he is advertising his ideas.
In Antony's opening, he approaches with evidence and logic against Brutus' to create detest toward Brutus. He commence with the salute "Friends, Romans, countrymen", seeking a common ground with the citizens by calling them "friends" (117). Immediately, acknowledging the listener's loathe on Caesar, he denies he is to praise Caesar. While stating "the evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones. So let it be with Caesar", he pretends to accept the world's natural unfairness, building a minor pity from the crowd (77-79). In this section, he repeats "noble Brutus", yet proposes proofs against Brutus' entitling Caesar an ambitious tyrant, to imply that Brutus is indeed a fraud. Firstly, Antony states Caesar weeps when the poor weeps to show Caesar is a sympathetic man. He then glorifies Caesar's triumphs that enrich Rome, such as conquered lands, captives and ransoms. Between evidences, he poses the rhetorical question "did this in Caesar seem ambitious?" coercing the crowd to ponder (92). He then reminds the people that Caesar refused to accept the crown to show Caesar is uninterested to be the ruler. Even though a fallacy exists in that testimonial, the plebeians fail to distinguish that he evades the issue of pretense. Through careful observance, Casca distinguishes Caesar's rejection was a show that is absolutely against his own desires. Furthermore, one of the conspirators lures Caesar to attend Senate's house by informing he will receive the crown there. At this point of the speech, the commoners apprehend the refrains of "honorable Brutus" are implying Brutus is a liar.
After judgment appeal, Antony gradually increases the citizens' sentiment by situating emotional, ethical remorse, and greediness on them. Next, his next tactic is emotional appeal, "O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts, And men have lost their reason. Bear with me. My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar, And I must pause till it come back to me", accusing all Romans had lost their judgment and his depression on Caesar's unjustified death (109). These comments cause guiltiness in the listeners who had earlier resent Caesar and alternate sides. Adding his personal feeling, Antony expresses his heartache on how rapid Caesar is disregarded. This causes the Romans to feel guilty for betraying and forgetting about a revere hero in one day. Additionally, he acquires their greedy interest with a preview of Caesar's will, "Bequeathing it as a rich legacy" (138). He baits them by delaying to disclose the will, yet he emphasizes on the lamentation they will experience when it is publicized. Then, he blames the conspirators for disallowing him to read the will to deepen the abhorrence on them. The result is frustrated entreating for the broadcast. Afterward, he links "honorable men" and "daggers" and "stabbed" to produce an ironic gruesome scene. Again, he mocks the conspirator's standing. This marks the first direct insult, also a turning point, at the conspirators. Immediately, the crowd follows his plan and shouts "They were villains, murderers. The will! Read the will!" (57).
After an apparent sign of acceptance, Antony descends and physically unites with the plebeians on the common ground. Additionally, he carries Caesar's corpse as an appalling visual aid. Subsequently, he openly censures the conspirators' faults with negative loaded languages. Pointing at the bloody wound on Caesar, he calls Casca envious. The next individual he reproaches is Brutus. "Through this the well-beloved Brutus stabbed…For Brutus, as you know, was Caesar's angel…Then burst his mighty heart", Antony depicts Brutus as the treacherous traitor to who loved him and Caesars' mighty heart burst from such ghastly act(187). He describes the blood and murder meticulously so that the Romans feel disgusted. He embellishes his opinion with creative imagery, "Mark how the blood of Caesar followed it, as rushing out of doors" (179-180). Antony exaggerates that Caesar's death is a lost for the whole Rome and all Romans are victims, because they had lost a virtuous ruler. And for this lost, "The dint of pity, These are gracious drops. Kind souls, what, weep you when you but behold our Caesar's vesture wounded? Look you here" sorrow and pity are not enough, but anger and retaliate are more appropriate (197). The second turning point again, consists of a visual aid, is the lifting of Caesar's mantle. Seeing the bloody body of numerous stabs, the citizens transform the sympathy into rage.
After provoking an upheaval, Antony denies all his intentions and abilities to influence for pity and finally delivers the legacy to shame them. He says the contrary to the truth, such as "Let me not stir you up" and "I come not, friends, to steal away your hearts", whereas he by now has seized the citizens' support from Brutus (211 and 217). Antony says he was not an articulate or clever speaker like Brutus, and it is certainly not true. Antony is astute to plot this extraordinary speech and exploits his eloquence to create such crisis. Right when he says "In every wound of Caesar that should move the stones of Rome to rise and mutiny", the crowd is ready to burn the Brutus' house and kill all the conspirators (231). He finally suppresses the agitated crowd by preparing to reveal the will and legacy for the pinnacle of a mob. He tells the Romans that they all have the rights to enjoy the beautiful public pleasures, and Caesar's private gardens. Most importantly, he reports each Roman citizen receive seventy-five drachmas. He finishes with "Here was a Caesar! When comes such another?" a blameworthy rhetorical question that echoes in the citizens' head (253). Now loving Caesar even more after those money briberies, the Roman are left in chaos, ready for firing, fighting, and war.
Antony, Caesar's clever best friend, delivered a well structured and influential speech that consist of a back and forth cycle between flattering Caesar and ironically gratifying conspirators. He initiates with logos and gradually progress to demagoguery. The evidence provokes anger because the citizens felt foolish for believing Brutus' lies. Between lines, he deliberately arranges obvious rhetorical questions to manipulate the plebeians into advocating him. The remaining of his speech is designed in Asiatic style, occupying with overstating ethos of guilt, pity and grief. As a result, they suffer guiltiness for once detesting Caesar. Listening to Antony's recap of Caesar's accomplishments for Rome, the Romans undergo lament and sorrow. The weeping enhances with Antony's ethnical appeals of remorse and heartbreaking lost of a great ruler. During Antony's disclaimers, he gains pity for his ironic disadvantages over Brutus. As the speech develops, the hatred of the conspirators grows corresponding with the love for Caesar. At last, he successfully persuades all Romans to convert all these emotions into a resentful mutiny.
