How Does Brutus Use Rhetoric In Julius Caesar

"I know that men are won over less by the written than by the spoken word, that every great movement on this earth owes its growth to great orators and not to great writers." Most would agree with this, even find it wise or enlightening. They would be dismayed to discover that these are the words of Adolf Hitler, one of the most despised and dangerous men in history. The reason he was so dangerous? The very thing he accredits his success to in the quote above: his ability to speak. Hitler had a kind of rhetoric all his own that persuaded people to his side with horrifying effectiveness. “Language is a powerful weapon, and in the hands of a skilled person, it can be used to manipulate others.” Cassius in William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar is perhaps one of the best examples of this. In the first act alone, Cassius uses his abilities to appeal to Brutus’ sense of honor, twist Brutus’ image of Caesar, and put words into Brutus’ mouth that lead to a dastardly plot against a near king.
Cassius is able to assess his audience and use that to his advantage. In this case, his audience is Brutus, a thoughtful if slightly oblivious patrician and friend of Caesar’s. Brutus has a strong love for Rome,
Language is a dangerous weapon in the arsenal of someone who knows how to use it. While Cassius may be no Hitler, he is good at getting his way, and for now he wants Caesar dead and that makes him very dangerous indeed. This is real danger even today; people buy into rhetoric without considering where it comes from and what the consequences of it might be. This is a very disturbing thought, one that is more than likely to make a few readers share Caesar’s suspicion of Cassius and other quick