Rhetorical Devices Julius Caesar
Manipulation, in essence, is a timeless recurring theme not only in literature, but in our everyday life. William Shakespeare’s drama, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, is saturated with rhetorical strategies. Brutus, Cassius, and Antony use their words throughout different parts of the play to sway other people’s opinions. Cassius’s persuasion is so powerful it leads to the death of Julius Caesar. Brutus is left with the repercussions of the assassination and has to speak to the Romans. Brutus and Antony go back-to-back speaking to the Romans using rhetorical strategies to explain their diverse views on the event. These three characters’ use of ethos, pathos, and logos was so compelling it persuaded the other people’s views, caused Caesar’s death,
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Antony loved Caesar and was completely against his murder, so he used rhetorical strategies to persuade the Romans to be against the perpetrators. For example when Antony says “Yet Brutus says he was ambitious, and Brutus is an honorable man” he is using the mix of sarcasm and logos. Antony repeats this same thing over and over again until the Romans start questioning if Brutus truly is an honorable man. His sarcasm and repetition were both great rhetorical tactics that were used to manipulate and confuse the Roman’s minds. Antony brings together the perfect amount of ethos and pathos when he states, “ ‘Tis his will. Let but the commons hear this testament- which pardon me, I do not mean to read- And they would go and kiss dead Caesar’s wounds And dip their napkins in his sacred blood,” (III,ii,127-132). This is essential because it shows that Antony is credible and trustworthy because he has Caesar’s will. This also appeals to the people’s emotions because they become saddened over Caesar’s death. Antony used his tactics to make the Romans trust him and his views, which led to them rioting against the perpetrators. His use of ethos, pathos, and logos convinced the people that the assassination of Caesar was a cruel act and that Brutus, Cassius, and the other perpetrators are
Antony loved Caesar and was completely against his murder, so he used rhetorical strategies to persuade the Romans to be against the perpetrators. For example when Antony says “Yet Brutus says he was ambitious, and Brutus is an honorable man” he is using the mix of sarcasm and logos. Antony repeats this same thing over and over again until the Romans start questioning if Brutus truly is an honorable man. His sarcasm and repetition were both great rhetorical tactics that were used to manipulate and confuse the Roman’s minds. Antony brings together the perfect amount of ethos and pathos when he states, “ ‘Tis his will. Let but the commons hear this testament- which pardon me, I do not mean to read- And they would go and kiss dead Caesar’s wounds And dip their napkins in his sacred blood,” (III,ii,127-132). This is essential because it shows that Antony is credible and trustworthy because he has Caesar’s will. This also appeals to the people’s emotions because they become saddened over Caesar’s death. Antony used his tactics to make the Romans trust him and his views, which led to them rioting against the perpetrators. His use of ethos, pathos, and logos convinced the people that the assassination of Caesar was a cruel act and that Brutus, Cassius, and the other perpetrators are