Two of Shakespeare’s most famous monologues appear in Julius Caesar. After Julius Caesar was killed by the conspirators and his close friend, Marcus Brutus, he, along with Mark Antony, deliver a speech at Caesar’s funeral a few days after his death. Brutus delivered his speech first, soon to follow Antony’s after he departs the crowd. Although Brutus’ speech was convincing to the crowd, it was not as strong as Mark Antony’s speech.
“As Caesar lov’d me, I weep for him; as he was fortunate, I rejoice at it; as he was valiant, I honor him; but, as he was ambitious, I slew him (III, ii, 24-26).” These were the words in Brutus’ monologue as he explained to the citizens of Rome why he had killed his close friend, Caesar in Act III. The goal of his speech was to calm the crowd. To do this, Brutus used repetition in his speech trying to convince the people that because he is an honorable man, what he did was right. He also used rhetorical questions towards the crowd to appeal to their emotions. It was very convincing at first, unfortunately there was a problem with what he said. His speech relied on opinion statements. It also lacked important details regarding Caesar’s ambition. Brutus spoke in prose and did not appear to have rehearsed his speech. According to the beginning of Scene II, some of the citizens left with Cassius, creating a smaller audience for Brutus. He also underestimated the loyalty of the crowd and how changeable they were. In short, Brutus’ speech was not as strong as Antony’s was.
“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 (III, ii, 102-105),” said by Mark Antony as he explained how Caesar was a faithful friend and demonstrates his feelings about Caesar. Both he and Brutus’ speeches involved rhetorical questions and appealed to the crowd’s emotions. But there were a few differences which make Antony’s speech better than Brutus’ speech. Antony’s speech had a bigger audience when he arrives to deliver it. He does not speak in prose, but in poetry, implying that he planned the speech before it was delivered. Antony used sarcasm and repetition against Brutus, specifically when he repeated the phrase “honorable man.” Antony also knows how changeable the people are when he delivers the speech.
Antony has now turned the people against Brutus. Both Brutus and Antony made impressive speeches, but in the end, it was Mark Antony who won the people over. Antony has used his speech and emotions to strongly persuade the people to turn on Brutus and the other conspirators, causing them to flee Rome and go into hiding. The citizens of Rome now start to revere Antony like they would Caesar. Antony has succeeded in winning the people over to his side. If Brutus had included more detail in his reasoning for Caesar’s ambition and had a bigger audience, the people might have been in his favor. But in the end, Antony gained much power from his speech and soon becomes a problem for Brutus and the others.
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