Julius Caesar is a play deeply concerned with the idea of rhetoric‚ or persuasion. The play is driven by persuasion. Cassius convinces Brutus that Caesar must die‚ setting the story in motion. The resolution of the plot is decided by Antony’s speech to the plebeians. Shakespeare sees rhetoric as one of the most powerful forces in the world; able to topple kings and crown them. The play‚ Julius Caesar‚ examines what gives rhetoric its power by pitting Brutus’s speech against Mark Antony’s. Shakespeare
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Many people would say that any play written by William Shakespeare is worth reading. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is one of his most famous and well-known plays. It was believed to be written in 1599 and it is based on the events of Rome’s history. In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar‚ one of the main characters is Brutus‚ and he is an interesting character to say the least. Brutus is hypocritical‚ gullible and makes bad decisions. Brutus was shown to be hypocritical by stabbing Caesar in the back. He
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Heroes of Julius Caesar What defines a hero? Once upon a time‚ in another essay‚ a hero was decided to be a person possessing bravery‚ selflessness‚ and strength. In Shakespeare’s famous play Julius Caesar‚ a group of Roman nobles conspire against the title character when it appears inevitable that he will destroy their current way of life. Unfortunately‚ while the assassination attempt is successful‚ the result is not what the plotters hoped for. A brief civil war ensues and the conspirators
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Importance of Plebeians In the play Julius Caesar‚ the common people might as well be the most important people to the outcome of the play. Basically whoever has the plebeians support will win the fight‚ they just go for what is appealing to them. They change their minds all time in the play. They are just ignorant people who want “bread and circuses”. The plebeians first show their fickleness in the very first scene of the play when they are speaking of Caesar’s triumph over Pompey. They were
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Julius Caesar and Antony are the Antagonists of the story. The story title should remain Julius Caesar because it keeps the spotlight on Julius Caesar. And who wants to go see a play by Marcus Brutus anyways? No one! Everyone would know of the name julius caesar and would want to go to it. Even though it is more Brutus’ story. I believe that the role of the Antagonist is shared between Julius Caesar and Antony. Caesar isn’t wouldn’t seem like an antagonist at first glance‚ but when taking
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The Power of Rhetoric Caesar was brutally murdered‚ and now Brutus and Antony present their funeral speeches with the purpose to make people believe in their own views on this murder. The central theme of Act 3‚ Scene 2 of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare is the power of rhetoric. From this scene we are able to see the power that words can have—how they can awake emotions‚ manipulate opinions‚ and motivate actions. Through the essay I will be comparing Antony and Brutus speeches and their
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In his boastful and cynical speech‚ Cassius‚ a senator of Rome‚ utilizes rhetorical devices in order to persuade Brutus‚ a senator and friend of Caesar‚ that Caesar is unfit to be the ruler of Rome. Cassius begins his speech to Brutus addressing Caesar’s triumph and absolute rule under Rome. Cassius initially appeals to ethos by establishing his credibility‚ stating that “honor is the subject of my story” (I‚ ii‚ 92). Cassius begins his speech by confirming that his argument was based
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After the murder of Caesar both Brutus and Antony gave speeches to the public. These speeches were used to convince the crowd of the justness of Caesar’s murder.The two men both used different methods of persuasion to convince the people what they thought was the truth. Antony had a more effective speech than Brutus did because he had physical evidence‚ stronger emotions‚ and better methods of persuasion which he used to turn the crowd against Brutus. When Brutus got up in front of the people he
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Antony’s Methods of Persuasion In Mark Antony’s speech‚ he uses rhetorical devices to move the crowd. Mark Antony has to convince the audience that the conspirators are evil without talking ill about them. He had big shoes to fill‚ considering that Brutus had already gained the crowds support and turned them against Caesar. Antony changed the perspective of the crowd by making them feel his emotions and questioning the conspirators. In order to persuade the crowd to believe that Caesar did not
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In using Julius Caesar as a central figure‚ Shakespeare is less interested in portraying a figure of legendary greatness than he is in creating a character who is consistent with the other aspects of his drama. If Brutus and Cassius were eminently evil men insidiously planning the cold-blooded murder of an eminently admirable ruler‚ Julius Caesar would be little more than a melodrama of suspense and revenge. On the other hand‚ if Caesar were wholly the bloody tyrant‚ there would be little cause for
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