Two Julius Caesar Speeches Brutus and Mark Antony both delivered speeches after the death of Julius Caesar. How do these speeches relate to the conclusion of the play? Write an essay that compares and contrasts the two speeches and connects them to the resolution of the play. Include quotations from the speeches to explain your thinking.
Answers
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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 shows Antony's rhetoric to be superior by the effect he has on the plebeians.
Brutus's speech fails to convince permanently win over the crowd because he does not understand them. His first failure is at the beginning of his speech when he asks the plebeians to, "Censure me in you wisdom, and awake your senses". It seems as though he does not realize that he is speaking to an angry mob. His argument is based on cold and calculating reason. He argues that the love of freedom is stronger than the ties of friendship. "Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more". This logic cannot sink deeply into an emotional mob. He asks the plebeians to "Believe me for mine honor, and have respect to mine honor that you may believe.
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While addressing the crowd after the murder of Caesar, Brutus says that he has killed Caesar because of his growing ambition which would be very harmful to the citizens of Rome. He adds that he would never accept that because of one person the whole of the Roman empire would be trapped in the web of slavery. In added in his speech that:
“Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more,”
brutus tries to convince the people that whatever he has committed is just for the welfare of them. He spoke the speech in a serious and formal tone to the people. He presents himself to be a thinker and expects the people to be thinkers too.
On the other hand, Mark Anthony tries to convince people that Brutus is someone who cannot be trusted upon. He tries to explain that Brutus was wrong and evil and Caesar was the one who was trustworthy and was not as ambitious as said by Brutus. He tries to convince people that and sympathize for Caesar which resulted in turning the citizens against Brutus. He spoke in melancholic and passionate tone to the people. While speaking about Caesar jhe said:
“When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept."
Brutus concluded that he had killed Caesar for the sake of Rome and this was a righteous choice of killing him. On the contrary, Mark Antony concluded that Caesar was the person who was the friend of every people of Rome and his murder was a serious offense.
Brutus used pathos in his speech while Mark Anthony used pathos.