The power of rhetoric in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

Introduction to Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar is one of the most important Shakespeare's works. The play tells how Caesar was stabbed to death by a group of conspirators including his stepson Brutus. The most beautiful part is the Third Act, when Brutus and Antony speak to the mob. They both made their speech differently. Brutus began with "Romans, countrymen, lovers" and he spoke as a politician. He spoke only about Caesar's military qualities and insisted on me and I. He used abstract words like "respect, honor…" and abstract concepts like "slavery, freedom…". He said he killed him not because he loved him less, but because he loved Rome more. Caesar was valiant, but he was also ambitious, so Brutus had to kill him. He ended his speech asking several questions to the mob and then he went away.

Antony's emotional appeal

Instead of Antony began his speech with "Friends, countrymen, Romans" and spoke of concrete things, such as "testament, drachmas…" and showed the people the massacred body of Caesar. He spoke about Caesar's character and hammered his audience with a lot of your's. I like Antony's speech more because he conveys his rage and his grief for the death of his friend to the mob. He shows the real situation and conquers them without speaking badly about Brutus.