Antony And Brutus Speech Analysis

Antony vs. Brutus The funeral speeches presented in the play Julius Caesar are very important to the plot. By analyzing the speeches and figuring out which one is more effective, the reader knows how to feel about the subject and who to trust. When Brutus spoke he did very well, but also lost the crowd when he let Antony speak. Antony’s speech was also very good, and by hearing his speech to the audience, we can see how he really feels about the killing. Both Antony and Brutus’s funeral speeches were very effective. These speeches were also very different to the way the crowd reacted to them. The first to speak was Brutus, his purpose was to mainly inform the crowd why the conspirators killed Caesar. He also wanted to explain why Caesar …show more content…
Antony starts off his speech the same way Brutus did, in Act III, Sc. 2 “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears” (ln 70) . I believe he was trying to do the same thing as Brutus, by speaking to the people as friends. Antony continues his speech saying that Brutus is noble. When Antony says Brutus is noble, it’s a little strange. It’s not Antony calling him noble that is strange. What is strange is that the more Antony says this, the more sarcastic he becomes. He is mocking Brutus for being “so noble”. His use of repetition in this speech is what makes you clearly see his intentions. In this speech Antony puts the Roman people against the conspirators without them even knowing it. Antony then waves Caesar’s will in front of the people’s faces, but he says in Act III, Sc. 2 “I must not read it” (ln 137). When he shows them the will, he knows by reading it aloud it will make the people furious. This is why he insists on not reading it, knowing the people will only beg to hear it. Antony then knows what to do to bring the people against Brutus, he must show them the body of Caesar. When Antony first reveals Caesar’s dead body he first points out the clothing Caesar is wearing. He explains in Act III Sc. 2 “I remember the first time ever Caesar put it on” (ln 167-168), by saying this he is sharing a close and important moment with the people. He is hoping it will bring emotion to the spectacle. After he shares his experience with the audience, he …show more content…
When Antony first used repetition to get the point across that Brutus was not noble, the Roman people felt betrayed. Especially when Antony showed them the mark where Brutus stabbed Caesar. By bringing Caesar’s dead body in the middle of the crowd and revealing his corpse and stab wounds, he showed the crowd which man took responsibility for the wounds. Antony’s speech was more effective because after he got done speaking the people were so mad that they went out and killed anyone with the same name as the