Brutus Speech Analysis

After Caesar’s death, in the play Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, the conspirators and Mark Antony speak to the public to explain what has happened to Caesar. Brutus, one of the main conspirators and Caesar’s best friend, talks first and gives the Romans the reason as to why Caesar had to be killed. Brutus’ speech is very convincing and he manipulates the crowd into believing him easily. After Brutus speaks, Mark Antony, Caesar’s good friend and second in command, gives a speech about Caesar and how he did not deserve to die, easily turning the crowd against Brutus and the other conspirators. Both speeches use persuasive techniques, like ethos, and rhetorical devices, like repetition and rhetorical questions, to manipulate their audiences …show more content…
One instance of this is when Brutus proves to the crowd that anyone who does not believe that killing Caesar needed to happen was a terrible person by asking, “Who here so base that would be a bondman? If any,/ speak, for him have I offended. Who is here so rude/ that would not be a Roman? If any, speak, for him/ have I offended” (3.2.29-32). This use of rhetorical devices adds a powerful effect to his words because he is repeatedly asking questions that give the answer he wants. Which makes it seem like the people in the crowd are participating and forming their own opinions, when Brutus is really forming their thoughts for them knowing that everyone is going to give the same answer. During Mark Antony’s speech he uses the same technique, using repetition and rhetorical questions to prove that Caesar was not ambitious. He states, “He hath brought many captives home to rome,/ Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill./ Did this in Caesar seem ambitious? . . . You all did see that on Lupercal/ I thrice presented him a kingly crown,/ which he did thrice refuse. Was this ambition?” (3.2.90-99). By asking