How Does Antony Justify His Speech

In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, the two characters, Brutus, and Antony, have to go against each other. They each attempt win over the angry plebeians with their speeches at Caesars funeral. Brutus tries to justify the killing of Caesar while Antony disapproves of the killing of Caesar. Antony and Brutus where both wonderful speakers but only one speech won over the people in the end, which was Antony’s speech.
Brutus’s speech starts off with a greeting. “Romans, countrymen, and lovers! Hear me for my cause and be silent that you may hear.” (3.2.1390 – 1391). He greats them as Romans before countrymen and lovers because he wants to talk to them as the Romans. He wants to appeal to the Roman people. This is a more of an ethos way of addressing them. He appears as an authority figure. This goes hand in hand with how …show more content…
He repeatedly said “Yet Brutus says he was ambitious, and Brutus is an honorable man.” This statement is very ironic yet very smart. He says that because he is aware that the crowd has already sided with Brutus and is not wanting to anger them by putting him down. He still gives the people of Rome the opportunity to see that Brutus was wrong and decide for themselves. He spoke about how Brutus says Caesar is ambitious, then he will say how Caesar refused the kingly crown and that an ambitious person would have accepted the crown, therefore he is not ambitious. Antony also talks about Caesars will that he left for the Roman people. “I must not read it. It is not meet you know how Caesar loved you.” He is using paralipsis. He is trying to make it seem that it’s too hurtful for him to tell the people Caesars will and is avoiding bringing it up. This helps the people develop sympathy for Brutus. Antony successfully got the crowd to realize Caesar death was wrong. The Roman people turned on Brutus and where calling him and the conspirators “murderers” and