How Does Antony Use Rhetoric

Both Brutus and Antony are able to use the skill of rhetoric to get what they want, but who used it better? Antony is cunning and uses rhetoric effortlessly in his speech. After Brutus speaks to the crowd, Antony is next and he persuades the people to his side by countering Brutus about everything he said. His speech is powerful and he moves the crowd so deeply they begin to riot and kill innocent people. Antony used pathos and grabbed the Roman people's attentions by getting to their emotions. However, at the beginning Brutus was able to sway the Roman people to see his side of the story. He included logos and ethos in his argument to make it more effective in gaining the citizens trust. In some aspects the arguments are similar, but one is more effective that the other. Antony's speech is the greater of the two. He is able to capture emotion and bring it into his speech to the crowd. One way is when he weeps over Caesar’s body and shows the Roman people the stab wounds from the conspirators. Antony says to the crowd the most unkind cut of all is from Brutus, his “best friend” (III, ii,184-185). Not only is Antony able to use pathos but he also brings literary devices into the mix. Some examples that Antony uses in his speech are …show more content…
Each included example of logos, ethos, and pathos in his speech. However, one crucial mistake that Brutus made when speaking is letting Antony speak after him. He cannot counter what Antony says, and does not know what he tells the people. Because of the way Antony spoke and what he included in his speech, he is able to come out on top. The people are able to relate to the emotion that is pouring out of Antony, whereas they merely listened to the facts that Brutus spoke to them. Antony knows that because of his use of emotion he will be able to manipulate the crowd to go against Brutus and the