Julius Caesar Rhetorical Analysis Essay

Antony, in his eulogy, presented himself as filled with grief and loss; however, a form of subliminal persuasion and manipulation is used to sway the Roman people in his favor. The loyal friend of Caesar appeared to be supportive of the conspirators, but his devotion to the true king never wavered. While he praised the conspirators for being “such honorable men”, Antony admitted how he grieved for his friend. He utilized paralipsis in his cajolery, stating that “I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke, / But here I am to speak what I do know.” In addition to denying his vendetta against the conspirators, he claims his allegiance allegedly stands with Brutus and the rebellion, though he speaks to their fault nonetheless. A word used repeatedly …show more content…
Antony later claims, shortly before reading Caesar’s generous will, that he “must not read it”, as it was not for the Roman citizens to “know how Caesar loved you.” While the people of Italy are not described as especially dense, it appears that they are easily influenced in their judgement. Simply by using adverse phrasing in tempting to the citizens, he deeply affects the listeners and deters them from their original devotion to Brutus. Evidently, he was successful in this, as Antony was able to quickly and decisively clout the Romans’ judgement with poignancy, pathos, and emotional coaxing. As Mark Antony states, “My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar… If you have tears, prepare to shed them now” in an attempt to, quite literally, provoke tears from his audience. Despite his love for those brave conspirators, his faith in the great and noble leader, as Antony would say, far offsets it. Though he claims to speak to the ruler’s death and not promote him, the long-time follower’s speech is biased and