“Censure me in your wisdom, and awake your senses that
you may the better judge.”
He then goes on in his speech trying to justify why he has killed Caesar. He claims that Caesar was ambitious and a threat to Rome and to justify his actions he then goes on to say that although he loved Caesar he loved Rome and the people more.
“If then that friend demand why Brutus rose against Caesar,
this is my answer: not that I loved Caesar less, but
that I loves Rome more.”
After stating that he loved Rome more, Brutus presents the crowd with a rhetorical question, asking if the people wanted to live their lives as slaves, under Caesar’s rule or would they prefer to live as freemen with Caesar dead.
“Had you rather Caesar were living, and die all slaves, than
that Caesar were dead, to live all freemen.”
Brutus continues on to ask if there are any Romans in the crowd, who love their freedom and their country or any who may be insulted or in disagreement of what he is saying. He allows them time to respond to his rhetorical question. Revealing that he cares about them and their thoughts. None are offended or argue with his words or actions.
“Who is here so base that would be a bondman? If any speak for
them that I have offended. Who is here so rude that would not
be Roman? If any, speak, for him have I offended. Who is here
so vile that will not love his country? If any, speak, for him have
I offended. I pause for a reply.”
“None, Brutus, none.”
Antony’s longer speech however, is spoken in verse and with great irony, masterfully, touching and indirect to persuade the people that Caesar was loyal and worthy to Rome. Antony starts his speech with,
“Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me you ears”
as a faithful friend would rather than a noble leader, to gain trust. Antony cunningly in his speech praises Caesar using every bit of information he can to win the crowd. Antony goes on singing the praises of the noble Brutus, who has already told the crowd, that Caesar was ambitious.
“The noble Brutus hath told you Caesar was ambitious…
For Brutus is an honourable man.”
After Antony repeats this statement a few times, his tone becomes more sarcastic and it becomes difficult to comprehend who was ambitious and who is honourable. Finally he states indirectly that Brutus use to be an honourable man.
“Yet Brutus says he was ambitious, and sure he
was an honourable man.”
Antony then goes on to justify why he disbelieves Caesar was ambitious, using three different examples. One was, when Caesar bought home captives and gave them to the public, letting the people of Rome have the advantage of the ransom money.
“He hath brought captives home to Rome,
whose ransoms did the general coffers fill;
did this in Caesar seem ambitious?”
Another example for Caesar, is when he wept with the poor. Antony emotive outpouring pricks the audience’s guilt:
“When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept:
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff.”
The final example in Antony’s speech to the crowd, is when Antony offered Caesar the crown three times and how humble Caesar refused here times. He then cleverly explained that and ambitious leader would not have done any such things.
“You all did see that on the Lupercal
I thrice presented him a kingly crown,
Which he did thrice refuse. Was this ambition?”
Throughout Antony’s speech he has a dramatic effect on the crowd, by cunningly challenging the crowd’s certainty by planting doubt in their minds, whilst reinforcing that Caesar should not have been killed. Antony claims that his heart is with Caesar and starts expressing the grief he felt by ending his speech weeping. In doing so the people see Antony as a possible successor to Caesar. The fickle crowd have already forgotten Brutus’s words and are now swayed by Antony’s. The crowd is incensed and want to kill the conspirators and Antony’s final words cleverly through subtlety and irony allow the rampage and civil unrest that follows.
“ O master, it I were disposed to stir
your heart and minds to mutiny and rage,
I should do Brutus wrong and Cassius wrong,
Who (you all know) are honourable men,
I will not do them wrong; I rather choose
To wrong the dead, to wrong myself and you,
Than I will wrong such honourable men.”
“Good Friends, sweet friends, let me not stir you up
to such sudden flood of mutiny.”
Although both Brutus and Antony spoke will and impressed the crowd, Antony’s emotion and openness forced the crowd to re-examine the notion of loyalty and in doing so show how easily they can be manipulated.
