Antony is now alone with the crowd who are very much against Caesar at this moment. He immediately adopts a warm and personal manner:
“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears:”
This is in strong contrast to Brutus who addressed the crowd as “ Romans” first and then proceeded to tell them to “be silent”. He continues this formal tone throughout most of his speech, whereas Antony, keen to win the crowd over, puts himself forward as a servant to Caesar and one of the people rather than a leader like Brutus. Antony also cleverly repeats the phrase:
“Brutus is an honourable man”
This at first makes the crowd believe that he supports the conspirators who they are at that moment favouring. He skilfully manipulates the crowd by questioning Brutus’s arguments using rhetoric:
“You all did see that on the Lupercal
I thrice presented him a kingly crown,
Which he did thrice refuse. Was this ambition?
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious,
And sure he is an honourable man.”
Antony is making the crowd answer such questions of themselves rather than imposing his thoughts on them. By coming to the conclusion that Caesar was not ambitious and the thought being tied in so closely with that of Brutus being an honourable man Antony is making the crowd doubt this fact too.
Brutus’s arguments are either purely speculative or in some cases completely irrelevant.
“Who is here so vile that will not love his country?”
During Brutus’s speech the crowd accept what he is saying without really thinking that deeply about it. When they hear Antony’s arguments however, and come to their own conclusions about whether or not Caesar’s murder was just, they start feeling very passionately.
Antony reads his audience very well. Towards the end of the first of the four sections of his speech Antony gains their sympathy by appearing overcome with emotion and having to take a break. This is a clever device. It allows the crowd to talk amongst themselves, which further stirs up their feelings and it also allows Antony to gauge the effect he is having on them. Brutus does not give the crowd any time to talk together, only a brief moment in which to answer his question.
In the second section of his speech Antony continues to sway the opinions of the crowd but still keeps to his agreement with Brutus regarding not saying anything against the conspirators. He still keeps repeating that they were honourable men, but as he follows this with statements suggesting their behaviour was not at all honourable, it has a more powerfully negative effect on how the crowd are beginning to view the conspirators than if he had spoken out against them. Then with perfect timing he mentions Caesars will:
“But here’s a parchment, with the seal of Caesar.
I found it in his closet. ‘Tis his will.
Let but the commons hear this testament –
Which, pardon me, I do not mean to read –“
The crowd are full of curiosity which is increased further when Antony tells them that the reason he dare not read the will is because it would “inflame” them to know that they are all beneficiaries. The crowd insist on hearing the will at which point Antony says:
“I fear I wrong the honourable men
Whose daggers have stabbed Caesar: I do fear it.”
The crowds reaction to this is:
“They were traitors: honourable men?”
If they hadn’t already understood the irony of Antony’s constant repetition of “honourable men” it is likely that they would have after this line.
Antony then invites the crowd to crowd around the body of Caesar for the reading of the will. This also gives him the chance to further enrage the crowd. Although he wasn’t a witness to the murder of Caesar he describes the event for the crowd, showing them the places where Caesar’s mantle has been cut as he was stabbed. Then he lifts up the mantle and exposes Caesar’s mutilated corpse. The effect is explosive and the crowd start crying out for revenge. Antony continues to manipulate the crowd and direct their thoughts in a very subtle way. He tells them that if he was a man like Brutus he would encourage them to mutiny. The crowd are ready to do this but Antony stops them, reminding them of the will. When they are told of Caesar’s generosity it pushes them over the edge and they are determined to avenge his death.
Antony has done what he set out to do which he displays in this soliloquy:
“Now let it work. Mischief, thou art afoot:
Take thou what course thou wilt.”
In comparison to Antony’s stirring funeral oration the speech Brutus gives seems quite artless. Antony tells the crowd:
“I am no orator, as Brutus is,
But, as you know me all, a plain blunt man”
This is obviously not true. Antony’s words are always engaged with the feelings of his audience and he uses rhetoric skilfully as opposed to Brutus’s rather contrived and less effective use of it. Antony’s speech affected the hearts and minds of the listeners and made a lasting impression on them.
