In Act 3 Scene 3 (the scene following on from the one in question) the Roman citizens have been stirred up to anger, they are very much against the conspirators: so much so that they kill an innocent man simply because he happens to have the same name as one of the conspirators.
It is in the scenes directly following Act 3 Scene 2 that we see two clear, hostile ‘armys’ or groups. One led by Anthony, the other by Brutus. However there seems to be friction between two members of Brutus’ camp- Brutus and Cassius. Cassius aggressively warns Brutus to “have mind upon health, tempt me no further.”
Before allowing Mark Anthony to address the crowd, Brutus himself delivers a speech to the crowd at Caesars funeral. In his speech he also stressed that Anthony was only speaking under his (Brutus’) permission. It is clear from their speeches, that Anthony and Brutus are two very clever men. Both speeches to an extent achieve their purposes.
Brutus has just killed Caesar in front of the assembled citizens. The Roman citizens loved Caesar, to some Caesar was like a God. They have seen the brutal way in which Caesar has been slain and are demanding answers as to why Brutus and the other conspirators have commited such an act. Brutus’ main purpose of his speech is to explain to the citizens why the murder had to happen. Brutus is known throughout Rome as a decent and honourable man, in his soeech Brutus aims to remind and confirm to the citizens of his honourable character and intentions. Brutus want the citizens to believe tha tkilling Caesar was the best thing to do for the general good of Rome.
Mark Anthony also has specific purposes of his speech. Anthony was Caesars’ second in command. Anthony was a beloved friend to Caesar. In many aspects, Anthony’s purpose of his speech is the exact opposite of Brutus’. Whereas Brutus wants to portray Caesar’s murder as a good, beneficial thing, Anthony wants the citizens to believe that what the conspirators have done is “bloody treason.” Anthony wants the citizens to feel sadness. He aims to create a sense of grief and loss over the death of Caesar.
Ultimately, both men are trying to ‘win over’ the Roman citizens. The two speeches are crucial to the future of Rome, and to who holds the power in the future Rome. Whoever manages to deliver the most powerful, effective and impacting speech will hold a lot of power in Rome. As mentioned earlier, Brutus and Anthony are two very clever men. This can be seen very clearly, if we consider the techniques of persuasion both men use in their speeches.
Both men initially address the citizens with respect and by using flattery. Brutus refers to the crowd as “lovers” whilst Anthony calls them “friends” and later on, takes it one step further by addressing them as “sweet friends”. By using this language to address the crowd, both men are straight away creating a special bond with the crowd. It makes the cowd think that they are loved and honoured by the persons addressing them.
Brutus uses a lot of repetition. One example of this is found at the beginning of his speech where he repeats the words “believe” and “mine honour”. Repetion is used to stress certain things. It also helps to make the message more memorable to the audience. In this particular example Brutus is telling the citizens to believe him because of his reputation amongst them as an honourable man. By reminding the crowd of this at such an early stage in the speech, Brutus is preparing the citizens to receive his message.
