Brutus’s speech commences with the line “Romans, countrymen, and lovers, hear me of my cause, and be silent, that you may hear.” Brutus’s speech is written in prose, this lowers him to the level of the citizens and the audience watching the play. Brutus uses many rhetorical questions and quotes such as, “who here is so base, that would be a bondman?” This question is indirectly asking the citizens what their lives would have been like if Caesar hadn’t been killed. This manipulative language is to also convince the citizens that their freedom would have been taken away if Caesar had not been assassinated.
In this speech Brutus uses repetition and references to loyalty. The Elizabethan audiences watching this play would have appreciated Shakespeare’s aspect of loyalty in the speech.
The only dramatic device used in this speech is the dagger used by Brutus to stab Caesar. When Brutus presents this dagger to the crowd of citizens there are a few cries of pain from both women and men. The dagger represents the power that defeated the tyrannous Caesar. Brutus also tells the crowd of citizens that if Rome were to see him rid of, he would use the historic dagger on himself. This line swayed the crowd’s feelings towards his actions. Brutus’s speech is impassive and therefore charms the crowd.
Mark Antony enters the scene with the body of Caesar in his arms; this device is used to present what blood had been spilt despite what Brutus had said. As Antony enters Brutus makes a quick exit with the lines, “with this I depart, that as I slew my best lover for the good of Rome, I have the same dagger for myself, when it shall please my country to need my death.” “Good countrymen, let me depart alone, and for my sake, stay here with Antony.”
Before Antony’s speech begins he mentions a few lines about Brutus to find out what views the public have on him, for example, “ For Brutus’ sake, I am beholding to you.” A reply is given from one of the citizens, “what does he say of Brutus.” From this Antony knows the crowd’s feeling and can therefore judge on how to really start his speech.
“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears: I come to bury Caesar not to praise him.” This first line starts in the same way as Brutus’s however it is devoted more for the people of Rome not for the fate of Rome as an empire.
This speech is the more dominating of the two and in the end wins both the citizens and the audience. In his speech there are three dramatic devices. The body of the deceased Caesar, the mantle that Caesar is wearing, and his will.
In this speech of Antony’s, Shakespeare has presented it in blank verse, as it shows that Antony is speaking in a manner of dignity and graciousness. This is a perfect example of rhetorical speech.
Shakespeare uses pauses to break up the speech so that the audience watching the play do not start to become uninterested. At one point Antony pretends to be overcome with tears and therefore needs to recover himself before carrying on. While turned away, he listens to the crowd’s reactions. “Methinks there is much reason in his sayings.” “If you consider rightly of the matter, Caesar has had great wrong.” From this Antony knows that the crowd are starting to feel sympathetic for Caesar and himself. With a smile he turns around and returns to the speech.
During the speech Antony asks the crowd to make a ring around the corpse of Caesar. He does this to present one of the devices that Shakespeare wants him to use, the bloody mantle. It shows the wound through with Brutus and conspirators had stabbed in great detail. Once Antony has descended, citizens from the crowd use phrases like “stand back; room; bear back,” “room for Antony most noble Antony.” “A ring, stand around.” From this we can see that the crowd has been almost totally won over by Antony’s speech, and the devices that he uses. The most important dramatic device in this scene is the will of Caesar. It is much more manipulative than any of the other devices, however Shakespeare decides to use it at the end of Antony’s speech. Once the crowd had been influenced he would then need to secure this position by making the citizens implore the will.
By the end of Antony’s speech the whole crowd have been converted onto his side. They leave to take vengeance of Caesars death.
During this scene Shakespeare has portrayed the pliable and vacillating minds of the citizens. And the shrewdness of Mark Antony and Brutus.
During the Elizabethan era, audiences would have enjoyed to heed such powerful, twisting, manipulative rhetoric language. Shakespeare uses powerful language to turn a political, historic event into a gripping, emotional drama. The Elizabethan era was very simple as only a few people learnt how to write and talk in this manner, mainly the educated upper class society. Therefore applying this to a drama was extremely enjoyable, the Elizabethans enjoyed watching the lower classed society in confused gullibility as it bought out the difference between them.
