How Mark Anthony would say his speech in Act 3 Scene 1 and 2 because of his relationship with Julius Caesar and his knowledge of the main perpetrators Brutus and Cassius

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Liam Keenan 10s

How Mark Anthony would say his speech in Act 3 Scene 1 and 2 because of his relationship with Julius Caesar and his knowledge of the main perpetrators Brutus and Cassius

Mark Antony reveals his true feelings while acting act 3 scenes 1 and 2;he uses many rhetorical devices while orating his speech. In this essay I will try to demonstrate how he would do this. But before you understand how he acts you have to know why he acts like this.

Antony, a loyal friend of Caesar's, wants to show Brutus and the conspirators for what they really are: nothing but savage murderers who killed Caesar out of spite and jealousy and not for the good of Rome. He owed it to Ceasar and made a pact with him to do so. For when he shook each of the conspirator’s hands in turn he was shaking the bloodied hands from Ceasar and thus making the pact with Ceasar not his murderers. By doing this, Antony hopes the fickle mob will turn into a bunch of irate that will settle for nothing less than the revenge and deaths of the conspirators. As they do by the end “And with the brands fire the traitors’ houses.”

In Mark Antony's Speech, Antony confronts a crowd that is against him and on the side of the conspirators who just killed Caesar. In order to turn the crowd to his side; Antony uses rhetorical questions, appeals to them, and irony in his speech to the people, so the actor would have to make clear the purpose of them saying these speeches so the crowd can appreciate the irony etc. in them. Without breaking his word not to wrong the conspirators, Antony indirectly persuades the crowd that the conspirators were wrong in killing Caesar and that Caesar's death should be avenged. The use of rhetorical questions in Antony's speech causes the crowd to question whether or not what the conspirators claimed to be true. For example, when Antony asked the crowd, "I thrice presented him a kingly crown, which he did thrice refuse. Was this ambition?". This reminds the crowd that Brutus said that Caesar was ambitious, so the actor would have to put emphasis on the word ambitious. In effect, they wonder if Brutus was actually right or not. He also asked, "You loved him once, not without cause; what cause withholds you then to mourn for him?” This question reminds the crowd of how their lives were before Caesar was killed, so the actor would be putting emphasis on the word love and speaking slowly so the crowd can fully appreciate it. Then, the crowd questions Brutus tricked them. Antony goes on to ask, "And being men, hearing the will of Caesar, it will inflame you, it will make you mad. 'Tis good you know not that you are his heirs; for if you should, what will come of it?". Here he is playing on their masculinity and male pride to begin with, putting emphasis on men and inflame all spoken strongly and aggressively. Then when he reaches “heirs” he slow and lets them think about it and that is when their greed kicks in and this makes the crowd interested in what Caesar left them in his will and this is also them using reason to follow his lead if they think they will gain more from it. The way Antony speaks of it makes the crowd look bad for ever being on the side of the conspirators and this causes the powerful emotion of grief to kick in so a certain amount of the aggression has to be directed at the crowd but not enough to anger the crowd and drive them against him.

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 Rhetorical questions are utilized in the speech and help the unjustifiable excuses of the conspirators become clear. The rhetorical appeals, pathos, Caesars love for his country and them, and ethos, used in Antony's speech, turn the crowd to the side of Caesar. An example of Caesars’ love of country is "He hath brought many captives home to Rome.” By saying this, Antony proves that Caesar did many things for his country and not all for himself, so the actor would be saying it as if one friend is reminiscent to the other about ‘the good old day’ and appealing to ...

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