When could they say, till now, that talked of Rome,
That her wide walls encompassed but one man?
Now it is Rome indeed, and room enough,
When there is in it but only one man! (Act1,Scn2,Line153-156)
Cassius is telling Brutus, that before Caesar there was never a time with just one person in total power but now in Rome, it seems to the commons that there is only room for one man in power, that man being Caesar. This is very convincing for Brutus because in his belief of a Roman Republic there is never only one man in power for if no one can keep the ruler in check, the potential for the power to go to the dictators head is ever so present. Cassius uses the power of words and manipulative character to successfully convince Brutus to join the conspiracy and then eventually kill Caesar.
Along with Cassius, Decius is also a part of the conspiracy and uses words to convince Caesar to ignore the bad omens and to come to the Senate, which leads to his assassination. Decius is surprised when Caesar tells him he is not coming to the senate so he uses an unplanned but none the less convincing argument. Decius tells Caesar, “If Caesar hide him self, shall they not whisper / “Lo! Caesar is afraid”?” (Act2,Scn2,line100-101) Decius is saying to Caesar that by hiding himself everyone will think he is afraid. Decius knows he is prying on Caesars pride and insecurity of himself. Because of Caesar’s fear of looking weak he pretends not to fear anything however if he was truly as strong as he claims to be, he wouldn’t have shown his weakness to Decius which because of that lead him to his assassination. In the same manner, Decius also tells Caesar that he was going to be offered a crown. “[…] The senate have concluded / To give this day a crown to mighty Caesar. / If you shall send them word you will not come, / Their minds may change.” (Act2,Scn2,line93-96) By saying this to Caesar, Decius again knows he is prying at Caesars insecurities. Caesar yearns to be crowned and Decius knows this, and he is easily able to manipulate Caesar into abandoning his wife and coming with him to the senate. Because of this mistake Caesar made, it leads him to his assassination.
On the contrary to Cassius and Decius, Mark Antony believes in Caesar and uses efficient rhetoric to his benefit. After Caesar’s murder, Mark Antony goes to the conspirers and speaks to them as if they were friends. Mark Antony expresses “Therefore I took your Hands, but was indeed / Swayed from the point by looking down on Caesar. / [Smoothly] Friends am I with you all, and love you all,” (Act3, Scn1,Line218-220) Mark Antony needs to convince the conspirators that he is on their side by shaking their literally bloody hands and affirming that he loves them so that he will be able to speak at the funeral and eventually convince the commons to take his side. After Mark Antony gains Brutus’ trust and he agrees to obey all of Brutus’ rules, he goes to speak to all of the commons at Caesar’s funeral. He immediately starts to speak against Brutus and the other conspirers he says to the commons,
But Brutus says he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honourable man…
He hath brought many captives home to Rome,
Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill:
Did this Caesar seam ambitious? (Act3,Scn2,Line85-90)
In the quote, Mark Antony questions Brutus’s reason for killing Caesar for his “ambitious nature”. He wants the commons to seem as if they have come to their own decisions but Mark Antony knows he is manipulating them to join his side. Because Mark Antony is so skilled at tailoring his words to his audience’s desires, he talks about how Caesar brought more money into the city. Most of the commons are so poor that upon hearing this, it enrages them that someone would kill such a glorious man who would do something that great for the people. After the eulogy, the commons are all on Mark Antony’s side and as a result of this, it leads to the war and at last, the defeat of the conspirators.
The power of words in Julius Caesar, greatly influences the character and plot development. Cassius uses powerful words and careful arguments to convince Brutus to join the conspiracy, Decius manipulates Caesar into coming to the senate by prying on Caesars insecurity and pride which leads to his assassination, and Mark Antony, who first convince the conspirers of his “love “ and then convinces the commons to take his side against the conspirers which consequently leads to the defeat of the conspirators and the glorious uprising of Mark Antony. Words do have power and using intellectual words can be very manipulating and can be more powerful then any other method.
