Compare Brutus and Antonys speeches in Act III Scene 2 of Julius Caesar. Analyse the dramatic effects created by Shakespeares use of language
Compare Brutus and Antony's speeches in Act III Scene 2 of Julius Caesar. Analyse the dramatic effects created by Shakespeare's use of language. Like most of Shakespeare's tragedies, Julius Caesar is loosely based around true events during the Roman era. Julius Caesar is based upon a Roman emperor who ruled the empire until his death. Caesar was born around 100 B.C. and died in 44 B.C. Although the play is named Julius Caesar, the main characters of the play are Brutus and Mark Antony. Before Brutus began his speech, the third citizen says: "The noble Brutus is ascended: silence!" This reaction from the third citizen reflects the fact that Brutus is a significant figure and reflects also their eagerness to listen to Brutus' statement for Caesar's murder. Brutus begins by addressing the crowds as "Romans, countrymen and lovers!" This helps him appear very courteous. In line 18, Shakespeare uses a chiastic structure "believe me for mine honour and have respect to mine honour, that you may believe" to swing the audience's support towards Brutus. Using a chiasm (repeating words in a different way) makes Brutus' words more emphatic. From line 22 onwards Brutus is explaining his reasons for killing Caesar. Brutus uses memorable sentences such as: "Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more." Here Brutus is stating that he did indeed care about Caesar. However, he
'Antony's use of rhetoric in Act3, Scene2 is more effective than Brutus'.
'Antony's use of rhetoric in Act3, Scene2 is more effective than Brutus'.' To what extent do you agree with this statement? 26 If one considers merely the apparent 'winner' of the argument in Act 3, Scene 2, then Antony is the obvious choice as the better orator. However, Brutus probably had a more difficult job as he had to convince the crowd to forgive him for the murder of the (effective)1 head of the Roman Empire. In fact, the use of rhetorical devices in both speeches is extensive and generally well balanced. This has been affected by the order in which the men spoke to the crowd, which could, to some extent, alter the opinion of the rhetorical devices used. Rhetorical devices in the passage are well used, especially in the case of Antony and his use of pathos, although one may argue that in this instance pathos is particularly easy to use. An example of pathos2 is,'...I should do Brutus wrong and Cassius wrong (who you all know) are honourable men. I will not do them wrong; I rather choose, to wrong the dead, to wrong myself and you, then to wrong such honourable men.' This quote in some ways appears at first glance to be pro-Brutus but the undertones are more malicious and if said in grief3, could evoke powerful emotional reactions from the audience which is one of Antony's main objectives, so to make the plebeians4 turn against the conspirators in their, and at the
The Gender Transformation of Caesar
The Gender Transformation of Caesar Shakespeare's Julius Caesar opens with the concurrent celebrations of Caesar's defeat of Pompey and the annual fertility festival of Lupercal. The coupling of the two historically separate events each celebrating distinct gender roles dramatically highlights the importance of gender characterization. Rome's patriarchal society demands a leader who embodies the virile spirit of the state with leadership marked by strength, courage, and constancy. Caesar quite fittingly assumes this role as he returns valiant and victorious from the battlefields; thus, in order to remove him the strong ruler of Rome, Caesar's enemies must retrench his masculinity. Roman society considers women as the embodiment of weaknesses, thinking that their physical, mental, and political inferiority make them of little use beyond reproductive purposes, explaining why aspirants to the throne feminize the identity of the masculine warrior figure to position him as unfit for the crown. The portrayal of the two female characters of the novel, Portia and Calphurnia, captures the prevailing stereotypical perceptions of women. Caesar's wife, Calphurnia, demonstrates women's predisposition towards fearfulness and superstition when she pleads with Caesar to remain at home after dreaming that a statue made in the likeness was Cesar pouring forth blood. Calphurnia establishes
How is Brutus Presented as a Tragic Hero
How is Brutus Presented as a Tragic Hero | Throughout the tragedies written by William Shakespeare, each contains a tragic hero, a person who possesses heroic qualities but then has a tragic reversal of fortune. This tragic event is often the central element that allows the play to become a tragedy. Tragic heroes also posses something known as a tragic flaw, and it is this flaw which is the main reason the tragic event is brought about. For example in the tragedy of king Lear, the king trusts the wrong people (this is his tragic flaw) and is then tricked and later becomes mad (this is his tragic reversal of fortune) and eventually he dies. It is important however that tragic heroes posses heroic qualities. For example some people say that Julius Caesar is the tragic hero of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, however he lacks any real heroic qualities, and so cannot be considered a hero, let alone a tragic one. One of the important qualities that make Brutus a tragic hero is the fact that he has a tragic flaw. I believe this flaw to be the fact that he is too noble; this leads to naivety and allows him to be deceived by the other characters in the play to his downfall. He is naïve of some of Cassius' true character even though he is his friend. He is also over trusting of Mark Antony which is clearly shown in act 3 scene 1 where he makes the mistake of allowing Antony to make a
