The speech of Mark Antony begins with him addressing the plebeians with a pattern of three; “Friends, Romans, and Countrymen,” this is a good introduction as it involves the plebeians. The introduction in similar to the speech of Brutus because it uses a pattern of three, yet Antony announces the plebeians as ‘Friends’ whereas Brutus does not. The speech is performed as poetry using blank versed Iambic Pentameter, which is powerful and appeals to the hearts of the plebeians and is a skilful use of persuasion, “The evil that men do live after them. The good is oft interred in their bones” is a good example.
Many phrases are repeated throughout the speech to emphasis certain aspects that Antony wants to make clear. For example ‘Ambition’ and “For Brutus is an honourable man.” This makes the plebeians believe his statements as the ideas are continually drummed into the audience.
To give the speech more power Mark Antony uses motivation steps. The first motivation step is his dramatic entrance with the body of Caesar, and his opening words. Whereas his second motivation step is telling the plebeians about Caesar being ambitious and questioning whether or not he actually was ambitious “Was this ambition?” He then asks a rhetorical question to the plebeians “What cause withholds you then to mourn for him?” Antony may be wondering why the plebeians are not mourning over Caesar death. “Brutish beasts” is an example of the alliteration use by Antony to persuade the plebeians and make it sound more poetic and rhythmic patterns make speeches more memorable and help them to flow more easily.
Mark Antony is ironic throughout the duration of the speech because, to begin with, the plebeians are still faithful towards Brutus and he has to step carefully so that he is not killed. “I come to bury Caesar not to praise him” is example of Antony being ironic because he was faithful to Caesar. However as the speech proceeds Mark Antony gradually turns the plebeians to despise the conspirators because he is a skilled orator, meaning talented speaker. Playing with the plebeians emotions Antony ends the first part of his speech with, “My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar, and I must pause till it come back to me”. This is a very artistic move as it is very persuasive; he listens to the response of the plebeians. Already the plebeians have been influenced, “Methinks there is much reason in his sayings” in one example of the reply from the plebeians. They are confused at this time and do not know whether to believe Brutus or Antony, “Poor soul, his eyes are red as fire weeping.” Here a metaphor is used, as it is a good rhetorical device because it places an image in the minds of the plebeians, that encourages them to think about the.
Antony continues by saying “but yesterday the word of Caesar might have stood against the world.” Here he is telling the plebeians that if Caesar had been supreme and taken the crown then the world may be a different place. Antony then uses irony to say that he will not go against the conspirators “I rather choose to wrong the dead, myself and you, then wrong such honourable men”. This is powerful as irony because the plebeians do not realise they are being lied too, this is a clever use of persuasion.
The will of Caesar is now introduced; “but here’s a parchment with the seal of I found it in his closet” even though Antony did not actually find the will he, uses irony. It is ironic that he said that he found the will in the closet of Caesar because he did not go to the house of Caesar after his death. Antony then says, “Let the commons hear this testament” informing the plebeians that they cannot hear the will; this is a good use of persuasion because it keeps the plebeians in anticipation.
The plebeians have now been convinced by the mentioning of the will and insist that Antony should read it. “We’ll hear the will, read it Mark Antony.” Throughout the speech Mark Antony uses pauses to gives the plebeians time to absorb the important points he has made. Again, this shows us that he has thought deeply on how to win over the plebeians.
The speech continues with Antony saying that he cannot read it, “I must not read it” which is ironic as later on he does. This is a good technique to use as it makes the plebeians listen intently and builds up suspense. “Hearing the will of Caesar, it will inflame you, it will make you mad.” The use of ‘will’ three times is a clever pun that keeps reminding the plebeians about the will. While the use of ‘you’, directs the argument to them. “O what would come of it?” Antony is wondering what the plebeians reactions would be if they knew.
The plebeians respond, “Read the will. We’ll hear it Antony.” Repetition is used here which they hope will persuade Antony. The reply from Antony continued to use the ‘will’ pun and also uses the rhetorical questions “Will you be patient? Will you stay a while?” This is because they had a substantial effect on the plebeians’ emotions. Antony then mentions the conspirators as he feels that the plebeians have forgotten about them “I fear I wrong honourable men, whose daggers have stabbed Caesar” this is ironic as he actually means “harsh daggers.” This is because he is against the conspirators and wants the plebeians on his side.
As the plebeians are fickle and believe Antony they are now against the conspirators “they were villains, murderers. The will read the will.” This shows that although they have two aspects on their minds, the will and the conspirators, the will remains the major priority because they want to know if they receive anything in the will of Caesar.
Antony now pretends decides to read out the will, “You will compel me to read the will,” although he tells the plebeians that he will read the will Antony is being ironic because he wants to tell them later on. “Then make a ring around the corpse of Caesar”. This is a good technique of persuasion as Antony is going down to the level of the plebeians to make it look as if they are equal. The plebeians are for this idea “You shall have leave” allowing Mark Antony to come down. “Room for Antony most noble Antony” was a remark from one plebeian, showing that they Antony has persuaded the plebeians well and do not believe Brutus.
Antony adds emotion to his speech, and by being emotional he is able to be more powerful and stir the feelings of the plebeians. “If you have tears prepare to shed them now.” Ironically Antony then remarks where Brutus stabbed Caesar “Through this the well-beloved Brutus stabbed” this is ironic because he did not see the killing of Antony, yet the plebeians do not realise it. Antony has now gone against Brutus because he knows the plebeians are now behind him; “This was the most unkindest cut of all.” A twist in his speech is a good persuasive technique, because it changes the focus and adds surprise, which will attract attention.
Antony continues to play with the emotions of the plebeians, “O now you weep, and I perceive you feel” as if instructing them to shed tears. Antony wants to know how the plebeians will react when he asks, “Our Caesar’s vesture wounded?” This rhetorical question stirs the plebeians’ emotions against the conspirators. To end this part of the speech, following a pause he finally says that the conspirators are villains “Here is himself, marred as you see with traitors.” Antony can now stop using irony because the plebeians are totally persuaded.
The plebeians are now outraged with the conspirators; “O traitors, villains!” They have changed their opinions entirely and want to kill the conspirators. ‘”Revenge! About! Seek! Burn! Fire Kill! Slay! Let not a traitor live!” Even though the plebeians are against the conspirators Antony wants them to stay, “Stay countrymen,” so they can hear more and become additionally furious. Antony then makes an ironic appeal to encourage the plebeians to disorder “let me not stir you up, to such a sudden flow of mutiny.” This is ironic and pauses because he is deliberately playing with emotions.
Antony then makes a suggestion that the conspirators murdered Caesar for different reasons, “What private griefs they have, alas, I know not” and implies that they murdered Caesar for personal grudges instead of for the good of Rome. Contrasting himself to Brutus, Antony tells the plebeians that he is not a talented speaker like Brutus, “I am no orator as Brutus is; but as you know me a plain blunt man.” This is ironic because Antony himself knows that he is very artistic in using techniques of persuasion. “For I have neither wit, nor words, nor worth, Action, nor utterance, nor power of speech, to stir men’s blood.” Here Antony is saying that he has none of the qualities a skilled orator has, which is ironical as he has the intelligence, reputation, and gesture to easily persuade the plebeians.
The response from the plebeians it that they want to destroy the conspirators homes; “We’ll house of the Brutus.” If Antony were a “plain blunt man” then he would have not been able to persuade the plebeians so easily.
The will is again mentioned by Antony, “You have forgot the will I told you of.” He does this because plebeians have forgotten because of their anger. Antony also makes sure that the fury of the plebeians is supported by knowledge of the will. The plebeians agree that they have forgotten, “Most true. Let’s stay and hear the will.” Antony then ironically tells the plebeians “To every Roman citizen he gives, to every several man, seventy-five drachmas” This is ironic because Antony has not even seen the will of Caesar yet the plebeians do not know this. By saying that Caesar would give everyone money Antony manages to build up support for him. The reply from the plebeians is “Most noble Caesar! We’ll revenge his death.” This now shows that the plebeians do not believe that the conspirators killed Caesar for the good of Rome but for their own benefit.
Antony continues with saying “Moreover he has left you all his walks, his private arbours and new-planted orchards, on this side of Tiber” which is ironic as Caesar has not left this to the plebeians, yet as Antony is very persuasive they now believe anything he tells them. He has their trust. Antony ends the speech with “Here was a Caesar! When comes such another?” This is a clever ending as he uses a rhetorical question, which in fact the plebeians respond to “Never, never!”
The plebeians are now on there way to bury Caesar “We’ll burn his body in a holy place” which shows they now believe that Caesar was noble instead of ambitious. “With the brands fire the traitors’ houses” the plebeians are going to burn the houses of the conspirators for them murdering Caesar.
Mark Antony may have won the plebeians hearts however even he knew that he had no told the whole truth whereas Brutus did. At the end of the play of Julius Caesar Brutus kills himself with his sword, Antony then exclaims, “This was the noblest Roman of them all”
Overall the two speeches use a number of techniques of persuasion and stylistic devices. Brutus made an enormous mistake at the closing stages of his speech as he allowed Mark Antony to speak, even though Cassius had warned him. Mark Antony was able to persuade the plebeians that the killing of Caesar was a diabolical act because he used various techniques of persuasion to carefully persuade the plebeians to be against the conspirators. Antony spoke in poetry that appeals to the hearts of the plebeians, giving him the advantage from Brutus because he spoke in prose to the heads of the plebeians. Irony was the main technique Antony used because he knew the plebeians were fickle, yet as the talking of Brutus had just convinced them, Antony used irony to insure that he would not be killed in the beginning of his speech. Mark Antony used the will to support his judgment allowing him to have the clear advantage over Brutus because even though Brutus spoke the truth he had nothing to sustain his argument.
