Antony repeats that Brutus and Cassius are honorable men and he questions their logic. He says, “the noble Brutus hath told you Caesar was ambitious.” He questions how ambitious Caesar actually was. Antony says Caesar had refused the crown three times. He questions whether this was ambition: “Was this ambition?” …show more content…
Also, a lock of Caesar’s hair is a “rich legacy” (IV.ii.137). This gives more credit to Caesar’s life because something as small as a lock of hair could be a legacy. Words like this do not describe normal people, so they imply that Caesar was a successful person. Antony’s speech is loaded with irony, which directly contradicts the views of the conspirators. Antony repeats that “Brutus is an honorable man” (IV.ii.95) so many times that it alters the literal meaning. The irony is in this phrase because after a while of reading it again and again, it is almost like Antony is saying “Brutus is an honorable man, isn’t he?” The tone of this phrase is mocking and insulting when repeated, even though the actual meaning is not. This sarcasm gives credit to Antony’s argument by making fun of Brutus’ honor, which weakens Brutus’ argument. The use of Caesar’s mantle causes the plebeians to feel even more sorry that Caesar is gone, which naturally results in the resentment of Caesar’s murderers. Antony
“remember[s] the first time Caesar put [the mantle] on” (IV.ii.171-172). This