Mark Antony's Use Of Ethos In Julius Caesar

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In the play Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, both Brutus and Mark Antony strive to gain the plebeians’ trust and support in their speeches at Caesar’s funeral. Since both speakers are on opposite ends of the argument concerning the circumstances of Caesar’s death, many people believe Brutus and Mark Antony focus their speeches solely on Caesar and his passing. However, many people fail to recognize how both speakers talk about more than just Caesar and his death; they often talk about themselves and one another. If people continue to overlook both men's comments about citizens other than Caesar, then they will not fully comprehend the credibility they are striving to establish. Both men use ethos in their speeches to establish credibility; …show more content…
Rather than using his relationship with Caesar to only enhance his name, Antony also lambastes Brutus’ honor through the strategic use of paralipsis and rhetorical irony. On more than one occasion, Antony recounts instances when “Brutus [is] an honorable man” for falsely stating “[Caesar] was ambitious” (3.2.27-28). Using verbal irony, he persuades the crowd to question Brutus’ credibility, making himself appear to be the more honorable and reliable man. Additionally, Antony states how he “will not do [the plebeians] wrong”, as Brutus is already at fault and loses believability each time Antony makes a remark about him. He further explains how, unlike Brutus, he loves the state of Rome so deeply that he would “rather choose to wrong the dead, to wrong [himself] and [the plebeians], then [he] [would] wrong such honorable men” (3.2.48-49). It is evident; Mark Antony is willing to sacrifice his own honor and that of Caesar and the good people of Rome than to wrong Brutus (and Cassius) for what they did to Caesar. Unlike Brutus who forcefully tells the people how and what to think, Antony’s strategic oratory skills cause the plebeians to question themselves and the events surrounding Caesar’s death. Due to his skillful framing of his argument, Antony is successful in horrifying …show more content…
Brutus attempts to achieve this by defending his good name with the citizens of Rome whereas Mark Antony aims to discount Brutus’ honor in the eyes of his countrymen while advancing his name as well. Readers may argue, both men use the persuasive element of pathos in order to gain the plebeians’ support by creating an emotional appeal. Despite what many people may believe, Brutus and Mark Antony both use ethics to triumph trust and believability over the other man. By doing so, they are able to provide numerous examples why the plebeians should trust them, sometimes even using reverse ethos to prove why the Roman citizens should not consider their opponent a reliable resource. Through Brutus and Mark Antony’s use of ethos, Shakespeare is able to reveal that characters are not always as they appear; when you peel back the layers, their true self is
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