Comparing Brutus And Antony In Julius Caesar

Improved Essays
Julius Caesar Essay In the play William Shakespeare wrote, called Julius Caesar, there is a big difference between two of the characters. The two are almost opposites from each other. One character being, Brutus, a very honorable man, and Antony, a very persuasive man and targets one’s emotional state. Brutus spoke at Caesar’s funeral, he appealed to the people’s logic and Antony spoke to the emotions of the people. Brutus believes that emotions overrule logic. Antony is very bright and full of facts. He uses his brain often throughout the play. Brutus was very honorable because he always told the truth. Antony was persuasive in the way that he used people to get whatever he wanted. For example, Antony says “I speak not to disprove what …show more content…
Antony proves himself a consummate politician, using gestures and skilled rhetoric to his advantage.Antony proves himself a consummate politician, using gestures and skilled rhetoric to his advantage. Brutus’s speech was all based on opinions, one might not be affected as another. Antony’s speech you had to agree because what he was saying was the obvious truth. Antony’s speech just appealed to feelings, either making you angry, happy, or sad. “You all did love him once, not without cause withholds you then, mourn for him?” Antony targets one’s emotions to persuade.
Brutus is a powerful public figure, but he appears also as a husband, a master to his servants, a dignified military leader, and a loving friend. His argument in his speech was much more reasonable and was backed up with facts. “He hath brought many captives home to Rome whose ransoms did the general coffers fill: ”Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?” Is a good example of logic he used from the speech. His speech was much better and well said unlike Antony’s. It is easier to believe someone who has always told the truth.
In conclusion, in William Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar, there is a major difference between the two characters, Brutus and Mark Antony. The main contrast between the two characters appears to be their ability and inability to be both honorable and persuasive and is able to use ethics and facts and get his point across. However,

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    He hopes the people will think he is more trustworthy using ethos. Antony also uses ethos by saying "He hath brought many captives home to Rome, whose ransom did the general coffers fill. " Antony lets the people forgot about Brutus's speech by telling them about all the people he brought home. Brutus tries to convince the people…

    • 482 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “Brutus is an honorable man.” (Act 3, Scene 2). Mark Antony as well as Brutus both used very convincing techniques to sway in their favor. Mark Antony did have a better way with words, as we would say. He had a more respectable tone as well as diction.…

    • 332 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    If Brutus had been sensible enough to realize that Antony may not be completely loyal like he claims to be, Antony may not have been successful with his manipulation during the eulogy. Rarely is it a good idea to assume the best of people, no matter how much you want them to be speaking the…

    • 1093 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Effects of Brutus and Antony Brutus Is a noble man Antony repeats with sarcasm during the time that Brutus allowed him for Caesar’s funeral. Brutus was a noble man indeed, though he was corrupted by the conspirators to betray Caesar. Antony can relate with Cassius for being manipulative and weasel like. The contrast between both Brutus and Antony are very distinct and can show how easily someone can be manipulated or how a person can hide their true self.…

    • 389 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Antony’s speech ultimately leads to a battle between him and the conspirators. Brutus has good intentions, but nevertheless he makes a lot of bad decisions which eventually leads to his…

    • 877 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In addition to defending a Caesar’s dead body Antony had to go back in the past to things he has done for the people, and he is not even defending himself. Not alone that Antony has to worry about the conspirators, he even sent a servant to the scene of murder to make sure he was not a target on the group of conspirators list. Consequently, leading to Antony fearing for his life while giving his speech. Then after he gave his speech he was able not only calm the crowd, but to convince them to go against the conspirators and want kill them. Overall while Brutus’s speech was exceptional and was able to calm the crowd and change their minds into thinking Caesar was a tyrant.…

    • 1193 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    He accomplishes this with one rhetorical device called litotes, which denies a point in order to affirm it. (Leithart 98) Antony 's speech is full of litotes, "I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke." (3.2.103) In this case, Antony proclaims that he does not wish to refute Brutus, but in reality that 's exactly what he means to accomplish. Antony exercises irony also, continually reiterating that Brutus and the conspirators are honorable men who acted nobly by killing Caesar. By the end of his speech, the ironical nature of this point became apparent to the Roman people.…

    • 977 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This grows his credibility in the eyes of the people and the people begin to put their faith in him and his point of view. Antony also says in his speech, “I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.” Through this simple statement he is proving to the simple people in the audience that his character is not one that would mess with their minds, or try to convince them of something they don’t already believe him. Now whether these statements are his true character or not is irrelevant. The audience believes his intentions and choses to follow his ideas rather than the ideas of Brutus, making him the more effective speaker in this…

    • 1020 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In Act III, Antony stands in front of the group of Plebeians after they have just listened to Brutus, the conspirator’s, reasonings as to why Caesar deserved his death. Mark Antony uses compelling rhetoric, to switch their mindsets, so the commoners pledge to his words instead of Brutus’s. Some may believe Brutus’s leadership skills make him a great speaker, but Mark Antony’s powerful, raw words…

    • 1013 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Antony manipulates the audience by using this deductive reasoning to prove that it is unjust to murder someone who cares so much about them. Antony starts with a universal truth and backs it up with evidence. He is giving the citizens of Rome further knowledge, so they can make their own decision. From this truth, Antony was able to reach the conclusion that Brutus cannot be labeled as a honest man when he said that Caesar was ambitious and Antony had just proved his point wrong. The audience comes to a realization that they cannot trust Brutus.…

    • 1389 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    While Brutus addresses the crowd with logic and reason, Antony uses emotion. The use of rhetorical questions, parallel structure, and repetition by Brutus and Antony throughout their speeches changes the views of the crowd and what they should believe. While…

    • 1002 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar written by William Shakespeare, there are two speeches regarding the same topic that are presented to the public. Both Mark Antony and Brutus delivered speeches after the death of Julius Caesar, consisting of their opinion and explanation of what has happened and why, for the needs of the Roman people. Both of the speeches have a very distinct and different purpose, and appealed to different mental senses of the crowd (Ethos, Logos, and Pathos). As Mark Antony 's words were favored and followed, riots broke out and Rome was indescribably angry and upset upon the tragedy of Julius Caesar. This event foreshadowed the conclusion of the story, and set the scene for the following conflicts that reeked havoc upon Rome…

    • 1074 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Julius Caesar and Brutus: A Comparison In the Shakespearean Classic Julius Caesar, many intricate characters are presented and compounded throughout the storyline. However, I will focus on the two main characters from this play, and compare their morals and personalities, to decide which one is the better man. In this essay, three main points will be presented. Caesars faults, morals, and actions Brutus 's faults, morals, and actions Which one seems to be the more needed in Rome By the end of this comparison essay, I hope to have shown the characters for who they are, and how they act, along with their basic morals.…

    • 1483 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    William Shakespeare is regarded as the greatest writer in the English language. He is well-known for many of his works such as Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, etc. Along with these works is “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar”. In “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar”, Shakespeare writes two very well known speeches that are delivered by the characters Brutus and Mark Antony during the funeral of Julius Caesar. In speeches, Shakespeare uses ethos, pathos and logos on behalf of Mark Antony and Brutus to persuade the citizens of their own beliefs.…

    • 523 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    If Caesar was still living he would not allow the citizens of his village have freedom and be enslaved. Antony’s speech was more effective because it gave a positive meaning to the citizens. He begin to express his emotions about Caesar and his thoughts…

    • 834 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays