Julius Caesar Rhetorical Analysis

In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Decius Brutus and Mark Antony, both Roman Senators, eulogize Julius Caesar, each using a different technique and approach. Brutus, in a somewhat arrogant, to the point, eulogy, attempts to sway the people. He justifies conspiring against Caesar by stating that Caesar's ambition would have hurt Rome. However, in Antony's eulogy, he focuses on Caesar's positive traits, and cunningly disproves Brutus' justification for killing Caesar. The fickle Romans waver between leaders, responding emotionally, rather than intellectually, to the orators.<br><br>Brutus seeks to explain why he conspired against Caesar. He begins his speech with "Romans, countrymen ...", appealing to their consciousness as citizens of Rome, who,
They can only respond, " None, Brutus, none." That is, none are offended, they do not disagree or argue with his words or his actions. <br><br>Mark Antony's eulogy utilizes a different approach. He starts out by addressing the crowd as "Friends" because he wants to come to them as a friend rather than a ruler trying to gain power. He then says, "I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.", thus he can ease in praises of Caesar without the crowd stopping him. He sounds very sincere when he says, "The noble Brutus hath told you Caesar was ambitious.... For Brutus is an honorable man." He repeats that statement three more times becoming increasingly sarcastic, saying finally, "Yet Brutus says he was ambitious, and sure he was an honorable man." Since the people responded positively to Brutus' speech, Antony could not insult Brutus' honesty in a direct manner. Yet, Antony disproves Caesar's ambition with three examples. One is when he gave the ransom of captives to the public treasury and not his own, another when he cried with the poor people, and finally when he refused the kingship that Antony offered him, three times.