The art of manipulation and persuasion is truly effective when one is incompetent to the fact that they alone are not thinking for themselves. Since the beginning of time, humankind has wanted to have control. In some instances they will strive for power in ways that make them oblivious to right and wrong. Occasionally, they will go against what they are told to do and instead to what they want to do. In the play Julius Caesar the power of persuasion and manipulation of language is clear when two men, Brutus and Mark Antony, spiel to the people of their country, each attempting to gain the support of the populace over the death of Caesar. Even though Brutus establishes ethos throughout his speech, Mark Antony’s uses it to his advantage…
Language is a dangerous weapon in the arsenal of someone who knows how to use it. While Cassius may be no Hitler, he is good at getting his way, and for now he wants Caesar dead and that makes him very dangerous indeed. This is real danger even today; people buy into rhetoric without considering where it comes from and what the consequences of it might be. This is a very disturbing thought, one that is more than likely to make a few readers share Caesar’s suspicion of Cassius and other quick…
At the beginning Brutus is contemplating joining the conspiracy while walking around in his garden really late at night. Brutus makes the decision that Caesar must die not only for his good but for the good of the town’s people. Later that night while he is trying to make his decisions he demands for his servant Lucius to light a candle in his room. When Lucius came back from getting a candle he gave Brutus a letter he found. The letter says that he should do something before Rome turns to a tyranny of a monarch. They then figure out that it is the Ides of March. The group of conspirators shows up on Brutus’ doorstep looking all shady and in disguise. Cassius introduced all of the conspirators to Brutus. Brutus says they shouldn’t swear by an oath.…
After a flood of strange events from the preceding night and her nightmares of Caesar’s murder, Calpurnia insists that Caesar heed to the Soothsayer’s prophecy to beware the ides of March. Calpurnia emphasized the grimness of the omens by using alliteration, parallelism, logical appeals, and a terrified tone. She interprets the comets lighting up the night sky seen as a prophecy of his death, reasoning that the heavens proclaim the death of only great men. She envisioned lustful, smiling Romans washing their hands in Caesar's blood. Though it failed to work because her language and tone did not suit Caesar’s way of thinking. Caesar firmly believed that while cowards imagine their death frequently, brave men die only once. Therefore Caesar thought that listening to his wife and staying back was the act of a coward, which he never wanted to consider himself to be. Engulfed by his stubborn pride, Caesar maintains that he will not stay home out of fear. Despite failing to convince Caesar with logic, Calpurnia tries again using an emotional approach by desperately begging him on her knees and requesting him to send Antony to the Senate in his place. Caesar relents and agrees not to go to the Senate to ease Calpurnia’s worry, not because of her argument.…
“All Gaul is divided into three parts, one of which the Belgae inhabit, the Aquitani another, those who in their own language are called Celts, in our Gauls, the third.” – Caesar. Taking place over a course of almost a decade, the Gallic Wars were fought throughout much of modern day Germany, France and Belgium. From 58 to 51 BC, Julius Caesar, the consul of Cisalpine Gaul, led his army in a series of campaigns demonstrating their formidable training and strategy as they attempted to conquer Gaul. Fighting against the native tribes, primarily the Belgae, the Aquitani and the Gauls, the Roman army was forced to utilize all of their discipline and technological skill as they fought the native tribes of Gaul. Caesar’s Gallic campaigns illustrate…
Does Marcus Brutus like Caesar? What does Brutus think of Caesar’s rise to power? .…
best friend, into taking Caesar’s power. Cassius becomes very thorough with his plans, that he then turns Brutus against Caesar. A soothsayer warns Caesar, foreshadowing Cassius’ plan to overthrow him, saying, “Beware the ides of March.” (I, ii, 18). However, Caesar ignores the soothsayer, calling him a dreamer (I, ii, 24). Soon enough, Caesar…
Incidentally, Brutus ends up at the conspirator’s house discussing how they are to kill Caesar. He makes many decisions here that hurt him later the first being that when Cassius wants them to take an oath of secrecy Brutus rejects that idea saying “What need we any spur but our own cause, to prick us to redress?” Artemidorus tries to give Caesar a list of the conspirators but Caesar fails to read it. The second mistake made at that house was the decision to not recruit Cecilia. He was a great speaker whose words could have swayed the crowd in the conspirators favor. Finally the last mistake made here was to not kill Antony. Brutus believes that "Antony is know your outward favor.” When Cassius says this Brutus begins to reconsider his standing with Caesar and slowly is convinced that Caesar being dead is for the good of Rome.…
Cassius makes the assumption “Than must I think you would not have it so,”. Displaying Brutus’s uneasy feelings towards Caesar makes Brutus more aware of this idea and opens it up to discussion. By doing this Cassius can expand on the fearfulness of Caesar. To do this he claims, “I was born free as Caesar; so were you: We both have fed as well, and we can both Endure the winter’s cold as well as he,”. This statement of equality revealed that Caesar is an equal to them and he has no reason to be placed on a pedestal of honor. With this claim that Caesar is not worthy to be king, Cassius tells Brutus that they should be ashamed of what they have allowed to happen in Rome. He calls Brutus to bring Rome back to the way it should be. Since Brutus is seen as a man of honor, he feels compelled to carry on this and do something about Caesar. Using claims such as these that will provoke Brutus are important and give more reasoning for the killing of…
Honorable or not? Julius Caesar written by William Shakespeare was a tragedy consisting many events. The tragedy of Julius Caesar began in Rome when the people of Rome are taking a holiday to celebrate the triumphant return of Julius Caesar. Two tribunes’ names Marullis and Flavious try to shame the people of Rome for their fickle behavior for one minute praising Pompey and now praising Caesar. Julius Caesar is a highly successful leader of Rome whose popularity seems to model a dictatorship. Although Caesar is loved and supported by the citizens some begin to grow worry of his increase in power through out Rome. Soon these worried citizens conspire to assassinate Caesar before he becomes king thus returning their republic government into a monarchy. These worried citizens consisted of two main characters Brutus and Cassius. Brutus ends up joining this conspiracy in killing Caesar because he strongly believes in keeping Rome a government ruled by the people. In addition to that, during the celebration, of Caesar is warned by the Soothsayer to “beware the Ides of March” The next…
Cassius admits that Caesar is treated like a god and recalls events of Caesar’s physical weakness. Caesar was a powerful man who planned to become the supreme ruler of the Roman Empire in order to solve the many economic, political and military problems the empire was against. While, there were people that feared such a powerful man because this dictator threatened his/her position. Cassius voices his reason for Caesar being unfit to rule, Cassius says, “Men at some time are masters of their fates: The fault, Dear Brutus is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings” (Shakespeare, I, i, 139-141). Saying that it is not his/her fate to blame, but that is his/her own fault that they have not done anything to make them great. Cassius blames his and Brutus’s lack of will to grant Caesar to power. Cassius and Brutus’s jealously of Caesar makes it unjustifiable to kill him. In her article, Alice Shalvi argues, “Shakespeare implicitly condemns the conspiracy, then, on two scores: firstly, because it inevitably involves moral corruption even in the best and noblest of men and, secondly, because murder is always no matter in what…
As part of his ethical appeals, Brutus asks the people to consider his credibility when passing judgement, and appeals to their duty as Romans. Early in the speech, he demands that they “... hear me [Brutus] for my cause, and be silent, that you may hear: believe me for mine honour, and have respect to mine honour, that you may believe…” The repeated use of “my” draws attention to Brutus and his virtues, which he connects through parallel structure. “Hear me for my cause…” is arranged similarly to the phrases “believe me for mine honour” and “have respect to mine honour”, requesting something for the sake of a virtue. By presenting his cause as something equivalent or directly related to his honour, Brutus uses his own well-established reputation as an honourable man in order to justify his actions, and draws attention to said honour. Furthermore, he asks the…
Cassius is one of the sly conspirators out for Caesar. He feels that Caesar will grow too ambitious, so he must be stopped before he's out of control. Therefore, he plans to murder Caesar. In order to make his murder look like a sacrifice for Rome and not a bloody plot, he must get Brutus in on his plan. With Brutus' good reputation the murder would be looked upon as a good deed. In order to appeal to Brutus, Cassius disguises his personality. In guise of a devoted friend, Cassius flatters Brutus to his fullest extent. He says, ."..Thoughts of great value worthy of cogitations/Tell me, good Brutus, Can you see your face?" (1.2. ). By pretending to flatter Brutus, Cassius hopes Brutus will join the conspiracy. Cassius plans ends up working and Brutus fears that Caesar will eventually become power hungry. Cassius is pleased that his false words have had an effect on Brutus, and he states to himself, "I am glad that my weak words/Have struck but thus much show of fire from Brutus" (1.2. ). Cassius' appeared to be considerate of Brutus' feelings, but in reality Cassius was really stabbing him in the back and "forcing" him to join the…
Antony and Brutus, both gave speeches to the people of Rome after the assassination. They tried to explain what happened and why Caesar was killed. They both had clear points of the events that happened but Antony’s speech was better and persuaded the crowd more. When Brutus spoke to the crowd, they loved him and understood why he killed him. However, when Brutus left the area, Antony won the crowd over with his story. He persuaded the crowd by making them angry at Brutus, even though just a speech ago they loved him. Antony manipulated the crowd by making Brutus sound a little crazy to have killed Caesar. This is why Antony won the crowd, he used effective persuasion.…
Brutus strongly believes in the Roman Republic. He sees Caesar’s ambition as a threat to Roman liberty. Although conflicted because Caesar is his friend, he is inflexible in this belief. Brutus’s ideal of the Roman Republic allows Cassius to easily manipulate him with forged letters expressing the people’s dissatisfaction with Caesar. Brutus is easily swayed by the forged letters because Caesar’s power and ambition go against his own ideals of Roman liberty. The letters urge Brutus to “Speak, strike, redress” (2.1.55) and he decides to join the conspiracy.…