Julius Caesar Rhetorical Analysis Essay

A highly-regarded politician and conspirator in ancient Rome, Brutus, in his funerary speech to Julius Caesar, effectively claims that the conspiracy killing of Caesar is justified. First, he supports this claim by asserting that if Caesar was still alive, he would eventually force the people of Rome to act like his slaves, like a true dictator. Brutus uses a rhetorical question to appeal to logos when stating, “Had you rather Caesar were living and die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live all free men? (Shakespeare). This rhetorical question makes the audience think about how their lives would be if Caesar would continue to powerfully reign. Brutus compares them to the slaves of Caesar that work under his authority until death,
Lastly, Brutus supports his claim by asserting that he loved Caesar, but his pride and ambition would’ve hurt Rome and its people in the end. He uses repetition to appeal to logos when stating, “As Caesar loved me, I weep for him; as he was fortunate, I rejoice at it; as he was valiant, I honour him; but, as he was ambitious, I slew him” (Shakespeare). The author repeats “I” and “as” in a specific form to explain the reasoning for Caesar’s death. Brutus claims that he respects and loves Caesar, which keeps the respect of the public, but says that his power and authority was getting too strong, which he claims would hurt the Romans. Also, the word “slew” is a very strong use of diction, which implies that Brutus did not only kill Caesar, but he violently got rid of Caesar and his power all together. The people of Rome understand the justification, and can believe Brutus and continue to respect him. Overall, Brutus combines his reassuring and comforting tone with these appeals to effectively convince the people of Rome that Caesar was killed for a good and noble cause, and that the Romans will benefit and be saved from his