Julius Ceasar -Mark Antony Essay, Research Paper
Antony has been described as & # 8220 ; a self-serving politician of no scruples. & # 8221 ; Do you hold? Support your reply with close mention to the text.
Antony appears to be loyal to Caesar, but his trueness hides his implicit in fallacious nature. Antony uses Caesar & # 8217 ; s decease to his advantage. Antony capitalises on the chance it presents and progresses to go the master and swayer of Rome.
There is no uncertainty that early in the drama Antony is portrayed as a really loyal and trusty character. Caesar trusts him and holds him as a close friend. As seen when Caesar calls on Antony & # 8217 ; s sentiments about Cassius & # 8220 ; state me genuinely what thou think & # 8217 ; st of him & # 8221 ; as at the clip Caesar was swayer, and it was really rare that rulers ask people for their sentiments unless they were a close friend. Antony & # 8217 ; s trueness is shown when Caesar asks him to touch Calphurnia on the holly pursuit. Antony replies & # 8220 ; When Caesar says & # 8216 ; Make this, & # 8217 ; it is perform & # 8217 ; d & # 8221 ; this shows Antony is loyal, and obedient to Caesars will.
After Caesar & # 8217 ; s decease Antony once more shows his trueness, and asks if he is to be killed, he would wish to be killed by the side of the baronial Caesar. & # 8220 ; If I myself, there is no hr so fit As Caesar & # 8217 ; s decease & # 8217 ; s hr & # 8221 ; & # 8220 ; No topographic point will delight me so, no mean of decease, As here by Caesar & # 8221 ; this shows that he holds Caesar as a really baronial adult male, and that he loved him.
However, Antony so appears to do friends with the plotters when he addresses them after Caesars decease & # 8220 ; Friends I am with you all, and love you all & # 8221 ; . Here Antony shows true fraudulence, for Antony is non their friend, but instead their enemy. & # 8220 ; Woe to the manus that shed this dearly-won blood! & # 8221 ; and pronounces that he will make war among the people to avenge Caesars decease. & # 8220 ; Domestic rage and ferocious civil discord Shall cumber all parts of Italy Caesar & # 8217 ; s spirit ramping for retaliation Cry & # 8216 ; Havoc! & # 8217 ; and allow steal the Canis familiariss of war & # 8221 ; Antony is the 1 who creates the war, this plays to his advantage because he finally becomes male monarch.
It is necessary to analyze both Brutus & # 8217 ; s address and Antony & # 8217 ; s to see how Antony & # 8217 ; s entreaties to the crowd cause a civil war. Brutus justifies cabaling against Caesar by saying that Caesar & # 8217 ; s aspiration would hold hurt Rome. However, in Antony & # 8217 ; s address, he focuses on Caesar & # 8217 ; s positive traits, and cutely disproves Brutus & # 8217 ; justification for killing Caesar. The volatile Romans waver between leaders, reacting emotionally, instead than intellectually, to the speechmakers.
Brutus seeks to explicate why he conspired against Caesar. He begins his address with & # 8220 ; Romans, countrymen & # 8230 ; & # 8221 ; , appealing to them as citizens of Rome, who, he subsequently says, will profit as freewomans with Caesar & # 8217 ; s decease. This shows that Brutus knows how to entice the crowd, appealing to their better opinion as Romans. He declares that he is an honorable adult male, and tells them that he will allow them judge the cogency of his claims. That is, he will let the truth to talk for itself. This encourages the crowd to believe him, as they believe him to be an & # 8220 ; honorable adult male & # 8221 ; . He says that he wants them to cognize the facts ; & # 8220 ; Censure me in your wisdom, and wake up your senses that you may the better judge. & # 8221 ; Sharing information with the people is blandishing and it about guarantees credence. He gets their understanding by stating that he loved Caesar, make bolding the people to happen anyone who loved Caesar more. Brutus declares that he ne’er wronged Caesar, that he cried for Caesar & # 8217 ; s love, was happy for his illustriousness, honoured him for his bravery, but had to kill him because of Caesar & # 8217 ; s aspiration. He says that the ground for killing Caesar was his great love for Rome. He justifies his actions by stating that he loved Caesar but, & # 8220 ; Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more. & # 8221 ; He so asks rhetorically if the people would desire to populate their lives as slaves under Caesar & # 8217 ; s regulation, or would they prefer to populate as freewomans with Caesar dead. To anyone insulted by his address he wonders if, as Romans who love their freedom, they could be offended or reject what he, Brutus, says. He poses the inquiry, & # 8220 ; Who is here so basal that would be a bondsman? & # 8221 ; He stresses the point, reiterating the line, & # 8220 ; If any, speak, for him have I offended. & # 8221 ; . & # 8220 ; I pause for a reply. & # 8221 ; , allows them to react to his rhetorical inquiries, giving them an even greater sense that he cares about them and their sentiments. They can merely react, & # 8221 ; None, Brutus, none. & # 8221 ; That is, none are offended, they do non differ or reason with his words or his actions.
Antony & # 8217 ; s address utilises a different attack. He starts out by turn toing the crowd as & # 8220 ; Friends & # 8221 ; because he wants to come to them as a friend instead than a swayer seeking to derive power. He does this for the crowd & # 8217 ; s benefit merely. He so says, & # 8220 ; I come to bury Caesar, non to praise him. & # 8221 ; therefore he can ease the congratulationss of Caesar into his address without the crowd halting him. He sounds really sincere when he says ; & # 8220 ; The baronial Brutus hath told you Caesar was ambitious & # 8230 ; . For Brutus is an honorable man. & # 8221 ; He repeats that statement three more times going progressively sarcastic, stating eventually, & # 8220 ; Yet Brutus says he was ambitious, and certainly he was
an honorable man.” Since the people responded positively to Brutus’ address, Antony could non diss Brutus’ honestness in a direct mode. Yet, Antony disproves Caesar’s aspiration with three illustrations. One is when he gave the ransom of prisoners to the public exchequer and non his ain, another when he cried with the hapless people, and eventually when he refused the kingship that Antony offered him, three times. Anyone who was ambitious would ne’er hold done any such things. Antony says, “I speak non to confute what Brutus spoke.” , but that is precisely what he does. Antony is utilizing a dramatic consequence on the people, foremost by come ining on the phase with the organic structure of Caesar, and at the terminal saying that his bosom is still with the organic structure of Caesar, stoping his address crying. In warranting Caesar and confuting Brutus, the people see Antony as a possible replacement to Caesar. They are swayed to him by his dramatics, his sneaky manner of doing a point, his repeat, and obliging cogent evidence of Caesar’s concern. He is able to acquire the people to oppugn the rightness of killing Caesar. He has planted uncertainty in the people’s heads, in all countries except that he, Antony, is a “poor soul” , and an honorable adult male. The difference between the addresss shows us the importance of manner of each. Both attempt to appeal to the people, and both use repeat, but Brutus takes a defensive attack, go forthing the people to their ain decisions. However, Antony takes a prosecuting attack against Brutus, so underhand that it is about subliminal. Furthermore, Antony’s examples give him an advantage over Brutus because he backs up statements while Brutus leaves his statements more open-ended. The people seem to happen it easier to accept Antony, an emotional and sincere talker, than Brutus who appears chesty and forceful. This shows the manipulative nature of Antony in full. The superb address of Antony gives us the overall feeling that Antony has thought this through, and that he should appeal to the emotions of the crowd, non merely show his version of the narrative. Antony’s motivations for making this are obvious, he wishes to make strife and war ( Shown earlier ) . This is why he tries to rock the crowd, non merely show the facts.
The reading of the will reenforce the thought that Caesar was baronial. Antony knew what would be in the will beforehand, and he intentionally left it till the terminal after he had thrilled the crowd with his address. He does non instantly read it, but tells the crowd of it, so they will do him read it. & # 8220 ; I do non intend to read & # 8221 ; & # 8220 ; we will hear Caesars will! & # 8221 ; He makes the crowd clear a topographic point so he may talk to them, non read the will, he so incites the crowd to shout & # 8220 ; mutiny & # 8221 ; and & # 8220 ; We & # 8217 ; ll burn the house of Brutus & # 8221 ; and so reads the will which gives all Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romanss & # 8220 ; 75 dram & # 8221 ; . This reinforces the thought that Caesar was baronial, and makes the crowd revengeful. Again this shows another maneuver of Antony & # 8217 ; s to acquire rid of Brutus.
The inclusion of the scene about the decease of the poet Cinna is to demo what Antony & # 8217 ; s address has done to the crowd. It shows that Antony & # 8217 ; s maneuver has worked, and finally the plotters will decease.
The following scene shows us how unscrupulous Antony can be. Antony tries to acquire rid of an & # 8220 ; valorous soldier & # 8221 ; ( Lepidus ) this shows Antony seeking to acquire rid of people who will dispute his ways. This is a really interesting scene because Antony say that Lepidus is utile, but at the same clip he tells Octavius that he wishes to acquire rid of him. & # 8220 ; Meet to be sent on errands & # 8221 ; & # 8220 ; This is a little unmeritable adult male & # 8221 ; This makes the reader think about what Antony & # 8217 ; s motivations are for killing this hapless adult male. Octavius intimations that Antony and the others are in danger, this ends up being the motivation for Antony to kill the plotters. It is besides interesting that this scene gives no reference to the word Caesar, but negotiations about the triumvirate and whom they will kill.
At the start of act five, Octavius Tells Antony that the ground forces & # 8217 ; s have gone the opposite manner to what they had planned for. Antony says that the soldiers are merely seeking to frighten them. After a courier has given them intelligence that the conflict is nearing, Antony assumes the function of the leader, and orders Octavius to & # 8220 ; take the ground forces on & # 8221 ; . This shows how Antony is presuming the function of the leader, and that Octavius does non like this, for he puts Antony on his left manus. & # 8220 ; I ; maintain thou the left & # 8221 ; ( this is a mark of discourtesy )
In the confrontation of the plotters and the triumvirate Cassius touches on a point that Antony & # 8217 ; s motivations are traveling to rob the people. & # 8220 ; Your blows are yet unknown & # 8221 ; & # 8220 ; they rob the Hybla bees, and go forth them honeyless. & # 8221 ; Antony retaliates and says what he has done ( by pull stringsing crowds ) is by far a small act to the one of killing Caesar. Cassius has recognised Antony & # 8217 ; s true motivations, to derive power, and go male monarch.
In the terminal Antony is the lone 1 left to govern the people. The surface of the drama portrays a adult male who is loyal to his male monarch, and who wished to avenge his decease. However, there is underlying grounds that Antony was a really cute adult male, and that he uses the other characters to derive power, and finally govern Rome.
