Oration On The Dead Body Of Julius Caesar

Oration on the dead body of Julius Caesar Great Orators use different techniques to get the attention of the audience. One on the greatest speeches was the speech of Mark Antony, the Caesar's admiral. After Caesar was killed by Brutus because the presented a threat to Rome; Mark Antony was allowed to give a speech to calm the citizens of Rome down. Brutus did not expect Mark Anthony to give a speech, which could have such a great impact on people. Mark Anthony moved the people to a mutiny. To get such a result and to get people involved and interested in the reasons why Caesar was killed, Mark Anthony used some techniques in his oration.

· He talks in a very clear and simple style, so every citizen can understand him. The simplicity of a speech does not mean that the speech is simple-minded. Simplicity is a good technique to use in every speech.

English: Map of the Roman Republic in 40 BC after ...

English: Modern bronze statue of Julius Caesar, Ri...

Bust of Gaius Julius Caesar in the National Archae...

To get attention of the audience, the orator has to make the subject interesting and understandable. The audience should not have to pay ultimate attention to understand the speaker's intentions.

· Mark Antony calls Brutus "a noble, honorable man" to emphasize his true intentions. He tells the audience that Brutus thought that Caesar was ambitious, but then he gives examples that contradict the fact that Caesar was ambitious "I thrice presented him a kingly crown, / Which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition?" Mark Antony uses these examples to make the audience think. He does not want to appear like a speaker who is putting thoughts his audiences' heads, he does not want to brain wash them; he wants them to think about the situation and make their own decisions. Of course he is linking them into a direction of his desire, like any other orator, but he does not make it too obvious.

· By repeating that Brutus was "a noble, honorable man" a lot of times and giving examples that showed the opposite, the phrase or Brutus being a noble and honorable man turns into a ironic word-play, which let Brutus appear in as a power-needed man in his citizens eyes.

· To create an atmosphere in which every citizen of Rome is listening to him and wants to hear more, he mentions that he has found Caesar's testament. To get the crowd involved and interested he says, "Which pardon me, I do not mean to read". After this sentence is pronounced the people cannot wait to hear Caesar's testament and are in the middle of a tumult. All of them scream "The will, we will hear Caesar's will". Mark Anthony is creating an atmosphere among the citizens of Rome that only could be done by an excellent orator.

· However, Mark Anthony is pretending not to be a good orator, he says, "I am no orator, as Brutus is; / For I have neither wit, not words, nor worth, / Action, nor utterance, or the power of speech, / to stir men's blood: I only speak right on;" He says that to let the people know that he is one of them, by saying this he distinguishes himself from other orators who are always trying by using different techniques to put the crown on their side and to start a revolt.

Bust of Julius Caesar from the British Museum

Caesar's Death. Attention: Image is laterally reve...

English: A statue of the first Roman Emperor Augus...

The Death of Caesar

So-called “Marius”, free copy (probably august...

Brutus