"Julius Caesar" is a historical play by William Shakespeare. It is set in Italy, during the Roman era. The plot revolves around the murder of Julius Caesar and the power struggle between Caesar's friends and enemies. In this essay I will compare and contrast Brutus and Antony's speeches after Caesar's death.
Both Brutus and Antony's speeches are used to try and convert the Roman public to their side. After Brutus and his fellow conspirators kill Caesar outside the senate, Antony meets with Brutus and manages to persuade him that he agrees with the reasons why they killed the dictator, so that he is allowed to talk at Caesar's funeral. However, his real intentions are revealed in an emotional soliloquy that reveals that he is desperate to avenge his close friend Caesar. Brutus sets one condition on Antony's speech- that he must not say anything against the murderers. Brutus uses his speech to convince that he has acted for the common good of Rome, whereas Antony tries to make the people avenge the death of his beloved Caesar.
Marcus Junius Brutus (Rome character)
Julius Caesar
Caesar's Death. Attention: Image is laterally reve...The first speech is that of Brutus. The most striking factor is the shortness of the speech, but it is effective. It would be far less effective though, if the crowd didn't have such a high opinion of him. This is demonstrated with the quote
"Believe me for mine honour, and have respect to mine honour"
The speech uses informal prose, which allows the audience to relate to him. He flatters the audience watching the speech- describing them as having great wisdom. This flattery results in the audience having confidence in him that helps him greatly later on in the speech. Also, he anticipates questions and provides answers to them. Brutus is very democratic in his explanation of why they killed Caesar-...