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William Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar is a dramatic retelling of the events surrounding
the assassination of Julius Caesar by member of the Roman Senate on March 15, 44 BCE.
While not everything in the play actually occurred, the characters are based on actual people.
Two of those characters are Brutus and Marc Antony. Brutus was a close friend to Julius
Caesar, but he betrayed his friend and joined in the conspiracy that led to the assassination,
or murder of a person for political or religious reasons. Marc Antony was also close friend of
Caesar’s. He was not part of the conspiracy, or secret group plan, to assassinate Caesar.
After the assassination, Marc Antony fought both against and with Julius Caesar’s adopted
son Octavian (later known as Augustus Caesar) for control of the Roman Republic. These
events led to the transition of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire.
In the play, shortly after Julius Caesar is killed by the senators, a crowd of Roman citizens
gathers outside the Forum. Brutus, stained with Caesar’s blood, explains to the crowd why
he was involved with the conspiracy:
BRUTUS
Romans, countrymen, and lovers! hear me 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: censure me in your wisdom, and
awake your senses, that you may the better judge.
If there be any in this assembly, any dear friend of
Caesar's, to him I say, that Brutus' love to Caesar
was no less than his. If then that friend demand
why Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer:—
Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved
Rome more. Had you rather Caesar were living and
die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live
all free men? 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. There is tears for his love; joy for his
fortune; honour for his valour; and death for his
ambition. Who is here so base that would be a
bondman? If any, speak; for him have I offended.
Who is here so rude that would not be a Roman? If
any, speak; for him have I offended. Who is here so
vile that will not love his country? If any, speak;
for him have I offended. I pause for a reply.
A bit later, Marc Antony brings out Caesar’s body and delivers this speech:
MARC ANTONY
Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones;
So let it be with Caesar. The noble Brutus
Hath told you Caesar was ambitious:
If it were so, it was a grievous fault,
And grievously hath Caesar answer’d it.
Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest–
For Brutus is an honourable man;
So are they all, all honourable men–
Come I to speak in Caesar’s funeral.
He was my friend, faithful and just to me:
But Brutus says he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honourable man.
He hath brought many captives home to Rome
Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill:
Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?
When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept:
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff:
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honourable man.
You all did see that on the Lupercal
I thrice presented him a kingly crown,
Which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition?
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;
And, sure, he is an honourable man.
I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke,
But here I am to speak what I do know.
You all did love him once, not without cause:
What cause withholds you then, to mourn for him?
O judgment! thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason. Bear with me;
My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar,
And I must pause till it come back to me.
On a separate piece of paper, respond to these questions. Use complete sentences. You may
work with a partner.
1. In what ways are the two monologues similar? (HINT: Notice the first and last lines.)
2. Brutus repeats a phrase in his monologue. What is it?
3. Marc Antony repeats a phrase in his monologue. What is it?
4. What word does Brutus repeat in his monologue? (HINT: It is a verb starting with
“L”.)
5. Brutus is trying to convince the crowd that the assassination was justified. What is the
main reason he uses to explain why the senators murdered Julius Caesar?
6. Marc Antony’s speech is sneakier. On the surface, he claims that he is only delivering
a funeral speech. But underneath that his speech is actually a counterargument to
Brutus’s speech. What is Marc Antony trying to say about Caesar’s murder?
CHALLENGE: One of the speeches appeals to the crowd’s sense of logic, also known as
logos. The other appeals more to emotion, also known as pathos. Which used logos and
which used pathos?
SUPER EXTRA CHALLENGE: Instead of making a mosaic, you may make a video of
yourself performing either of the above speeches. Costumes and great drama are encouraged.
For full credit, your performance must be rehearsed and demonstrate a strong understanding
of the text. You will also need to write a one to three paragraph analysis of your character’s
motivations and explanation of what he was really trying to say.
Analysis of Marc Antony Funeral Speech
by Payal Khullar
from eNotes: Homework Help
In William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, who is a true friend of Caesar, promises
Caesar’s soul that he’d seek revenge against the conspirators for his brutal murder. Shakespeare
employs dramatic irony when Brutus takes Antony’s promise of not saying anything against the
conspirators in front of the crowd for the audience/readers know Antony’s true intentions already.
Unfortunately for Brutus (one of the conspirators), Antony gets a chance to address the plebeians
alone.
Antony’s funeral speech (Act 3, Scene 2) is of great dramatic significance in the play. His speech is
one of the finest and most remembered lines written by Shakespeare. The speech functions to
nullify the effect of Brutus’ convincing explanation of Caesar’s murder, to hide his own intentions
of revenge, to bring a culmination to the conspirators’ scheme of veiling their brutal act, and to shift
the mood of the mob.
Antony knows that the crowd is convinced that Caesar’s murder happened in the best interest of
Rome. He carefully tries to take a neutral ground to win the trust of the crowdI come to bury Caesar, not to praise him
Antony says that Caesar is remembered for evil things after his death for the people of Rome forgot
his good deeds. This directly calls for some reflection.
The evil that men do lives after them,
The good is oft interred with their bones;
Note that in the above lines, Antony uses the famous device “personification”. He personifies the
attributes evil and good.
Another device he uses is "Tautology" for, as we see, he sends the same idea or emotion using
different words and phrases in his entire speech. But, perhaps, the most powerful device used in his
oration is “irony”. He calls Brutus and conspirators as “noble” and “honorable”, which, of course,
he doesn’t mean at all. The intended meaning is divorced from the literal meaning and the audience
understands it.
So let it be with Caesar.
The noble Brutus
Hath told you Caesar was ambitious;
&
For Brutus is an honorable man;
So are they all, all honorable men—
As we see, after the end of every argument, Antony repeats the expression “Yet Brutus says he was
ambitious, And Brutus is an honorable man”. This technique or device is popularly known as
“Antistrophe”.
Antony’s oration is powerful, persuasive and has a strong emotional appeal (pathos). His also gets
the advantage of giving the last word. He carefully presents his arguments that contradict Brutus’
claim that Caesar was ambitious and his assassination was noble.
I thrice presented him a kingly crown,
Which he did thrice refuse. Was this ambition?
He makes the plebeians believe that the act of murder was not noble and aroused from hatred by
showing them the brutally stabbed body of Caesar.
See what a rent the envious Casca made;
Through this the well-beloved Brutus stabb'd;
He strategically reads out Caesar’s will in the end that piques the mob to seek revenge against the
conspiratorsMoreover, he hath left you all his walks,
His private arbors, and new-planted orchards,
On this side Tiber; he hath left them you,
And to your heirs for ever; common pleasures,
To walk abroad and recreate yourselves.