Write an essay explaining how Brutus and Antony used ethos, pathos, and logos to persuade the crowd.
In the introduction of your essay, set the scene and explain the persuasive “contest” between Brutus and
Antony. Then take a stance on who won the “contest” of persuasion. The last sentence of your essay should be
your thesis (a statement about who you think won the "contest" of persuasion"). An example thesis would be: "By
the end of the scene, it is clear to the reader that ______________ won the "contest of persuasion" because he was
able to convince the crowd to ________________." You may use this example thesis in your essay if you have
trouble wording it yourself, but you must fill in the blanks with your words.
In the body of your essay, compare and contrast how each character used ethos, pathos, and logos (one strategy for
each paragraph=3 paragraphs). Throughout each paragraph, you should show how both Antony and Brutus were
effective speakers, but by the end of the third paragraph, we should see how you have proven who the "winner" was.
Give examples of each strategy for each character in EACH paragraph (at least 6 total examples for the essay). For
instance, in the first paragraph you could explain how both Antony and Brutus use ethos by giving at least one
example for both men, but you also need to explain who did the better job with ethos between the two. It's okay to
say that both men did well, but if you think of it as a contest with 3 rounds (ethos, pathos, or logos), who won 2-3, or
who packed the last punch for a knock out by the end of the scene?
In your conclusion, explain how the “winner” of the contest (Brutus or Antony) affects the way the audience feels
about the outcome of the play. (Example: does the audience want the senate to become victorious over the
Triumvirate? Does the audience want the Triumvirate to win the war against Brutus and Cassius?)
I.
II.
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IV.
V.
Introduction
a. First sentence: In Julius Caesar by Shakespeare, both Mark Antony and Marcus Brutus
make speeches to persuade the crowd to follow them. Each man…
b. Last sentence (thesis):
________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________.
Body Paragraph 1 (ethos, logos, or pathos?) ___________
a. First sentence: Both Antony and Brutus use ___________ in their speeches.
b. Example of how one of the two men use it: _________________ (lines
)
c. Example of how the other man uses it: ______________ (lines
)
d. Compare the ways the two men use this strategy—which is better? Give a reason why
you think this man “won” this round.
Body Paragraph 2 (ethos, logos, or pathos?) ___________
a. First sentence presents the main idea. Look at the one for paragraph 1 and write
something like it. The rest of this paragraph follows the same pattern as paragraph 1.
Body Paragraph 3 (ethos, logos, or pathos?) ___________
This paragraph follows the pattern of the ones above.
Conclusion: Restate who the “winner” of this contest was. Answer: What was this winning
hinged upon? Which strategic use sealed the win for him? Then, explain how this outcome
affects the reader: who does the reader want to win the final war, based upon this contest.
Why does this contest make an impression on the reader?