Literary Elements of Julius Caesar
ACT III
William Shakespeare
Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar, Act III
RHETORICAL DEVICES
AND OTHER TERMS TO KNOW
Antistrophe
 Definition: the repetition of a word or phrase at the
end of successive clauses
 Example: repetition of the phrase “Brutus is an
honourable man.” Act III, scene ii
Antithesis
 Definition: juxtaposition, or contrast of ideas or
words in a balanced or parallel construction
 Example: "Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I
loved Rome more.” Act III, scene ii
Aposiopesis
 Definition: a sudden breaking off in the midst of a
speech/sentence, as if from inability or unwillingness
to proceed.
 Example: “Bear with me; My heart is in the coffin
there with Caesar, And I must pause till it come back
to me..” Act III, scene ii
Appeals: Emotional/Pathos
 Definition: persuading by appealing to the
reader/listener's emotions
 Example: Antony, “Have patience, gentle friends, I
must not read it; It is not meet you know how
Caesar loved you. You are not wood, you are not
stones, but men; And, being men, bearing the will
of Caesar, It will inflame you, it will make you mad:
'Tis good you know not that you are his heirs; For,
if you should, O, what would come of it!”
Appeals: Logical/Logos
 Definition: persuading by the use of reasoning/logic
 Example: Brutus’s speech
Appeals: Ethical/Ethos
 Definition: Appeal based on the credibility or
character of the speaker
 Example: Brutus’s speech, “believe me for mine
honour, and have respect to mine honour, that you
may believe…”
Asyndeton
 Definition: Figure of omission in which normally
occurring conjunctions (and, or, but, for, nor, so,
yet) are intentionally omitted in successive
phrases, or clauses; a string of words not separated
by normally occurring conjunctions.
 Example: "Are all thy conquests, glories, triumphs,
spoils, Shrunk to this little measure?" Act III, scene
ii
Epimone
 Definition: frequent repetition of a phrase or
question; dwelling on a point
 Example: "Who is here so base that would be a
bondman? If any, speak; for him I have offended.
Who is here so rude that would not be a Roman? If
any speak; for him have I offended.” Act III, scene ii
Eulogy
 Definition: formal speech of praise, usually
associated with a funeral
 Example: Antony’s speech, Act III, scene ii
Metonymy
 Definition: substitution of some attributive or
suggestive word for what is meant (e.g., "crown" for
royalty)
 Example: "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me
your ears.” Act III, scene ii
Paralepsis
 Definition: emphasizing a point by seeming to pass
over it
 Example: "Have patience, gentle friends, I must not
read it. It is not meet you know how Caesar lov'd
you." Act III, scene ii
Parallelism
 Definition: similarity

of structure in a pair or series
of related words, phrases, or clauses
Example: “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.” Act III, scene ii
Polysyndeton
 Definition: the deliberate and excessive use of
conjunctions in successive words or clauses
(opposite of asyndeton)
 Example: “For I have neither wit, nor words, nor
worth, Action, nor utterance, nor the power of
speech, To stir men's blood….” Act III, scene ii
Rhetorical Question
 Definition: a figure of speech in the form of a
question posed for its persuasive effect without the
expectation of a reply
 Example: “Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?” Act
III, scene ii
Verbal Irony
 Definition: a figure of speech in which what is said is
the opposite of what is meant
 Example: “For Brutus is an honourable man; So are
they all, all honourable men” Antony’s entire speech
in Act III, scene ii