Act III, Scene II Speech Analysis

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Table of Contents

Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 4

Supporting my points ............................................................................................................ 4

Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 5
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Outline

I. Introduction

II. Similarities

III. Julius Caesar

IV. Brutus’ Speech

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Alex Kwon

Ms. Kolnik

World Literature

25 January 2011

Act III, Scene II Speech Analysis

Who would the citizens of Rome trust, Brutus, one of the murderers of Julius Caesar who

loved Brutus very much, or Antonius, a great loyal friend to Julius Caesar?

Brutus gave his speech to the crowd first, whom he successfully convinced. They believed and
student 1/26/11 3:12 PM
Comment [1]: He  actually  had  their  
respected him after being slightly brainwashed by his very tricky words, which he could not actually
respect  

prove. The crowd may have listened to him, and may have been convinced with Brutus’ words about

Caesar, but when Antony’s speech was dictated, the plebeians considered what he said, and believed

in Antony, that Caesar was in fact the opposite of how Brutus had described him.
student 1/26/11 3:12 PM
Comment [2]: He  completely  conversed  
Similarities in the speeches of Brutus and of Antony are clearly shown from the beginning of

their speeches. When Brutus tries to show kindness and friendship to the crowd, he calls them

“Romans, countrymen, and lovers” (line 14), and “Good countrymen” (line 61). Antony also

nominates them as “Friends, Romans, countrymen”, to notify them that he lose them, and to receive

their love back to him. To catch the attention of the plebeians, Brutus says, “hear me” (line 14), and

Antony says, “lend me your ears” (line 222). Both of these men mention something about their

personal relationship with Caesar. Brutus believes that Caesar loved him (line 26; line 47 “my best

lover”), which indeed was true, while Antony did not say a word about Caesar loving Antony, but his

emotions and love for Caesar, when he says “He was my friend, faithful and just to me” (line 94).

Compliments and great achievements of Julius Caesar are mentioned a few times. Brutus calls

Caesar “valiant” (line 27), and Antony brings up Caesar’s achievement of “bringing many captives
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home to Rome” (line 97), in order to remind the plebeians that Caesar was great and significant to the

people of Rome. The men were not rude and heedless enough to not mention the sorrow and

depression of the mighty Caesar. Brutus says that he “weeps for him” (line 26). Since Antony was

truly sorrowful, he physically wept in front of the crowd at the end of his speech (line 117), and he

says that his “heart is in the coffin…with Caesar” (line 116).

The main ‘theme’ of Brutus’ speech and Antony’s speech are very different. Brutus was

mainly concentrating on defending himself, and accusing Caesar of becoming a tyrant who is gaining

too much power (lines 24-26). Brutus did not actually prove or had any evidence that Caesar was

becoming a tyrant, or that Caesar was going to make the plebeians slaves (line 25). Brutus claimed

that Caesar was ‘ambitious’. He had no proof or evidence that Caesar was ambitious (line 28). Brutus

was just giving reasons of why he killed Caesar (lines 21-26), and was trying to gain honor and trust

from the plebeians by talking to them in a way to show his love for them, since he claimed that he

killed Caesar not because he loved him less, but “because he loved Rome more” (lines 23-24). Brutus

continuously insults and accuses Caesar during his speech, while also trying to find excuses for

murdering Caesar. Brutus did not speak with much emotions or feelings, and never wept or dropped

tears.

Antony’s main target was to avenge Julius Caesar’s death, by getting those conspirators and

especially Brutus. Unlike Brutus, Antony was continually offensive to Brutus, but defensive to Caesar,

by saying that Caesar was not ambitious (lines 97-99, 105-106). The different style between Brutus’

speech and Antony’s speech was that Antony spoke eloquently, and was able to prove that Brutus was

wrong. He spoke very ironically and sarcastically about Brutus, by repeatedly saying “Brutus says that

Caesar was ambitious, and Brutus is an honorable man” (e.g. lines 95-96, 107-108). Antony mentioned

many great things about Caesar, to remind the people that “they all did love him once” (line 111), in
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order to prove to the people that Caesar was a very caring, generous man. Antony had a large time

talking to the plebeians, which were multiples times bigger than how long Brutus spoke for. Antony

cried at the end of his main speech, which Brutus did not do (line 117), which shows that he was true

with his words.

Brutus assumed that the crowd would be on his side and that they would choose to live a life

without Caesar than with Caesar. This is demonstrated when he asks the question “Had you rather

Caesar alive… to live all freemen” in lines 24-26. He believes that the plebeians would agree with

him, since it is better to live as freemen that slave. Antony knows that the citizens all loved Caesar

once (line 111), so he knows that the citizens had a good impression and love for him before Brutus

tried to persuade them. He used this advantage by reminding the plebeians, and he was able to change

the thoughts of the plebeians by pointing out the great jobs that Caesar has done for them and showing

Caesar’s unambitious mind and warm, kind heart. He skillfully persuades the citizens back to

remembering Caesar as great, and turning them against Brutus and the conspirators who did not have a

good reason for murdering Julius Caesar.

As a conclusion, the plebeians and the citizens were finally persuaded by Antony, and they

trusted him. Antony’s speech completely superseded the citizens’ first thoughts from hearing Brutus’

speech. The plebeians made a final decision that Brutus and the other murderers involved in the death

of Caesar were “traitors” (line 165) and “villains, murderers” (line 167). Brutus had a very defensive

speech for himself, only saying improvable facts of Caesar, while Antony had a strong offensive side

towards Brutus and the conspirators who murdered Caesar, with good proof to oppose Brutus’ words.