Brutus’s speech:key words

1. Brutus’s speech:key words • Romans, countrymen, and lovers! Hear me for my cause; and be silent, that you may hear: believe me for mine honor, and have respect to mine honor, that you may believe: censure me in your wisdom; and awake your senses, that you may the better judge.

2. Hear……Believe……Censure • Hear: Listen to me so I can make my point (logos) • Believe: I am an honorable man (ethos) • Censure: Judge me accordingly (logos)

3. 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.

4. Had you rather Caesar were living, and die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live all freemen? As Caesar loved me, I weep for him; as he was fortunate, I rejoice at it; as he was valiant, I honor him; but, as he was ambitious, I slew him. There is tears for his love; joy for his fortune; honor for his valour; and death for his ambition.

5. Parallelism: A Logical Structure • Brutus pairs Caesar’s accomplisments with his own reactions: • Caesar loved………I weep (pathos) • was fortunate……….I rejoice (ethos) • was valiant…………I honor (ethos) • Was ambitious…………I slew (logos)

6. What does Brutus want? • He wants the crowd to know that he loved Caesar— • Repeats this concept in almost every line • Always pairs Caesar’s positive traits with his sympathetic reactions • Pairs Caesar’s negative traits with his own righteous actions—his honor, in effect.

7. What else does Brutus want? • He wants the crowd to understand that his love for Caesar was not as deep as his love for Rome • He wants the crowd to understand that Caesar’s ambition made him dangerous; therefore, the Conspirators had to kill him----for the good of Rome

8. Brutus’s appeal • Logos: excellent (Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more) • Ethos: adequate (There is tears for his joy…..) • Pathos: ???

9. Questions about Brutus’s speech: • Brutus opens his speech with “Romans, countrymen, and lovers (ie friends).” What does the order of these words say about the importance he places on each? • Consider Brutus’s rhetorical questions (questions to which the answers are obvious). What sorts of things is he hoping the audience will decide are most important to them?

10. Antony’s speech • 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.

11. Friends…..Romans……Countrymen • Friends (pathos)—appealing to emotion • Romans (pathos)—shaping appeal to audience • Countrymen (ethos)—common ground

12. Antony’s continued • The noble Brutus hath told you Caesar was ambitious. • If it were so, it was a grievous fault. • And grievously hath Caesar answered it. • Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest—for Brutus is an honorable man, • So are they all, all honorable men— • Come I to speak in Caesar’s funeral.

13. Antony’s speech • Noble Brutus (ethos)—demonstrating fairness, knowledge of crowd’s mood • If it were so… (logos)—introduces possibility that Brutus is incorrect • Under leave of Brutus and the rest… (logos)—cites authority; (ethos)—fair minded

14. Antony’s speech • He was my friend, faithful and just to me. (pathos) • But Brutus says he was ambitious, (logos?) • and Brutus is an honorable man (pathos).

15. What does Antony want? • He wants the crowd to sympathize with him (pathos) • He wants the crowd to believe that Brutus and the conspirators are not honorable men (pathos) • He wants to stir the crowd to mutiny against the conspirators (pathos)

16. Antony’s appeal…. • Logos: adequate (If it were so……) (I thrice presented him a kingly crown which he did thrice refuse) • Ethos: excellent (Many examples) • Pathos: excellent (Many examples)