Nerdwriter1

How Shakespeare Manipulates An Audience

Mark Antony delivers a eulogy for Julius Caesar, who was assassinated by senators including Brutus, who feared Caesar's ambition would destroy the Roman Republic. Antony, initially playing along with the conspirators to save himself, agrees to speak at Caesar's funeral after Brutus has justified the assassination to the Roman crowd. Brutus, appealing to the crowd's reason and trust in his honor, convinces them that Caesar had to die for the sake of free Roman citizens, leading the crowd to cheer him and condemn Caesar. Antony then steps up to a hostile crowd. He begins by using stressed syllables and addressing them as "friends" rather than "Romans," aiming for an emotional connection. He states his intention to "bury Caesar, not to praise him," which is a rhetorical deception as he fully intends to praise Caesar and condemn the conspirators without appearing to do so. He starts by saying, "The evil that men do lives after them; the good is often interred with their bones," subtly prompting the audience to consider the good Caesar did, associating "good" with Caesar's corpse and "evil" with the living conspirators.