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.

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)

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.

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.

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)

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.

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

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: ???

Questions about Brutus’s speech:

1. 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?

2. 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?

Antony’s speech

Friends, Romans, countrymenLend 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.

Friends…..Romans……Countrymen

Friends (pathos)—appealing to emotion

Romans (pathos)—shaping appeal to audience

Countrymen (ethos)—common ground

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.

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

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).

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)

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)