by Samantha Mitchell (Circle 6)
In our groups today, after watching the scene I was still struggling with Mark Antony and his motive with the plebeians. I didn’t understand why all of a sudden the people of Rome went into rage, and I was lost when it came to what Mark Antony was saying. After some group discussion on why the Roman people decided to go after Brutus, and the conspirators, and destroy everything on their way, I fell upon these lines again:
“…Then burst his mighty heart,
And in his mantle muffling up his face,
Even at the base of Pompey’s statue,
Which all the while ran blood, great Caesar fell.
O, what a fall was there, my countrymen!
Then I, and you, and all of us fell down,
Whilst bloody treason flourished over us.”
(3.2 180-186)
Realizing that Mark Antony was not on the side of Brutus and the conspirators helped me understand what he was sating in these lines, and I was able to understand the scene. Antony is telling the plebeians now that Caesar has fallen, the rest of us will fall if we do not take care of the people that have caused this great leader of ours to no longer exist. Mark Antony helps the people realize that Brutus was the leader of the conspirators, and he should have to pay for the suffering he has caused. I find it interesting as well as too
Antony as a character is very intense, he is able to speak to the people and turn an entire crowd against the conspirators and Brutus with jus the way he speaks. Antony speaks of how great Caesar was, to his friends and to the people that he ruled over. During the speech at the funeral Mark Antony is able to persuade the entire crowd of plebeians, to withdraw their support of Brutus, and he used only three props to do so. He spoke about the will Caesar left, and then he shows everyone the dead body of Caesar, and lastly he shows the robes that he was wearing he when he was killed. He will that Caesar left states that he is leaving the countrymen with money and that he wants his gardens to become a public place so people can enjoy them as much as Caesar did while alive. Mark Antony was a fantastic politician, and that is shown by the way he can speak to the people. He is able to speak to the people on based on what the people want to hear. He is also is very skilled in rhetoric and he is able to use is to his advantage to convince the people that Caesar was better than Brutus will ever be.
After Mark Antony’s speech at Caesar’s funeral, Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus go through and determine who is to blame for Caesar’s death. Antony also seems to take responsibility of the plebeian people, and everyone accepts Antony as the new person in power. All the plebeians say, “Peace, ho! Hear Antony, most noble Antony” (3.2 225) they want him to speak the truth about Caesar and the misfortune he had faced. The way that Antony talked to the people makes him such an interesting character to discuss, and one of the better characters in this play.
Hey Samantha,
Yes without a doubt Antony is one of the best characters in the play and his speech in Act III is the main reason why. What makes him and his speech so brilliant is the fact that through some simple repetition of “ambitious” and “honorable” when referring to Caesar and Brutus respectively, Antony is able to effectively change the Roman peoples’ perspectives on the word to the point that they see ambitious Caesar as a man that wept for the suffering that the Romans went through and honorable Brutus as a man that murdered a great man instead of killing a tyrant. Antony knows exactly what to say and when so that he can turn the people to his side and that of Caesar’s. All it takes is just the slightest bit of doubt and Antony gave the Roman people that in spades.
Sam,
I’m glad the group work cleared up some things for you about Antony and his speech to the plebeians. I know group work does that for me too sometimes. I wasn’t so sure how I felt about Antony in the beginning but this part of the play depicted his ability to be a convincing politician, as you said. My impression changed of him completely, he wasn’t just the dog that followed Caesar around he had a voice, an impact. I like the fact you mentioned how crucial the props happen to be in this speech, they really invoke pathos. I don’t know many people who wouldn’t be taken aback by the sight of murdered dead body. Great post and reiteration of our group work this past week!
Samantha,
This is definitely one of those scenes that can take a rereading or two to follow the emotive content of the characters on the stage. The visualization definitely helps when Professor Mulready shows clips from the various adaptations which have been filmed.
Antony is very intense, as you say, and I think you nail it on the head that he “speaks… based on what the people want to hear.” I noticed something glancing over the scene again after reading your post and how he orders presenting the three props.
I think if you ever want to figure out why people in an upheaval about anything, the first step to take is to “follow the money.” And I really believe that Antony presenting the will to the crowd is what really hooked their attention for starters. But note he doesn’t reveal its contents until the end of the speech; I think Antony really teases the crowd with a potential financial promise. And like so many of Shakespeare’s characters, they reveal bits at a time and let their audience get worked up on their own before the point is revealed.
Good post! It was nice to think again about this moment of Julius Caesar!
Antony is a master manipulator and Brutus falls for it! He convinces Brutus to allow him to speak at Caesar’s funeral which is what eventually stirs up the Romans to rebel against the conspirators. Because Cassius and the other conspirators only killed Caesar for power and self-gain, Brutus is the only one who actually believes that they killed Caesar for a “noble cause”. Because Brutus thinks that their deeds had just causes, he thinks that Mark Antony will relay that information to the Romans. Cassius knows how manipulative Antony is which is why he is so wary of letting him speak at Caesar’s funeral and why, when they are discussing killing Caesar, he wants to kill Mark Antony as well. Mark Antony knows that the only way he can get back at the people who murdered his friend is to appeal to the people of Rome!
Sam,
I agree completely with the combination of the words on the page and the portrayal of Marc Antony that we watched helped me understand what was going on in the play more thoroughly. I thought it was a little suspicious that all of a sudden the plebeians were throwing their support towards Antony, but recognizing Antony’s fabulous rhetoric and persuasive props in both the text and the movie, it is easier to see how Antony is a person the public could get behind. I also think it is interesting that you mentioned that not only did the public agree with Antony in regards to Caesar’s murder, but further that they accepted him as a new type of leader due to his speech and his persuasion.
Sam!
I agree, Antony’s oration, and his character as a whole, are kind of intense. How manipulates the attention of the plebeians, and how he presents himself as a rhetorician, build an especially tense moment in the play. He’s able to speak directly to the psychology of the plebeian crowd, as you explain, and successfully persuades them that Brutus isn’t actually an “honourable man,” and that Caesar was actually the honorable ruler. As Antony changes his contextual definition of honor (using it, first, genuinely, then sarcastically) he builds an incredible tension that finally releases, the conclusion of which is the plebeian’s subsequent rioting.
This scene highlights, for me, the power of language and how effective sound use of rhetoric actually had the ability to manipulate people (emotionally, logically, what have you…). Shakespeare may not be writing exactly to history, and to consider this a legitimate documentation of the power of language would be unwise, perhaps. However, we, as readers, unquestionably feel the effects of Antony’s rhetoric, we experience his shift in attitude and tone as his speech develops, and that is the real evidence of such power’s importance.
Sam,
I agree that this scene was a bit confusing at first and that the film clips we watch in class definitely help us better understand the written play. I specifically liked the clip we watched of Mark Antony’s speach, as I wrote about it in my blog post this past week as well.
Overall, we can all agree that Antony has a knack for rhetoric and uses his words, timing, and props quite precisely in order to draw the reaction that he needs from the crowd. Clearly, he is successful in doing this, as he turns the crowds opinion right around. His abilities put Brutus and the rest of the conspirators in danger, as the crowd goes on a rampage, even killing an innocent man, Cinna the poet.
This specific scene is a favorite of mine because Antony is so well versed and knowledgable of his own ability with rhetoric. It is a joy to read and watch!
I think that oration is a very important skill in any politician’s repertoire but Antony in a sense weaponizes his rhetoric into creating a frenzy among the plebians. By instilling raw emotion into his speech, Antony understands that in first villainizing Caesar and then perhaps indirectly venerating him that the common people will have to make their own associations about the events surrounding his death. In doing so, Antony’s mixed messages allow the common people to associate the death with the now dishonored Brutus and as such, the conspirators have the whole of Rome to run from.
Hi Sammantha,
I like your analysis of Antony’s speach, he does use powerful words that create an uproar with the community who is viewing Caesar’s wake. Antony uses rhetoric in his speech which really gives his message the power he is looking for. He speaks intensionally and uses props to give his revenge power. He not only leaves the decision to revolt up to his audience, he guides them to this decision. He associates the dead body infront of every one with the “honorable” person they were just supporting, this creating anger in the communities mind, causing them to regret their support. Oration is a skill that is rather synister in nature, it is used to convince an audience of something the orator has no knowledge of.
Sam!
Your analysis of Antony’s speech was great. I too thought it was a tad confusing at first because I did not know what side he was on when he first started his glorious speech regarding Caesar and the conspirators. Antony is a wonderful speaker and definitely uses his wise words to his advantage. It’s almost as if he is using reverse psychology to the people of Rome and they fall for it almost instantly. He wants the people to decide for themselves how awful and brutal and uncourageous the conspirators are. He executes his speech perfectly and everything works in his advantage along with the 3 physical props that were very significant like you mentioned. To the people of Rome, it is clear that they can be persuading quite easily and “seeing is definitely believing” for them!
In many ways, his great aptitude for oration is something he uses to manipulate people, isn’t it? Reading his character and paying attention to his use of language as you describe it makes me think that Antony is not very different from Caesar insofar as they both have the potential to sway the masses in a matter of minutes for better or for worse.
Sam,
I really enjoyed reading your analysis of Antony’s speech. I especially appreciated the fact that your analyzed his as a politician specifically, for I think that this is an extremely important aspect of his speech itself, and is ultimately how he is able to so thoroughly conivnce this crowd of people that they should turn against Brutus and the rest of the conspirators. The fact that you point out Antony’s use of rhetoric is also essential to the making of his speech, and aids him in furthuring his point without actually speaking ill of the conspirators, therefore keeping to his word. Great post!
Your point about Mark Antony saying what the people want to hear is spot on. And I think that this is where the greatest difference between Antony and Brutus is shown. Brutus is a good orator, he speaks well, but he speaks a little above the plebeians’ heads. He uses mainly logic to appeal to the people, and only addresses his own emotion. Whereas Antony stirs up the emotions of the people. He uses his own grief to inflame theirs, not to disregard it. Antony is able to stir the plebeians to mutiny before he’s even finished his speech. He in fact holds them back until he feels that they will be able to cause the destruction needed to match the loss of Caesar.