Essay about Rhetoric in William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar

Cassius, Brutus, and Antony use rhetoric successfully in William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, albeit each differently and for different causes. Each of these men uses his skills in rhetoric to convince each other and at some points the entire population of Rome to follow his beliefs. However, each of these men has different motivations to do so, as well as different characteristics and general worldviews. Cassius uses rhetoric successfully to persuade Brutus to come over to his cause—killing Julius Caesar. Cassius is a sharp minded politician whose motivations are personal and not always in the interest of the state of Rome. He uses rhetoric as his means of convincing others to help him reach his cause and goal. Cassius uses many tactics†¦show more content†¦By his rhetoric, Cassius is able to make Brutus join the conspirators so that Cassius’ personal fear of Caesar becoming king will not play out. Brutus, a conflicted senator obsessed with his civic duty, convinces the people of Rome that his motives in killing Caesar were just and noble by rhetoric. Brutus is the only conspirator to have impersonal motives in killing Caesar. In fact, his motives are trying to find the best solution for Rome, and in the end, he must make the hard choice of killing his best friend for his homeland. As early as Brutus’ conversation with Cassius in Act I, Brutus exhibits this deep love and respect for Rome and how this love is conflicting with his love for his friend, Caesar: â€Å"[P]oor Brutus, with himself at war, / Forgets the shows of love to other men† (I.ii.51-52). Brutus brings up this internal conflict again when he tells the crowds that although he did love Caesar, he loved Rome and its people more. After Brutus’ murder of Caesar, he realizes that the issue of the public opinion of Rome is of the utmost importance. Because of this love for Rome, Brutus uses rhetoric to persuade these plebeians to approve of him and his cause. When Cassius warns Brutus about â€Å"how much the people will be moved / By that which [Marc Antony] will utter[!]† (III.i.252-253), Brutus tells Cassius that letting Marc Antony speak â€Å"shall advantage us more than do us wrong† (III.i.261). In these cases, Brutus demonstrates his awareness ofShow MoreRelatedRhetoric and Betrayal in Julius Caeser Play1486 Words   |  6 PagesWilliam Shakespeare’s famous play Julius Caesar utilizes the literary element of rhetoric multiple times throughout to show the true power that words can hold. The rhetoric in Caesar accompanies the play’s themes of betrayal, deception, and exaggeration. Brutus uses rhetoric to persuade the crowd of plebeians that the murdering of Caesar was positive and beneficial to all of Rome, winning their support and causing them to join his cause. 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