Pathos (Emotional Appeal):
- Antony opens his speech by appealing to the emotions of the crowd. He uses words and phrases that evoke sympathy, pity, and outrage to connect with the audience on a personal level.
- Antony skillfully employs repetition, parallel structures, and rhetorical questions to emphasize the injustice done to Caesar. By repeating phrases like "Brutus says he was ambitious" and "Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world/ Like a Colossus," he creates a sense of urgency and indignation.
Ethos (Credibility):
- Antony establishes credibility by presenting himself as a friend of Caesar and a witness to his deeds. He refers to his close relationship with Caesar and how he knows firsthand about Caesar's virtuous nature.
Rhetorical Devices:
- Antony uses a variety of rhetorical devices to make his speech more persuasive and impactful. Some of these devices include:
1. Parallelism: "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;/ I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him."
2. Repetition: "But 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."
3. Antithesis: "I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke,/ But here I am to speak what I do know."
4. Imagery: "When he said he was ambitious,/ And that Brutus is an honorable man,/ He hath brought many tears."
5. Personification: "And Caesar's spirit, ranging for revenge,/ With Ate by his side come hot from hell, / Shall in these confines with a monarch's voice / Cry 'Havoc,' and let slip the dogs of war."
- Antony's skillful use of rhetorical devices helps create a powerful and persuasive argument that resonates with the crowd and ultimately leads them to turn against Brutus and the other conspirators.