In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare two very intellectual and

strategic speeches were given after the conspiracy to kill Julius Caesar was completed. The first
speech given was by Brutus, one of the conspirators. The other was given by Antony, one of
Caesars good friends. It is quite obvious through reading the two speeches that Brutus had a
much more powerful and through the use of rhetorical appeals such as, logos, ethos, and
pathos, had a very effective speech.
Brutus uses ethos to persuade the people in his favor. The people of the city know
Brutus to be a higher class citizen with much respect, this helps him be given the opportunity to
speak with the open-hearts of the people. At the beginning of his speech he states, censure
me in your wisdom, and awake your senses, that you may be the better judge (16-17). This
provides ethos and trust among the people. Brutus is very cunning in this way, he allows the
people to feel like he is trusting them to make judgment on him and to prove that he is not trying
to justify his actions or force his reasoning upon them. It gives him the credibility of being an
honest man and conveys to the crowd that he is not trying to deceive them in any way.
Brutus also uses the rhetorical appeal of logos to convince the more logical brains of the
crowd. He intelligently uses his country to alter the minds of the people. He says, ... I slew my
best lover for the good of Rome (44-45). This simple quote shows the cunningness of Brutus.
No person in their right mind would choose the life of one man over his entire country. Another
statement of Brutus says, Had you rather Caesar were living and die all slaves, than that
Caesar were dead, to live all free men? (21-23). This gives the people comfort in Brutus action
because it is logical that a man should die to avoid the oppression and tyranny of an entire
people. This quote also gives understanding and clarity into the thought process of Brutus was
when he killed Caesar for the conspiracy for the people.
Pathos can change the heart of many men and Brutus used it brilliantly. During his
speech he said, ... any dear friend of Caesars,, to him I say, that Brutus love to Caesar was no
less than his (18-20). The use of the word love in this quote can have a powerful effect on
people. Saying that he loved Caesar puts compassion into the hearts of the people. It gives
sympathy and empathy towards him whether he deserves it or not. Not long after Brutus says,
Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more (22-23). The way that Brutus states
this truth brings up emotions of nationality for the people of Rome. Feelings of nationality
overthrew the questions of why Caesar had to be killed, because to the people it was obvious
now. Caesar had to die so that Rome would live.
In Antonys speech he also used Pathos, it was just not as effective. During his speech
he says, My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar, and I must pause till it come back to me
(106-107). This can cut deep into the hearts and emotions of the people, using Caesar as a way
to penetrate their minds. The only problem with Antonys speech using pathos is that his
methods were all too simple. The only thing he used was sympathy for losing a loved one. It is
not nearly as effective as Brutus speech using many methods of persuasion and different
examples of pathos.
In Conclusion, Brutus speech was much more effective rhetorically in persuading the
hearts of the people. He did this by using the rhetorical appeals of ethos by defending his
reasoning, logos by using the logic of one man over the entirety of Rome, and pathos by using
their emotions to sway their hearts and minds through his love for Caesar and his country.