Rhetoric of Brutus and Mark Antony in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

Rhetoric of Brutus and Mark Antony in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

This paper analyzes one of the Roman plays written by William Shakespeare: Julius Caesar, in terms of its political significance and rhetorical variations. Shakespeare was fascinated by the ancient Roman political regime; in particular, that of the Roman Republic. In a republican regime, rhetoric and the power of speech are both a necessity and of great importance. This paper will observe two speeches given by Brutus and Mark Antony after the assassination of Julius Caesar. Shakespeare brilliantly reenacts the two Roman politicians as they set out to persuade the plebeians with carefully crafted speeches. Besides ancient rhetoricians and historians such as Aristotle, Cicero, and Plutarch, I owe considerable academic insights to the twentieth century scholars of Shakespeare and rhetoric such as Brian Vickers, Sister Miriam Joseph, and Jonathan Bate. Additionally, a twentieth century rhetorician, Kenneth Burke, whose rhetorical concepts such as the theory of Dramatism and Identification, proved to be meaningful. Since Shakespeare was living in a monarchical regime, the term “common weal”, translated from the Latin words of res publica-root word for republic-was quite delicate to talk about. Therefore, Ancient Roman Republic proved to be the perfect space and time where the Bard could test republican rhetoric and avoid censorship.