Read the extract from ‘Julius Caesar’ Act 3, Scene 2, given below and answer the questions that follow:
Antony: Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
The evil that men do lives after them,
The good is oft interred with their bones;
So let it be with Caesar. The noble Brutus
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Hath told you Caesar was ambitious;
If it were so, it was a grievous fault,
And grievously hath Caesar answer’d it.
Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest–
For Brutus is an honourable man;
So are they all, all honourable men–
Come I to speak in Caesar’s funeral.
(i) What does Antony say he is there for?
What does he say he is not there for?
What do you think he is actually there for?
(ii) What were the three conditions that Brutus had laid down before allowing Antony to speak to the
citizens of Rome?
(iii) List the three arguments that Antony uses immediately after he speaks these lines to prove conclusively
that Julius Caesar was not ambitious.
(iv) Antony repeatedly uses certain words in his speech to describe Brutus. What are they? Why does he do
this?
(v) Which one argument of Antony’s do you think had the greatest impact on his listeners? Give a reason to
support your answer.
What were the citizens’ feelings towards Antony before he began his speech?
How do their feelings towards him change at the end of his speech?
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(i) Antony states he has come “to bury Caesar, not
to praise him.” He emphasises that his presence
is for a solemn funeral oration, not a celebratory
eulogy. He explicitly denies any intention to praise
Caesar, suggesting neutrality. However, this is a
rhetorical tactic. He knows the crowd expects praise
at a funeral. By claiming he won’t praise Caesar, he
piques their interest and makes his eventual praise,
when it comes, more impactful. His true purpose,
masked by this pretence of objectivity, is to
manipulate the crowd against the conspirators. He
aims to transform public perception of Caesar from
a potential tyrant to a beloved leader, paving his
own path to power. He subtly implies that Caesar’s
good deeds are in danger of being forgotten,
stating, “The evil that men do lives after them; The
good is oft interred with their bones,” thus making
his “neutral” speech all the more necessary and,
therefore, effective.
(ii) Before allowing Antony to address the Roman
citizens, Brutus imposed three strict conditions to
prevent any direct challenge to the conspirators’
narrative. First, Antony was forbidden to blame
the assassins, ensuring that his speech would not
incite the people against them. Second, he had to
speak only after Brutus had addressed the crowd,
allowing the latter to shape public opinion first.
Third,Antonywasrequiredtodeclarethathespoke
with the conspirators’ permission, reinforcing their
authority. Brutus, believing in his own rhetoric,
underestimated Antony’s skill. Antony, though
adhering to these conditions in form, masterfully
circumvented them in spirit. His repeated reference
to “honourable men” drips with irony, subtly eroding
the credibility of Brutus’s words. His ability to work
within these constraints while simultaneously
turning the tide against the conspirators is a
testament to his political acumen.
(iii) Antony masterfully counters Brutus’s claim of
Caesar’s ambition with three key points, each
designed to resonate deeply with the crowd. He
begins by recalling how Caesar refused the crown
three times during the Lupercal festival, asking,
“Was this ambition?” A truly ambitious man would
have seized such power without hesitation. Next,
Antony points to Caesar’s generosity, noting how
he brought wealth to Rome by ransoming captives,
enriching the public treasury rather than himself.
Thisselflessnessstandsinstarkcontrasttothegreed
of an ambitious ruler. Finally, Antony stirs emotions
by reminding the crowd of Caesar’s compassion:
“When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept.”
Such empathy, he argues, is not the mark of a
power-hungry tyrant but of a leader who genuinely
cared for his people. These arguments, woven with
restraint and precision, gradually turn the crowd
against Brutus and his conspirators.
(iv) Throughout his funeral speech, Mark Antony
repeatedly refers to Brutus and the other
conspirators as honourable men. At first glance,
this seems like a gesture of respect, aligning with
his claim that he does not seek to discredit them.
However, the repetition of this phrase, “But Brutus
sayshewasambitious,andBrutusisanhonourableman”,
slowly turns into a weapon. Antony subtly shifts its
meaning, transforming it from an affirmation into
a bitter irony. By juxtaposing Brutus’s supposed
honour with examples of Caesar’s generosity and
lack of ambition, such as his refusals of the crown
and his sympathy for the poor, Antony forces
the crowd to question whether Brutus is truly
honourable. The phrase becomes laced with sarcasm,
sowing doubt and indignation among the Romans.
Each repetition chips away at Brutus’s credibility
until the people, inflamed with rage, are ready to
rise against the conspirators.
(v) Antony’s most impactful argument is his reminder
that Caesar refused the crown three times during
the Lupercal festival. This directly contradicts the
idea of ambition, as an ambitious man would have
eagerly accepted such power. The crowd, already
swayed by Antony’s emotional appeal, sees this as
undeniable proof of Caesar’s humility, making it
the most convincing point.
Before Antony’s speech, the citizens view him with
suspicion, as he is associated with Caesar, whom
they now consider a tyrant. However, by the end of
hisspeech,theirfeelingsshiftdramatically.Antony’s
skilful use of rhetoric, emotional appeals and subtle
hints at Caesar’s generosity and compassion turn
the crowd against Brutus and the conspirators. The
citizens,oncesupportiveofBrutus,arenowenraged
and call for revenge, showing how Antony’s words
have completely transformed their loyalty.