What do caesar dying words express




















He quickly convinces the people that Caesar had to die because he would have become a tyrant and brought suffering to them all. He desires to convey that this message comes from the mouth of a concerned Roman citizen, not from the mouth of a greedy usurper. Pausing to weep openly before the plebeians, he makes them feel pity for him and for his case.

Under the pretense of sympathetically wanting to keep the plebeians from becoming outraged, Antony hints to them that they should become outraged.

He thus gains their favor. In placing himself physically among the crowd, Antony joins the commoners without sacrificing his rhetorical influence over them. Yet in this very sentence he effects the exact opposite of what his words say: he proves himself a deft orator indeed, and although he speaks against mutiny, he knows that at this point the mere mention of the word will spur action.

With these words, Caesar apprehends the immensity of the plot to kill him—a plot so total that it includes even his friends—and simultaneously levels a heartbroken reproach at his former friend. Yet he does so in a handshake, an apparent gesture of allegiance. Surely the conspirators run a great risk by letting such a fickle audience listen to the mournful Antony. Because he feels that he himself, by helping to murder a dear friend, has sacrificed the most, Brutus believes that he will be respected for giving priority to public matters over private ones.

Ace your assignments with our guide to Julius Caesar!



0コメント

  • 1000 / 1000