Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare Questions and Answers, Effect of Speech of Antony

Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare Questions and Answers, Effect of Speech of Antony :-

Summarise Antony’s funeral speech.

What was its effects on the Roman mob?

After Brutus, Antony comes to the platform to say a few words to the Roman mob. Antony finds that Romans are completely on the side of Brutus. They now call Caesar a tyrant. But Antony goes on very cautiously. He goes step by step ultimately Antony wins the hearts of the common people.

Antony strikes the very keynote of his speech in the first line-“Friends, Roman countrymen, let me your ears…”. He addresses the Romans as friends. He calls Brutus noble. He does not say a single word against Brutus. He says that he has come to burry Caesar not to praise him. Then he goes on to refuse the charge of ambition against Caesar. He points out that Caesar has brought many captives home. Next he cites Caesar’s refusal of the crown offered by him thrice at feast of hupercalia. Caesar also felt for the poor in their sufferings. Antony cannot understand how this can be ambition. Antonym now stops for a while to see the effect of his address on the people. Antony then changes his attitude. He says that Caesar has left a “Will” for the people. The people now want to know the contents of the will. Antony goes a step further. Before reading the will he comes down from the pulpit. He shows to the people each of the words inflicted by the conspirators. The people now forget all about the will. They become violent. They cry out for the blood of the conspirators. But Antony has not yet done with them, he must be sure of them before he will let them off. Now he reads the will to them. Hearing the will the people have now become mad. They run out to fire the traitors’ houses.

The effect of Antony’s speech on the Roman mob is wonderful. His speech makes a lasting impression on the mind of the common people. He wins the hearts of the common people. Antony is a good orator. He knows how to win the mob. He appeals to feelings and sentiments of the people. He does not appeal to the reason of the people. He appeals to their hearts and not their heads. So he easily wins the hearts of the Roman mob.

For explanations visit http://www.shmoop.com/julius-caesar/summary.html

Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare Questions and Answers, Effect of Speech of Brutus

Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare Questions and Answers, Summary and Effect of Speech of Brutus:- 

Give the substance of funeral speech delivered by Brutus in the forum. What was its effect on the Roman mob?

After the murder of Caesar, the people of Rome become very excited. They demand an explanation from the conspirators for the murder of Caesar. Brutus gives “public reason” for the murder of Caesar. He appeals to the reason of the common people. He tells them that Caesar was murdered for the good of Romans. He killed Caesar for the protection of Roman liberty. Brutus tells the mob that he killed Caesar less but because he loved Rome more. He had no ill feeling against Caesar. He admired Caesar for his leadership and great power. He honoured him for his courage and wisdom. He killed Caesar because he grew ambitious and wanted to make the people of Rome his slaves.

At first the speech of Brutus exercises a great influence on the Roman mob. The common people are superficially touched by Brutus’s patriotic sentiment. In fact, the “public reason” given by Brutus at first draws the Romans completely to his side. But the Roman people do not understand the real stand of Brutus. They do not know what liberty or patriotism is. They miss the main point of his speech. They want him to be another Caesar. This shows that the effect of speech of Brutus on the common people is temporary. When Antony speaks to the common people, they changed and at once call Brutus a traitor.

For explanations visit http://www.shmoop.com/julius-caesar/summary.html

Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare Questions and Answers Explanations

Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare Questions and Answers Explanations:-

What impression of the Roman mob do you form the Forum Scene in Julius Caesar?

Or

What opinion do you form of the Roman mob from Shakespeare’s play “Julius Caesar”?

In Act-III Scene-II we find the Roman mob murderously setting out in search of the conspirators. When Brutus told the mob that yet inspite of his love and respect for Caesar, he had to kill Caesar, the dictator in the interest of the republic to save Rome. Some citizens shouted in praise of Brutus. One of them wanted Brutus to be Caesar. This shows the Roman mob did not imbibe the spirit of Brutus’s speech. Brutus thought that he has convinced them of the necessity of the Caesar’s murder, but he was mistaken.

When Antony began his speech the mob was rather hostile to him. Antony told the mob that he had come not to praise Caesar but to burry him. Then Antony refuted Brutus’s charge that Caesar was ambitious. Some of the citizens were now sure that Caesar was not ambitious. They thought that no man was nobler than Antony. There is no doubt about the ficklemindness of Roman mob. A clever like Antony could easily make fool the mob. Antony showed them Caesar’s Will but refused to read it our. Then he showed them Caesar’s deadbody to exite their pity for Caesar that Brutus whom they had praised a few minutes ago was now regarded by them traitor. Antony knew quite well that the Roman people were fickle minded and emotional. Antony read out the Will and the Roman people came to know that Caesar had given them money and his bowers and orchards. Now the Roman mob was so grateful to Caesar that Brutus and his confederates were now denounced by them traitors. The Roman mob was governed by passions, not reasons. So Antony could show the mob in whatever direction he pleased. The Roman people were so much besides themselves with passions, so irrational that Cinna, the poet was killed by them simply because there was a conspirator named Cinna.

For explanations visit http://www.shmoop.com/julius-caesar/summary.html