Question

Read the excerpt from Act III, Scene ii of Julius Caesar and answer the question that follows.

FIRST CITIZEN:
Methinks there is much reason in his sayings.

SECOND CITIZEN:
If thou consider rightly of the matter,
Caesar has had great wrong.

THIRD CITIZEN:
Has he, masters?
I fear there will a worse come in his place.

FOURTH CITIZEN:
Mark'd ye his words? He would not take the crown;
Therefore 'tis certain he was not ambitious.

FIRST CITIZEN:
If it be found so, some will dear abide it.

SECOND CITIZEN:
Poor soul! his eyes are red as fire with weeping.

THIRD CITIZEN:
There's not a nobler man in Rome than Antony.

FOURTH CITIZEN:
Now mark him, he begins again to speak.

ANTONY:
But yesterday the word of Caesar might
Have stood against the world; now lies he there.
And none so poor to do him reverence.
O masters, if I were disposed to stir
Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage,
I should do Brutus wrong, and Cassius wrong,
Who, you all know, are honourable men:
I will not do them wrong; I rather choose
To wrong the dead, to wrong myself and you,
Than I will wrong such honourable men.
But here's a parchment with the seal of Caesar;
I found it in his closet, 'tis his will:
Let but the commons hear this testament—
Which, pardon me, I do not mean to read—
And they would go and kiss dead Caesar's wounds
And dip their napkins in his sacred blood,
Yea, beg a hair of him for memory,
And, dying, mention it within their wills,
Bequeathing it as a rich legacy
Unto their issue.

FOURTH CITIZEN:
We'll hear the will: read it, Mark Antony.

ALL:
The will, the will! We will hear Caesar's will.

ANTONY:
Have patience, gentle friends, I must not read it;
It is not meet you know how Caesar loved you.
You are not wood, you are not stones, but men;
And, being men, bearing the will of Caesar,
It will inflame you, it will make you mad:
'Tis good you know not that you are his heirs;
For, if you should, O, what would come of it!

In a well-written paragraph of 5–7 sentences:

Identify two rhetorical appeals (ethos, logos, or pathos) used by Antony; the appeal types may be the same or different.
Evaluate the effectiveness of both appeals.
Support your response with evidence of each appeal from the text.

Answer 1

Antony uses pathos by stirring emotions and ethos by questioning the honor of Brutus and Cassius in a subtle manner, both of which are effective in persuading the citizens of Rome.

Step-by-step explanation:

In Julius Caesar Act III, Scene ii, two primary rhetorical appeals used by Antony are pathos and ethos. Antony employs pathos when he manipulates the emotions of the crowd, suggesting their hearts would be inflamed if they knew how much Caesar cared for them. This use of emotional appeal is meant to stir the citizens against the conspirators. Antony also uses ethos when he refers to Brutus and Cassius as 'honourable men'. Although he repeats this phrase, the irony indicates that he questions their honor without stating it outright, thereby appealing to his own credibility and the citizens' trust without directly attacking them.

The effectiveness of pathos is in its ability to make the crowd feel pity and anger on behalf of Caesar, rallying them to Antony's side. The effectiveness of ethos lies in its subtlety; Antony maintains his credibility while casting doubt on Brutus and Cassius, which makes the audience more receptive to his message.