Brutus and Mark Antony in the play Julius Caesar :: William Shakespeare

The Empire of Deceit In the play Julius Caesar, written by the playwright William Shakespeare, the characters Brutus and Mark Antony each recite a speech in the market place after Caesar’s death. These speeches, exemplifying parallelism, verbal irony, and witty use rhetoric, expose the true intentions of these characters. From these speeches, the reader can understand the true intentions of these characters and thus conclude for themselves whether or not the slaying of Caesar was one of justice or one of greed. Corruption is always apparent in every society. No matter what time, age, or government, every man or women always has a second intention. In murdering Caesar, Brutus hoped that he could gain power. His intentions also presented a scenario in which the plebeians were pleased with his course of action. Why? With the logic that states that all Roman people were or would become the slaves of Caesar due to his immense power. Thus, in Brutus’s mind, he is the liberator of the Roman people. Trying to woo the simple plebeians in the marketplace, he asks them to invest trust in him. Brutus makes clever rhetoric such as his emphasis and emotion on powerful words to convey his message. But what the reader must understand is that this man is nothing more than a corrupt politician. Brutus uses language in his favor, stating he killed Caesar not out of hate, but in fact because of his love of the Roman people. If one truly understands the key principles of all language and philosophy, the n one must be able to tell that Brutus is doing nothing more than using a â€Å"double-talk† kind of approach towards the common man. Reality can be controlled. The reason behind this statement is simple- reality is controlled by keepers of the records. What this statement means is that any situation can be manipulated in order to favor one side or another. In the speech by Antony, the tide of reality pulls sharply out, exposing a beach of discontent and deceit. Antony starts his speech by saying that he is not there to praise the late emperor, but in fact accept the fact that Brutus is a praiseworthy man. However, Antony’s speech begins to pull the tide of Brutus’s reality once Antony mentions that Caesar was his friend. It is this simple notion that changes Rome’s future forever. Antony goes on to state that Caesar had triumphed over many enemies, thus bringing power to the Romans and bringing much fortune.