Julius Ceaser Essay

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What makes Antony’s Soliloquy such as powerful moment in the play? Immediately preceding this extract Antony has vowed his allegiance to the conspirators. He shook their hands and said “Friends am I with you all, and love you all, upon this hope, that you shall give me reasons.” This phrase shows that Antony is ready to accept any reasons given by the conspirators for the murder of Ceaser and that he will readily accept them – as they are his “friends”. However in Antony’s soliloquy, Antony’s need to avenge Ceaser’s death and to bring about the downfall of the conspirators is showcased. This huge contrast is shown by the transition of the word “friends” (line 221) used by Antony to describe the conspirators to “butchers” (line 255) at the beginning of the soliloquy. Lines 255-256 are the beginning of his soliloquy therefore the reader is finally told of Antony’s feelings towards the conspirators and the murder of Ceaser. Within these two lines, Antony apologises to Ceaser for having treated the conspirators with good-naturedness even after they murdered Ceaser savagely. His regret at doing so is showcased by the long vowel sound “O” which shows his real and distraught reaction towards Ceaser’s death. This is immediately followed by a metaphor for Ceaser’s body “thou bleeding piece of earth” that shows he believes that the murder of Ceaser was nought but savage. This is shown by the usage of the word “earth” – implication of Ceaser’s body- and the phrase “bleeding” – describes the consequences of the savage manor in which the murder was constructed. In line 256; Antony refers to the conspirators as butchers which show his feelings of hate and disgust at/ towards them. The use of the term “butchers” signifies that he feels the conspirators have slayed an innocent being – Ceaser-for their own benefit- as a butcher slays a cow or pig. Lines 257-259 are Antony’s

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