compare and contrast funeral speeches from julius caesar

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In Julius Caesar there is a point after Caesar dies that both sides speak about the current situation. They meet at the place of Caesars funeral. A brief trade of words earlier in the play limits Antony’s “rights” in his speech. He is told: he can not speak badly of them, he can not speak badly of Caesar, he had to speak in the same place, and he had to speak second. These limitations were set so that the public wouldn’t turn against them. The speeches are made to show the public why it was done, but an underlying plot turned the public against one side. Both speeches are well worded and both are very persuasive. Brutus speaks first in hopes to set the mood. He is not looking to persuade the crowd instead he is looking to tell the people why he did it. He speaks of his love for Rome and how Caesar was greedy and ambitious. Though, through his speech he is very repetitive and formal. In this he distances himself from the public. Also, in his high-minded approach he starts to talk in third person, explaining that he did this not against Caesar, but for Rome. He tells the public, "...not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more." While speaking in third person it pushes him even further away from the public. As I read “Julius Caesar” I had the feeling that when he spoke like that he couldn’t defend himself as if he were there. It seemed like he was a messenger boy for himself and that he was to coward to admit what he had done. On the opposite, Antony camp up. His speech was aimed to turn the public in his favor. He was restricted by many things but he didn't let that set him down. He mocked Brutus in kind words. He slowly turned the public against the conspirators. He took himself off of a tall pedestal and got down with the people, showing them that he wasn’t any better then them at this time. After he was sure that he had them in the palm of his

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