Brutus & Mark Anthony’s Speeches

Brutus & Mark Anthony’s Speeches

The speeches of Brutus and Mark Anthony were great words spoken from the heart and lips of men who felt for Rome and for Caesar. Yet one felt greater for Rome and the other felt greater for Caesar.

Brutus speech is said to be a philosophical speech for he only spoke as an idealist and a stoic who did not think less of Caesar than another man who loved Caesar but who had the idea of the Roman Empire as his goal and he was afraid that Caesar was becoming a tyrant and was bringing Rome down. So he says that it is for the good of Rome that Caesar has died and the people believe him because they were easily swayed.

Brutus puts forth a great life and Rome as his point of direction which makes his speech appealing. His second greatest downfall was by speaking at the people and by using high language, the commoners were not that much of intellectual people and this was to his disfavor. His greatest downfall and greatest tactical error was that he allowed Mark Antony to speak.

Mark Anthony before starting his speech he had already drawn the people emotionally by bringing the corps of Caesar out with him and placing it before the people. He started his speech as if he was talking to each and every Roman individually with, “Friends, Romans, Countrymen,”. It was good of him to speak to the people rather than speaking at the people like how Brutus did.

Mark Anthony’s speech was an emotional speech and he used great tactics in his speech. By speaking about the greatness of Caesar and by doing this how they are betraying Caesar, which made them feel guilty. He as well spoke about how Caesar dearly loved Brutus as his friend and yet Brutus killed him. By saying that Brutus is an honorable man and contradicting it with the showing of the stab wounds of Caesar and by Anthony weeping with his eyes blood shot, the people here saw and say that Anthony is an honorable man.

Mark Anthony as well drew the people by showing them the will of Caesar and by calling them around Caesars corps and showing them the stab wounds. Then making them furious but reminding them about the will which in it a gift of Caesar to the commoners laid. This was the greatest strength to Anthony’s speech.

I believe that Mark Anthony’s speech was the better of the two and this was because he played more on the emotions of the commoners and if we remember, the commoners were easily swayed and what better way to sway people by then to play on their emotions. It was the tactical mistake of Brutus which gave Anthony the upper hand of winning, because not only did he allow Anthony to speak but he allowed him to speak second and that allowed him to counter attack his speech.

In conclusion I believe that no matter whose speech won over the people, the fact that Brutus killed Caesar he should have lost his speech. Because killing is killing, no matter who you kill or for what reason it is wrong and Brutus even went further by killing his best friend. What is a man if he kills his best friend, and I believe that if he could kill his best friend he wasn’t fit to be a leader.