friends romans and countrymen lend me your ears

#Friends romans and countrymen lend me your ears free

There is no doubt that Caesar’s accomplishments were impressive. The Ides of March, however, was truly the death knell of the Republic, ushering in a destructive period of civil strife and discord, which ended only with the one thing the assassins of Caesar had tried to prevent – a monarchy in all but name. His assumption of the title dictator in perpetuum (‘perpetual dictator’), becoming the de facto monarch of the Roman world, was the beginning of the end of the Roman Republic. Gaius Julius Caesar’s assassination on the Ides of March in 44 BC is truly one of the most momentous events in history. The good is oft interred with their bones įrom William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. How you can use this: A pause in the middle of your speech, or even of a sentence, will enhance the audience’s impression that you care about what you are saying, not thoughtlessly reciting a text.“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears Barack Obama is the modern master of this trick. Used with skill and discretion, a prolonged pause is a remarkably powerful rhetorical device to focus attention. My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar, And I must pause till it come back to me.' At a key moment in his speech, he suddenly stops speaking. Mark Antony is the master of crowd manipulation. How you can use this: Repetition can alter or devalue meaning. By the eighth time he uses the word, it is openly sarcastic: “I fear I wrong the honourable men Whose daggers have stabbed Caesar.” By the fourth or fifth time the word appears, it is starting to sound ironic. The first time Mark Antony says that Brutus is an honourable man, it sounds like genuine respect. He uses a rhetorical device called “repotia”, repeating a word or phrase while shifting its emphasis. How you can use this: Illustrate your broader points with examples or anecdotes to help your audience visualize your point.īe aware of the power and pitfalls of repetitionĪ central feature of Mark Antony’s speech is the skill with which he gradually turns Brutus’s claim of honour against him.

#Friends romans and countrymen lend me your ears free

To counter charges of Caesar’s ambition, he paints a vivid picture: “You all did see that on the Lupercal I thrice presented him a kingly crown, Which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition?”īrutus’s arguments, on the other hand, are primarily conceptual: “Had you rather Caesar were living and die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live all free men?'

Mark Antony often uses tangible examples to make his points. Identify the feelings you want to appeal to. How you can use this: Think about your audience. Above all, in theatrical terms it comes in stark contrast to the previous speech by Brutus who starts his speech by focusing on himself: “Believe me for mine honour, and have respect to mine honour, that you may believe.” It’s a very human posture, stirring the audience’s feelings. “ I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.”Ĭaesar, he says shortly thereafter, was “ my friend, faithful and just to me”. “ Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears,” he implores. Mark Antony starts his speech by using emotive, rather than conceptual language. Here, to mark the Ides of March, is a look at how you can use some of the same rhetorical devices that Mark Antony manipulates so skillfully in Shakespeare’s play as he turns the tables on lead-assassin Brutus, and avenges Caesar by unleashing “the dogs of war”. That funeral oration still stands as a paragon of the power of public speaking. Shakespeare’s 1599 version of the story showed how Caesar’s friend Mark Antony used his rhetorical skill to swing the plebian crowd against the assassins. Exactly 2,065 years ago today, on 15th March 44BC, Julius Caesar was assassinated at the Roman Senate.