The Rise of Mark Antony
Julius Caesar, Act 3 Scene 1 and 2
Our early impressions of Mark Antony
(Act 1 Scene 2)
• Mark Antony: When Caesar says, ‘Do this,’ it is performed
• Brutus: I am not gamesome: I do lack some part / Of that quick spirit that
is in Antony.
• Caesar:
…He loves no plays,
As thou dost Antony; he hears no music;
• Brutus’s choice of words seems to imply that Mark Antony is fond of sports
and frivolous pursuits
• ‘Quick spirit’ could be a reference to his fast running or his quickness to
obey Caesar’s orders
Our early impressions of Mark Antony
(Act 1 Scene 2)
• Caesar:
Let me have men about me that are fat,
Sleek-headed men, and such as sleep a-nights.
Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look;
He thinks too much. Such men are dangerous.
Antony:
Fear him not Caesar; he’s not dangerous.
He is a noble Roman, and well given.
• Caesar seems to trust Antony by revealing his concerns about Cassius to
him. Antony seems rather naïve though in his dismissal of Cassius as a
threat. At this point, lacking the shrewd judgement of Caesar, Antony does
not seem suited for political life.
How do the conspirators feel about Antony?
(Act 2 Scene 1)
• Decius:
Shall no one else be touched but Caesar?
Cassius:
Decius, well urged. I think it is not meet
Mark Antony, so well beloved of Caesar,
Should outlive Caesar. We shall find of him
A shrewd contriver; and you know, his means,
If he improve them, may well stretch far
As to annoy us all; which to prevent,
Let Antony and Caesar fall together.
Decius and Cassius are both
cunning and practical. Their
ruthlessness could have
prevented the chaos after Mark
Antony’s speech were it not for
Brutus’s fear that their ‘course
will seem too bloody’.
Cassius proves an astute judge
of character, predicting that
Mark Antony will be a ‘shrewd
contriver’ who has the potential
to harm the conspirators.
Brutus’s misjudgement of Antony
Brutus seems to view Antony’s
(Act 2 Scene 1)
• Brutus:
For Antony is but a limb of Caesar.
• Brutus:
And for Mark Antony , think not of him;
For he can do no more than Caesar’s arm
When Caesar’s head is off.
• Brutus:
Alas, good Cassius, do not think of him.
If he loves Caesar, all that he can do
Is to himself, take thought, and die for Caesar.
And that were much he should; for he is given
To sports, to wildness, and much company.
• Trebonius:
There is no fear in him; let him not die,
For he will live, and laugh at this hereafter.
lifestyle with disdain and
contempt. Perhaps his stoic
nature cannot appreciate
Antony’s zest for life and
entertainment.
Do you think there is any hint of
resentment on Brutus’s part
because of how close Antony
seems to be to Caesar?
• Did you know Caesar was reported
to have had an affair with Brutus’s
mother? Could Caesar have been
Brutus’s father?
Well, it’s just rumours, and
historians generally feel it’s not
likely…still, it’s irresistible to
consider the implications…
Better safe than sorry…
• Cassius:
Trebonius knows his time; for look you, Brutus,
He draws Mark Antony out of the way.
Although the conspirators have agreed not to kill Mark Antony, they
still see him as a threat and draw him away.
Testing the waters
• Mark Antony cleverly sends his servant to the conspirators
- well-prepared speech
- appeals to Brutus’s vanity and takes advantage of his trusting
nature
cunningly suggests to
- ‘noble, wise, valiant and honest’
the conspirators that he
- ‘Say I love Brutus, and I honour him;
have sympathy
Say I feared Caesar, honoured him, and loved him’ mighty
for their cause
- ‘Mark Antony shall not love Caesar dead
So well as Brutus living.’
• Cassius is still worried about the threat Antony poses
- Brutus overrules him
- allows Antony to enter the Capitol
The Unexpectedly Shrewd, Daring and
Manipulative Mark Antony
• Let’s discuss what makes Antony’s message so shrewd in terms of
language and content…
- he flatters Brutus (line 126)
- he is open and courageous in his praise of Caesar, qualities which Brutus
would admire
- however, he cleverly suggests that his loyalty to Caesar was partly due to
fear
- he also subtly suggests that Caesar may have “deserved” his fate (line
132)
- he appears to be confident that Brutus can convince him why Caesar
deserved to die
- he shows implicit trust in Brutus’s word thus paying tribute to his
reputation as a man of honour (flattery again!)
Brutus and Cassius…
partners, yet worlds apart?
• Brutus:
Thy master is a wise and valiant Roman;
I never thought him worse.
Tell him, so please him come unto this place,
He shall be satisfied; and, by my honour,
Depart untouched.
• Brutus:
I know that we shall have him well to friend.
• Cassius:
…But yet I have a mind
That fears him much; and my misgiving still
Falls shrewdly to the purpose.
Brutus takes Mark Antony’s message at face value
- he is impressed by Antony’s candour and
courage
- note how this line shows how successful
Antony’s tactic of appealing to Brutus’s honour is
Cassius however is more suspicious of Antony’s
motives
The contrasting reactions reflects the differences
in each man’s character:
- Brutus is unsuspecting, trusting
- thinks the best of Antony, assuming he is as
honest and honourable as himself
- Cassius is skeptical, thinks the worst
- always on the lookout for possible threats
Cassius is the ‘political animal’, familiar with the
Machiavellian machinations of Roman politics.
Brutus is more naïve.
O Mighty Caesar! Dost thou lie so low?
• Observe how Mark Antony enters…why do you think he does not
reply to Brutus?
• Antony is reacting in an emotionally open and honest way
- such behavior is both disarming and designed to elicit the conspirator’s
sympathy and respect
• Any attempt at dissembling at this point would immediately arouse suspicion
- by showing that he is not an obsequious time-server, Antony is actually
allaying the conspirator’s doubts
• By questioning the motives of Caesar’s murderers (‘if you bear me hard’) and
offering his own life, Antony is actually forcing Brutus to immediately deny
the accusation and justify his action
- this puts Brutus on the defensive and gives Antony the upper hand
• Antony’s final strategy is to throw himself at the conspirator’s mercy,
touchingly avowing his friendship to Caesar whilst simultaneously
acknowledging the conspirators’ status (‘the choice and master spirits of this
age’)
- this puts the assassins at a disadvantage, making them feel somewhat
uncomfortable, maybe even ashamed
• Finally, Antony knows that he is safe, as Brutus assured his protection
- he is thus able to make the apparently reckless offer of his own life
without any real risk
They had no
idea what I
was up to 
Brutus’s defensive, almost
apologetic reply bears testimony
to the success of Antony’s
strategy.
Are you sure we’re on the same side?
• Brutus promises Antony a full explanation and pledges brotherly love
and respect
• Cassius offers Antony a share in power
The different responses here are typical, with Brutus being
“democratic”, fair-minded and compassionate, and Cassius being
pragmatic and devious, tempting Antony by the prospect of power.
Antony’s “harmless” request
• Antony:
That’s all I seek;
And am forever suitor that I may
Produce his body to the market place,
And in the pulpit, as becomes a friend,
Speak in the order of his funeral.
Brutus:
You shall, Mark Antony.
Cassius is very
concerned, as he
fears that
Antony will stir
up the crowd to
rebel against
them.
- Antony mentions this casually, almost as an afterthought.
- He makes the request as a personal friend of Caesar, not a political
supporter
- It is implied that it is the least the conspirators can do for Caesar given
the ignominious nature of his demise
Different personalities, ideologies…
• Brutus is idealistic and trusts in
the justice of their cause. He
believes that he can convince the
crowd using “reason”
• Cassius is a more realistic judge of
human nature and crowd
psychology. He is afraid the crowd
are more likely to be swayed by
Antony’s emotional rhetoric than
Brutus’s dispassionate arguments
What was Brutus thinking?!
• He says that he will speak first, explaining the conspirators’ reasons
for killing Caesar
• He further argues that he will inform the crowd that Antony speaks
with their consent
• He assumes that by speaking first, he will calm the crowd and
completely convince them of the justice of their cause, so it will be
futile for Antony to persuade them otherwise
• He also assumes that Antony will keep his word that he will only
speak as Caesar’s friend
Brutus’s faith in these was misplaced:
• Antony’s promise
• The intelligence and reasonableness of the crowd
Let’s view / read / experience the next lines…
Act 3 Scene 2
What is the mood of the crowd?
• The crowd is unruly
• They are in an angry and belligerent mood
• They are also confused and dismayed
• by the sudden, unexpected, dangerous
and disturbing turn of events
What are some of the devices Brutus uses in
his speech?
• Prose
• Rhetorical questions
• Appeals to reason
• Emphatic repetitions
• Ordered arguments
• Antithesis
• Hypothetical questions and situations
• Parallel structures
• Appeals to abstract ideals
Can you give some
examples of these
devices from
Brutus’ speech?
rhetorical questions
• Brutus:
Who is here so base, that would be a bondman? If any speak; for him
have I offended. Who is here so vile that will not love his country? If
any, speak; for him have I offended. I pause for a reply.
Brutus for King!!!
(wait a minute…)
• Brutus seems to have gotten the crowd’s support
• But his republican ideals mean nothing to them
• In an ironic twist, they want to build a statue for Brutus
• And crown him! (which was why Brutus killed Caesar in the first place!)
Fickle support…
• The plebians support Brutus because of the persuasiveness of his
rhetoric
• NOT on the reasonableness of his arguments
• The crowd has responded emotionally
• NOT intellectually, to Brutus’s speech
They are easily swayed, impressionable,
unreasoning and fickle.
Consider that just a while ago they were
celebrating Caesar’s triumphant return!
2 mistakes Brutus makes here:
• He leaves the scene at a critical moment. This means he is not
present to ensure that Antony keeps his promise not to blame the
conspirators. It also means that he can neither forestall his attempts
nor reply to his accusations.
• He fails to capitalize on his success by allowing his supporters to have
their way and bring him home in triumph. This wouldhave virtually
removed Antony’s audience. Instead, he shoots himself in the foot by
actually asking the crowd to stay and listen to Antony.
What Antony does right:
• He begins on a more intimate note to win the affection of the crowd
by addressing them as friends
• Brutus begins on a less personal level by appealing to the crowd’s
patriotism
• Brutus asks them to listen to his “cause”, whereas Antony craves their
indulgence by asking to merely listen to him for just a few moments
• Brutus also refers to the crowd as “lovers” (dear friedns) but this is
only after he addresses them as “Romans” and “countrymen”. He
goes from the general to the personal whereas Antony does it the
other way around, from the personal to the general.
What Antony does right (continued):
• He attempts to defuse the crowd’s hostility and pre-empt any
protests by beginning in an apologetic and conciliatory vein
• He quickly reassures the crowd that he has no intention of supporting
Caesar’s cause. This is to allay their suspicions and make them more
receptive to him.
The Power of Words
(especially when used by skillful orators!)
The Power of Words
(especially when used by skillful orators!)
• Look at these two words and how both Brutus and Mark Antony use
them:
judgement and reason
• Brutus uses the word “judge” to mean decide or give a verdict
whereas Antony uses “reason” to mean understanding or wisdom
• Brutus uses “reasons” to mean motives or justifications whereas
Antony uses “reason” to mean sense or rational thought
Antony is deliberately turning Brutus’s own words against him, implying
that his “reasons” are unreasonable and his action misjudged.
Men and their tears…
• Antony:
…Bear with me;
My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar,
And I must pause till it come back to me.
• Antony appears to be too choked with emotion to continue
- an extremely clever ploy to elicit the crowd’s sympathy
- he comes across as a distraught and grief-stricken friend
- he is playing on the crowd’s sentimental nature
Men and their tears…
Men and their tears…
Antony’s Toolbox!
• Appeals to love and loyalty
• Ironic repetition
• Appeals to pity and compassion
• Plain language
• Specific evidence and example
• A modest, humble manner
• Portraying Caesar in a
sympathetic light
• Arousing guilt
• Inference and insinuation
• Twisting, distorting facts
• “leading questions
Men Women and tears…