The Importance Of Mark Antony For Rome Empire

Have you ever heard about Mark Antony? Does that name ring a bell? Mark Antony’s leadership qualities varies from having military accomplishments, strict judgements on politics, and is a skilled orator. Although Caesar trusts Mark Antony because he thinks someone like that who enjoys life is less likely to threaten him, Antony proved to be a brave-loyal and cunning man who displays astonishing calculations from the moment of Caesar’s death. Mark Antony’s speech for the slain Caesar in Shakespeare “Julius Caesar “is one of the most celebrated rhetorical dramatic literature.

As being one of the most powerful and emotional speeches ever conjured up by a human mind, Antony accosted by using these words “ Friends, Romans, Countrymen “, He addresses the mob with respect like trusted equals so that they might feel like they are important to him. So, they will feel more compelled to hear him out. Antony’s speech at Caesar’s funeral in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar was more efficient than the speech of Brutus as Antony used a multifarious emotional argument, instead of relying on one assertion, as Brutus did. Because of this, Antony was able to get the crowd to his side, against Brutus and the Conspirators. One of the most powerful tools that he uses is Caesar’s will to prove that Caesar loved Rome and its’ citizens. “ Where in hath Caesar thus observed your loves ?” “ Here is the will, and under Caesar’s seal” . Before he read the will as a request from the mob. He told them: ”It will inflame you, It will make you mad”. He says that Caesar donated all of the land that he owned on the Rome side of the Tiber River that had been made into Parks and Gardens. “ Caesar gave every man seventy-five drachmas. So they were shocked and angered by the murder of such a great man that would share his wealth with the common man.

Equally important, He framed his eloquence to make their hearts yearn the more, one of his lined was: “Bear with me, my heart is in the coffin there with Caesar”. He points out the several wounds on Caesars body, and specify each one to a specific conspirator. In particular, the one of Brutus which was the last and most severe, he described that one by saying:” This was the most unkindest cut of all”. To make them feel more pity he said:” For Brutus, as you know, was Caesar’s angel” and “Judge, O you gods, how dearly Caesar loved him “. He makes them feel empathy for Caesar and resentful towards Brutus and his partners in crime. Antony didn’t witness Caesars murder but he pretended to knew who caused the individual wounds. The conspirators could not find the wounds they had caused because of the vigorous way they attacked him. Although it is not true, this is a very good method used by Antony because it gives the angry mob people reasons to hate. Antony evinced his orating skills by repeating the words “honorable” and “ambitious” to ironically describe Brutus and Cassius as a way to downplay when he insults the two, as when he said:” Oh masters ! if i were disposed to stin your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage, I should do Brutus wrong and cassius wrong, who you all know are honourable men, I’ll not do them wrong. I rather choose to wrong the dead, to wrong myself and you, then I’ll wrong such an honourable men”. By doing this, Mark hinted the opposite to the crowd without having to actually say that to the crowd. The multifaceted attack of Antony was what made his speech to the mob much more effective than Brutus.

Furthermore, Antony not only convinces the mob that Caesar was not ambitious, but also sows in their minds the seeds of mutiny and rage against Caesar’s murderers. Besides the will he read to them, He very cleverly tells the crowd that Caesar was not ambitious rather he had refused the crown thrice “I thrice presented to him a kingly crown” and argues that Caesar had no intent to turn Rome into a dictatorship. Antony reminds the people of Rome that Caesar gave his war spoils to the people of Rome instead of keeping them for himself. “When the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept” and questions saying: “Did these in Caesar seem ambitious” and he also said that Caesar sympathized with the poor and ambitious people don’t do that. After Mark Antony brings the conspirators’ honor into question, the plebeians become ready to take Caesar’s revenge and this is the start of the riots in Rome.

His speaking after Brutus have him a chance not only to understand the mob and disproved all what Brutus said without interference, but also praising him in an ironic way. As a result for being a shrewder manipulator, he succeeded in making the people rethink who they should support and that appeared when citizen four said: “ Mark’d ye his words? He wouldn’t take the crown; Therefore ’tis certain he was not ambitious” and citizen 1 replied: “if it be found so, some will dear abide it”. His speech turned the mob from being in the side of the conspirators after Caesar’s murder into his like when citizen three said: “There’s not a nobler man in Rome than Antony”. The people were full of anger, furious and revenge for such a great man slain. This was clear by the immediate response of the plebeians for Antony’s speech when they say: “ Revenge! — About! — Seek! — Burn! — Fire! — Kill! — Slay!— let not a traitor live”. His manipulation causes a mass riot which leads to a bloody civil war.

As a result, after his speech, Romans’ minds changed completely because he erased their thoughts and he wrote a new one using his decisive speech in minds of Romans which cannot be erased. Of course, we hear in an aside Antony’s plans, so we’re not surprised when he gets to the funeral and urges the people of Rome to riot against Julius Caesar’s murderers. Some of the mob cried out: ”they were traitors, honorable men”, others said: “ they were villians, murderers”, while others burnt Caesar’s body in the midst of the most holy places. Furthermore, some ran holding burning firebrands to the conspirators’ houses that killed him to set them on fire. For seeing the danger before, they had fled away and chaos has ensued. Even politically unimportant folks like poets unintentionally killed on the street. To explain, Cinna the poet, his name is same as one of the conspirators so he was killed by the Romans.

At the end, His triumph is completed because of his geniality by using so many different advantages, proof, and various emotional ‘props’ in such a masterful way that they tied together and supported each other, making him virtually invincible. Now, Mark Antony’s name rings a bell in the Shakespearean literature. For his loyalty as a friend, Cleverness as a leader and deceitness as an orator.