My Reading of Shakespeare’s Tragedy of Julius Caesar

My readings and lecturers of Trial Advocacy taught me that advocacy is all about persuasion. As I was reading William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, I was struck by the speeches of Brutus and Mark Antony. They came across as powerful statements, full of colour and vigour; for all I care they could have been the opening statements of two counsels telling their ‘version of the story’ to the factfinders.

May be you could read it and be the judge.

BRUTUS

Be patient till the last.

Romans, countrymen, and lovers! hear me for my

cause, and be silent, that you may hear: believe me

for mine honour, and have respect to mine honour, that

you may believe: censure me in your wisdom, and

awake your senses, that you may the better judge.

If there be any in this assembly, any dear friend of

Caesar's, to him I say, that Brutus' love to Caesar

was no less than his. If then that friend demand

why Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer:

--Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved

Rome more. Had you rather Caesar were living and

die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live

all free men? As Caesar loved me, I weep for him;

as he was fortunate, I rejoice at it; as he was

valiant, I honour him: but, as he was ambitious, I

slew him. There is tears for his love; joy for his

fortune; honour for his valour; and death for his

ambition. Who is here so base that would be a

bondman? If any, speak; for him have I offended.

Who is here so rude that would not be a Roman? 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.

Enter Mark Antony. I could as well baptise him the opposing counsel. Brutus’ first impression have held sway and Mark Antony knows this. The air is charged and he also knows this better. And what does he say?

ANTONY

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;

I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.

The evil that men do lives after them;

The good is oft interred with their bones;

So let it be with Caesar. The noble Brutus

Hath told you Caesar was ambitious:

If it were so, it was a grievous fault,

And grievously hath Caesar answer'd it.

Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest--

For Brutus is an honourable man;

So are they all, all honourable men--

Come I to speak in Caesar's funeral.

He was my friend, faithful and just to me:

But Brutus says he was ambitious;

And Brutus is an honourable man.

He hath brought many captives home to Rome

Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill:

Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?

When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept:

Ambition should be made of sterner stuff:

Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;

And Brutus is an honourable man.

You all did see that on the Lupercal

I thrice presented him a kingly crown,

Which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition?

Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;

And, sure, he is an honourable man.

I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke,

But here I am to speak what I do know.

You all did love him once, not without cause:

What cause withholds you then, to mourn for him?

O judgment! thou art fled to brutish beasts,

And men have lost their reason. Bear with me;

My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar,

And I must pause till it come back to me.

Mark Antony’s speech, oft quoted in the lines of ‘I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him’, has fundamental lessons. Notice the subtle appeal to decorum and respect that Brutus is given for being ‘an honourable man’. I particularly like the line about the evil that men do outliving them and the good that men do being buried with them. In that statement, Mark Antony appeals to objectivity in his speech. This is aimed at winning his audience.

He says: “I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke, but here I am to speak what I do know.” In this single line he throws the challenge to the audience to be the umpire. He ‘impeaches’ the credibility of Brutus not by attacking him personally but by showing inconsistencies. He cites three instances of when Caesar wasn’t ambitious: One, when he brought captives home to Rome; two, when the poor cried and he wept and; three, on the Lupercal when thrice he refused kingly crown. Then he seals it off with a cry (well, counsels aren’t supposed to cry) saying, “Bear with me; my heart is in the coffin there with Caesar, and I must pause till it come back to me.”

He continues:

But yesterday the word of Caesar might

Have stood against the world; now lies he there.

And none so poor to do him reverence.

And then this:

ANTONY

Good friends, sweet friends, let me not stir you up

To such a sudden flood of mutiny.

They that have done this deed are honourable:

What private griefs they have, alas, I know not,

That made them do it: they are wise and honourable,

And will, no doubt, with reasons answer you.

I come not, friends, to steal away your hearts:

I am no orator, as Brutus is;

But, as you know me all, a plain blunt man,

That love my friend; and that they know full well

That gave me public leave to speak of him:

For I have neither wit, nor words, nor worth,

Action, nor utterance, nor the power of speech,

To stir men's blood: I only speak right on;

I tell you that which you yourselves do know;

Show you sweet Caesar's wounds, poor poor dumb mouths,

And bid them speak for me: but were I Brutus,

And Brutus Antony, there were an Antony

Would ruffle up your spirits and put a tongue

In every wound of Caesar that should move

The stones of Rome to rise and mutiny.

There! That is Trial Advocacy for you at its best. Mark Antony has appealed to my emotions. What say's thee? Where Brutus comes across to me as a domineering personality, Antony is humble; where Brutus is all daggers-drawn, Antony is all let-us-not-shame-the-honourable-men-I-am-no-orator.