Mark Antony’s funeral oration
E725510
Mark Antony’s funeral oration is the famous speech in Shakespeare’s "Julius Caesar" in which Antony cleverly turns the Roman crowd against Caesar’s assassins while appearing to praise them.
Statements (65)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
dramatic monologue
ⓘ
fictional speech ⓘ set piece in a play ⓘ |
| about |
Julius Caesar
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
assassination of Julius Caesar ⓘ honor and betrayal ⓘ political manipulation ⓘ public opinion and mob psychology ⓘ rhetoric and persuasion ⓘ |
| addressee |
Roman crowd
ⓘ
plebeians of Rome ⓘ |
| creator | William Shakespeare NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| culturalImpact |
frequently studied in rhetoric and literature courses
ⓘ
often quoted in popular culture ⓘ one of the most famous speeches in English literature ⓘ |
| dramaticFunction |
incite a riot in Rome
ⓘ
reveal Antony’s political cunning ⓘ turn the Roman crowd against Caesar’s assassins ⓘ undermine Brutus’s justification for Caesar’s murder ⓘ |
| firstLine | Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears ⓘ |
| genreContext | Elizabethan tragedy ⓘ |
| inspiredBy | Plutarch’s Lives NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| keyDevice |
antithesis
ⓘ
appeal to emotion ⓘ appeal to ethos ⓘ appeal to logos ⓘ repetition ⓘ rhetorical questions ⓘ sarcasm ⓘ strategic understatement ⓘ use of Caesar’s will as a prop ⓘ use of Caesar’s wounds as visual rhetoric ⓘ verbal irony ⓘ |
| keyPhrase |
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff
ⓘ
And he did thrice refuse ⓘ Bear with me ⓘ Brutus is an honourable man ⓘ For Brutus is an honourable man ⓘ Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears ⓘ Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest ⓘ I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him ⓘ I must pause till it come back to me ⓘ I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke ⓘ I thrice presented him a kingly crown ⓘ My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar ⓘ The noble Brutus hath told you Caesar was ambitious ⓘ What cause withholds you then, to mourn for him? ⓘ When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept ⓘ You all did love him once, not without cause ⓘ |
| language | Early Modern English ⓘ |
| medium |
printed drama text
ⓘ
theatrical performance ⓘ |
| occasion | funeral of Julius Caesar ⓘ |
| partOf | Julius Caesar NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| portrayalOfBrutus |
honourable on the surface
ⓘ
ultimately shown as misguided ⓘ |
| portrayalOfSpeaker |
apparently submissive to the conspirators
ⓘ
loyal to Caesar ⓘ secretly vengeful ⓘ |
| relatedHistoricalEvent | historical funeral of Julius Caesar ⓘ |
| relatedHistoricalFigure | the historical Mark Antony ⓘ |
| setting | the Forum in Rome NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| speaker | Mark Antony NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| timeOfComposition | late 16th century ⓘ |
| workLocation | Act 3, Scene 2 of Julius Caesar NERFINISHED ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.