Value points :
- Mark Antony touched the hearts of the people.
- Proved to the mob that Caesar was not ambitious.
- Exposed the wounded body of Caesar - showed them the stab wounds made by the conspirators.
- He aroused their curiosity by repeatedly hinting at Caesar’s will.
- Said that Caesar loved them and made the Romans his heirs.
- His words were so powerful that the crowd turned against the conspirators.
Detailed Answer :
Mark Antony is a clever statesman and a good friend of Caesar. He is foresighted enough to judge that Brutus is a famous public figure and has already won the approval of the plebeians, instead of the censure, after killing Caesar. Now it is upto him to turn the tide, which threatens to flow on the side of the conspirators. Antony proves to be strong in all the ways Brutus proves to be weak. His impulsive, improvisatory nature serves him perfectly to persuade the conspirators that he is on their side, thus gaining leniency. Throughout his speech, he keeps repeating, ‘Brutus is an honourable man.’ “I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him,” whereas he does just the opposite. He is able to persuade the plebeians of the conspirators’ injustice and gains mass support. He contradicts the charges of Brutus that Caesar was ambitious by pointing out that Caesar had refused the crown thrice, had filled the coffers of Rome and wept for all Romans. Not too scrupulous to stoop to deceit and duplicity, as Brutus claims to be, Antony proves himself to be a consummate politician, using gestures and rhetoric to his advantage. He graphically displays all the stabs, Brutus and others have inflicted on Caesar’s body and uses Caesar’s body to exploit the plebeians emotionally. He responds to subtle cues, tailors his words very deftly and uses the most appropriate actions to incite the people. He deliberately thrusts the words ‘mutiny’ and ‘riot’ at them and gets the desired results.
Unlike Brutus, who prides himself on solely acting with respect to virtue and blinding himself to his personal concerns. Antony never separates his private affairs from his public actions. So Antony’s eulogy at Caesar’s funeral is a master-stroke, and the mention of Caesar’s will that leaves money and his property to all Romans, acts as the final nail in the coffin of the conspirators. So, Antony’s speech is a combination of wit, irony, sarcasm, pathos and satire.
