Ethos Pathos Logos In Julius Caesar

Persuading the People
Aristotle's rhetorical triangle of ethos, logos, and pathos has been used to persuade audiences in literature for centuries, and it is no different for the historic works of Shakespeare. One of the most famous examples is The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, which includes Antony’s renowned speech about the death of his dear friend, Caesar. In his persuasive speech, Antony utilizes ethos, logos, and pathos to argue the injustice of Caesar's murder. Doing so forces the crowd of Romans to rethink their views on the conspirators and become enraged at what has been done.
To begin, ethos allows an audience to trust their speaker, and Antony uses this throughout his speech. For example, Antony starts off by reasoning to the crowd that

For instance, Antony proves Brutus wrong by providing examples of when Caesar showed he was not ambitious. Antony looks back on when “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;” (3.2.88-91). Here, Antony uses logos by giving direct reasons to why Brutus’s accusations of Caesar being ambitious are wrong, further displaying Brutus and the conspirators’ wrongdoings. Then, one of the last points he makes is presenting Caesar’s will. This shows the crowd what a monumental person Caesar was in that, even after his death, he wanted to give back to the people of Rome. The noble Antony reads out, “Moreover, he hath left you all his walks, his private arbors and new-planted orchards, on this side Tiber. He hath left them you, and to your heirs for ever — common pleasures,” (3.2.340-43). These precise instances of Caesar’s generous heart make the citizens wonder why such a respectable man was murdered. Thus, the logos in Antony’s speech fuel the crowd's rage as they see the wrong in the death of such a great