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About the speech

In Antony’s funeral oration, he abides by his agreement with Brutus not to place blame on the conspirators. However, he manages to turn the mob against the conspirators.

Antony uses many rhetorical tricks to persuade the people to go against the conspirators and support him and Caesar’s goals. Mark Antony is a respectable man and is himself honourable, but most importantly he has mastered the art of rhetoric. Antony states in his speech that “[Brutus] Hath told you Caesar was ambitious”, and then Antony retorts with “I thrice presented him [Caesar] a kingly crown which he did thrice refuse.” By doing that, Antony carefully rebuts Brutus’ statement that Caesar was ambitious and starts turning the crowd against the conspirators.

Throughout his speech Antony continues with his pledge to the conspirators by calling them “honourable men”, but the crowd feels a sense of sarcasm each time he calls them that. He then says “You [the crowd] all did love him once, not without cause. What cause withholds you then to mourn for him?” This rhetorical question goes against Brutus by questioning his speech in which he so greatly demonized and demeaned Caesar. Now the crowd is starting to turn against the conspirators and follow Antony.

Antony then teases the crowd with Caesar’s will, which they beg him to read, but he refuses. Antony tells the crowd to “have patience” and expresses his feeling that he will “wrong the honourable men whose daggers have stabbed Caesar” if he is to read the will. The crowd yells out “they were traitors. ‘Honourable men” and have at this time completely turned against the conspirators and are inflamed about Caesar’s death.

To refute Brutus’ claim that Caesar was a heartless tyrant Antony recounts “how dearly he [Caesar] loved him [Brutus]“. Next, Antony humbles himself as “no orator, as Brutus is” hinting that Brutus used trickery in his speech to deceive the crowd. After that Antony deals his final blow by revealing to the crowd Caesar’s will, in which “To every Roman citizen he gives, to every several man seventy-five drachmas” as well as land. He then asks the crowd, “Here was a Caesar, when comes such another?”, which questions the conspirators’ ability to lead. Finally, Antony releases the crowd and utters, “Now let it work. Mischief, thou art afoot. Take thou what course thou wilt.” After this the crowd riots and searches out the traitors in an attempt to kill them.

Even though in his speech Antony never directly calls the conspirators traitors, he is able to call them “honourable” in a sarcastic manner that the crowd is able to understand. He starts out by citing that Caesar had thrice refused the crown, which refutes the conspirators main cause for killing Caesar. He reminds them of Caesar’s kindness and love for all, humanizing Caesar as innocent. Next he teases them with the will until they demand he read it, and he reveals Caesar’s ‘gift’ to the citizens. Finally, Marc Antony leaves them with the question, was there ever a greater one than Caesar?, which infuriates the crowd.

The speech is a famous example of the use of emotionally charged rhetoric. Indeed, comparisons have been drawn between this famous speech and political speeches throughout history in terms of the rhetorical devices employed to win over a crowd; see, for instance, the 1935 essay by Kenneth Burke titled “Antony in Behalf of the Play,” which ventriloquizes Antony’s speech in order to reveal its manipulative devices (in Kenneth Burke on Shakespeare 2007). Bertolt Brecht has a demagogue trained in political rhetoric by an actor using this speech in The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui. It is also a demonstration of political populism.

The famous speech is alluded to the television series Rome, though the speech itself is left unheard. The character of Antony is later seen mocking Brutus, saying that maybe his speech was too “cerebral” for the crowd.

The portion of the speech “But Brutus was an honourable man” is referenced in the opening scene of the West Wing Season 3 episode 18 “Enemies Foreign And Domestic”

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 has Caesar answered it.

Here under leave of Brutus and the rest — for Brutus is an honorable man — so are they all honorable 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 honorable man.

He has brought many captives home to Rome whose ransoms did fill the general coffers. Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?

When the poor have cried, Caesar has wept — ambition should be made of sterner stuff. Yet Brutus says he was ambitious and Brutus is an honorable 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 honorable 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 witholds you then, to mourn for him now?

Oh judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts and men have lost their reason.

Bear with me. My heart is in the coffin here with Caesar and I must pause til it come back to me.

But yesterday the word of Caesar might have stood against the world; now he lies there.

And none so poor to do him reverence.

Oh masters, if I were disposed to stir your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage, I should do Brutus wrong, and Cassius wrong, who, you all know, are honorable men.

I will not do them wrong; I rather choose to wrong the dead, to wrong myself and you, than I will wrong such honorable men.

But here’s a parchment with the seal of Caesar — I found it in his closet, ’tis his will: Let but the people hear this testament, which, pardon me, I do not mean to read, and they would go and kiss dead Caesar’s wounds and dip their napkins in his sacred blood, yea, beg a hair of him for memory, and, dying, mention it within their wills, bequeathing it as a rich legacy unto their issue.

Have patience, gentle friends, I must not read it; it is not right you know how Caesar loved you. You are not wood, you are not stones, but men; and, being men, bearing the will of Caesar, it will inflame you, it will make you mad! ‘Tis good you know not that you are his heirs, for if you should, oh, what would come of it!

Will you be patient? Will you stay awhile? I have overshot myself to tell you of it. I fear the honorable men whose daggers have stabbed Caesar, I do fear it!

You will compel me, then to read the will?

Then make a ring about the corpse of Caesar, and let me show you him that made the will. Shall I descend? And will you give me leave?

If you have tears, prepare to shed them now. You all do know this coat — I remember the first time Caesar put it on. ‘Twas on a summer’s evening, in his tent, that day he overcame the Huns.

Look — in this place ran Cassius’ dagger through! See what a rent the envious Casca made! Through this the well-beloved Brutus stabbed, and as he plucked his cursed steel away, mark how the blood of Caesar followed it, as rushing out of doors, to be resolved if Brutus so unkindly knocked or no.

For Brutus, as you know, was Caesar’s angel — judge, oh you gods, how dearly Caesar loved him. This was the most unkindest cut of all! For when the noble Caesar saw his stab, ingratitude, more strong than traitor’s arms, quite vanquished him, then burst his mighty heart, and in his mantle muffling up his face, even at the base of Pompey’s statue, which all the while ran blood, great Caesar fell.

Oh, what a fall was there, my countrymen! Then I and you and all of us fell down, while bloody treason flourished over us.

Oh now you weep and I perceive you feel the dint of pity — these are gracious drops. Kind souls, what weep you when you but behold our Caesar’s vesture wounded? Look you here! Here is himself marred as you see with traitors.

Good friends, sweet friends, let me not stir you up to such a sudden flood of mutiny. They that have done this deed are honorable. What private griefs they have, alas, I know not what made them do it. They are wise and honorable 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 loves 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 dumb mouths, and bid them speak for me

but were I Brutus, and Brutus, Anthony, there were an Anthony 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.

But friends, you go to do you know not what! Wherein has Caesar thus deserved your love? Alas, you know not — I must tell you then — You have forgot the will I told you of.

Here is the will, and under Caesar’s seal. To every several man, seventy-five drachmas!

Moreover, he has left you all his walks, his private arbors and new-planted orchards — he has left them all to you.

And to your heirs forever, common pleasures, to walk abroad, to recreate yourselves.

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