Julius Caesar

Rhetorical appeals are used to convince the reader and/or characters by 

using logic or emotions. The three rhetorical appeals are Ethos ,appeals to 

emotion, Pathos, applies to credibility or trust, and Logos, applies to logic or 

reason. William Shakespeare, the author of Julius Caesar , used rhetorical 

appeals to convince Brutus of other character’s loyalty.  

Brutus was manipulated by cassius very easily. Brutus believed 

everything that cassius said ,to an extent. The rhetorical appeal used in this 

case is pathos. Pathos appeals to credibility and/or trust. The author used this 

appeal to make his actions seem justified. A good example of this is when 

brutus stated the following ​ “If then that friend demand why Brutus rose against 

Caesar, this is my answer: Not that I loved Caesar less, but I loved Rome more” 

(shakespeare 79)​. In this quote he says that he still loved caesar but he was 

manipulated by cassius to think that rome would fall if caesar stayed in power. 

He felt like he was doing the right thing ,when in reality he was setting up a 

disaster which could be used for the other two appeals 

Authors use ethos, especially shakespeare, without even noticing it. An 

example of using ethos is stated ​“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.”​ this quote appeals to ethos because of the key words 
 Julius Caesar

rejoice, valiant, honour, tears, love, joy, fortune, valour, and ambition. These 

are all words that describe what someone sees in another person and/or 

someone's emotions. The words make a audience feel for brutus and 

understand his train of thought in his situation. This is the point of the play 

where the audience understands brutus and can tell his emotion towards what 

he did and why. 

The third and most difficult appeal to spot is logos. Logos appeals to 

logic and reason. Throughout the play you don't think that caesar is using logic 

while everyone is trying to tell him not to leave to the senate's house. You often 

find yourself yelling in your head at the characters for making, easily avoidable 

mistakes. One good example of this is​ “But here’s a parchment with the seal of 

Caesar. I found it in his closet. 'Tis his will. Let but the commons hear this testament 

Which, pardon me, I do not mean to read and they would go and kiss dead Caesar’s 

wounds”(shakespeare 84) ​this quote is when mark antony is trying to tease the 

others with his will, by telling them no they desire it more, which they do. 

To conclude, William Shakespeare used the three rhetorical appeals, 

ethos, pathos, and logos throughout all of his plays to convince, control, and 

manipulate the characters and the audience to act or think in a certain way. In 

this case, shakespeare used the appeals to make the other characters and the 

audience understand brutus and the actions he made. As stated in the 

 Julius Caesar

beginning, authors use the three rehitorical appeals all the time without even 

noticeing it and it ultimately makes all writeing peices cleaner, more polished, 

and more interesting.