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Definition of Pathos
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Pathos is an argument that appeals to... read full definition
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Pathos is... read full definition
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective... read full definition
Act 3, scene 2
Explanation and Analysis—Antony's Pathetic Speech:
In Act 3, Scene 2, Antony addresses the crowd of plebeians (commoners) that has assembled after Caesar's assassination. Speaking after Brutus's logos-driven explanation for Caesar's murder, Antony takes the opposite approach—he uses the rhetorical device of pathos to appeal to the audience's emotions and elicit grief, rather than elation, over Caesar's death.
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 withholds you, then, to mourn for
him?—
O judgement, thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason!—Bear with
me;
My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar,
And I must pause till it come back to me.[He weeps.]
As he continues through his speech, Antony begins to inject more and more emotion—appealing to the love the crowd once felt for Caesar and his own anguish over Caesar's death. He even reduces himself to tears as he reflects on Caesar’s demise and the fact that the crowd celebrates, rather than grieves, the fallen statesman. Even the structure of Antony's speech mirrors his pathetic appeal, as Shakespeare has written it in blank verse to harness the sensory effect and emotional impact of poetry. Shakespeare juxtaposes the remarks made by Brutus and Antony to trace the power of different modes of political speech—though Brutus successfully makes a case for the murder of Caesar, it is Antony who wins over the crowd by capturing their hearts.
Related Themes:
