adminI MADE a rushed end to last week’s discussion on the way Mark Antony, so well-beloved of Caesar managed to turn the crowd against the conspirators. The crowd rose to mutiny after Antony had convinced them that Caesar had not done much wrong against him than what Brutus had made them believe.
It is clear to us that Brutus spoke far above the understanding of the common people. He asks the crowd to evaluate him in their wisdom that they may better judges. What wisdom do commoners have? What fair judgment can they make? I made it clear last week that the commoners did not make sense of Brutus’s speech and that is the reason one of the citizens says of Brutus: “Let him be Caesar.” Brutus has gone to great lengths telling the crowd how Caesar was bad and deserved to die and one says he should be Caesar.
Brutus has been misunderstood and this provides fertile ground for Antony to move the people from Brutus’s view. Antony plays his cards well as he appeals to the emotions of the crowd as he drives his point home. He appeals to the crowd to listen to him as he addresses them than asking them to judge him. He is simple as he tells them that he has come to bury Caesar and not to praise him. He pretends to be taking Brutus’s instructions to the word, that he is not going to blame the conspirators in his speech.
Antony states a key fact of life, men’s evils outlive them whereas their good deeds often end with them. “The evil that men do lives after them, the good is oft interred with their bones; so let it be with Caesar.” He goes on to use the expression “honourable man” to good effect. At face value Mark Antony is full of praise for the conspirators. He says noble Brutus has told the crowd that Caesar was ambitious, if it were so it was a grievous fault, and Caesar has paid a grievous penalty for it.
Mark Antony continues to remind the people that he is there by permission of Brutus and his colleagues, for Brutus is an honourable man, as are all the rest of them. He came to speak at Caesar’s funeral. Caesar was his friend, faithful and just to him, yet Brutus says he was ambitious and Brutus without doubt is an honourable man. He is calculating, sticking to the conditions given by Brutus to him; that is to speak well of Caesar, but not blame the conspirators. He works on the mood of the crowd bidding his time.
Cassius had warned Brutus that they shall find Antony “a shrewd contriver.” We remember Brutus had dismissed any threat coming from Antony describing him as just a limb of Caesar which could do nothing without the head. He speaks well of Caesar saying he brought many captives home whose ransom filled the general coffers. This means the ransom paid by the captives to buy their freedom filled the coffers of the state. He asks whether that was an act of ambition on the part of Caesar.
Caesar wept when the poor cried. Ambition is made of sterner material then. Ye Brutus says Caesar was ambitious, and Brutus is beyond doubt a man of honour. Antony reminds the people that they all saw during the Feast of Lupercal that he thrice presented the kingly crown to Caesar, which he thrice refused. Then he asks for effect: “Was this ambition? He says, “Ye Brutus says he was ambitious, and sure he is an honourable man.”
The cunning Antony says he speaks not to disprove what Brutus said but he speaks what he knows. He reminds that they all did love Caesar and for good reasons. He asks what cause then prevents them from mourning for him. He cries out that judgment has left me and has taken refuge inside brutal beasts, who have lost their power to reason.
Appealing to their emotions he asks them to bear with him for his heart is in the coffin with Cesar’s dead body. He pauses for effect and that works well in his favour for the citizens having digested his words says: “Me thinks there is much reason in his sayings.”
The fickle crowd is now being swayed by Antony’s speech. Most of them concur with the First Citizen that Caesar had had great wrong done to him. One says he fears there will be a worse one in his place. The other says since he did not take the crown therefore he was not ambitious. Antony continues with his ironical speech saying if he had the desire to incite the crowd to revolt, he would wrong Brutus, and Cassius who are all honourable men. He would wrong them. He would rather choose to wrong the dead, himself and them than such honourable men.
But what Antony is doing really is inciting the crowd. He lets the crowd know about the will Caesar has left for them. He says he is not going to read the will, for they would be moved by it, if they are not dead wood and stones. Antony goes on to state that it is good the common people do not know that they were Caesar’s heirs, for if they knew there would be a terrible consequence out of it. The mob forces Antony to read the will.
Antony asks the mob to be patient as he has gone too far to tell them of the will. He says he is afraid he might harm the honourable men whose swords stabbed Caesar. The mob is already highly charged as they say they were traitors. They were villains, murderers and demand the will to be read. Antony asks them to make a ring around the corpse of Caesar so that he shows them, him, who made the will. He is moving with the mood of the crowd and says:
“If you have tears, prepare to shed them now.” He cunningly shows the mob Caesar’s mutilated body and each wound made by the various conspirators. More to follow on this.
For views link up with [email protected] or sms only to 0772113207.
Online Reporter