The best example of taming a hostile audience is Marc Anthony’s eulogy for Julius Caesar after the murder of the emperor. Following is Marc Anthony’s speech from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.
ANTONY. Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears! I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
He addresses the listeners as equals just as many US presidents start their speeches with “fellow Americans.” And he puts them at ease by offering only to bury Caesar not 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 hath Caesar
answer'd it.
He starts to play with their minds by suggesting that it is easy to forget about the good deeds and only remember the bad. This plants some doubt in the minds of the listeners, maybe even some guilt for already forgetting of the good deeds. He reminds them that the greatest crime according to the murderer of Caesar was that he was ambitions. Then he points out that Caesar has paid the price for that crime.
Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest-
For Brutus is an honorable man;
So are they all, all honorable men-
He speaks well of the murderers. He casts no stones.
Come I to speak in Caesar's funeral.
He was my friend, faithful and just to me;
He talks about his friend. An emotional appeal.
But Brutus says he was ambitious,
And Brutus is an honorable man.
Notice how he repeats this refrain. It is effective because it anchors the crime of which Caesar was accused and executed for. And the message about Brutus being a honorable man starts to rub listeners as untrue.
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;
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. Reminder of the good things that Caesar did while reminding them of the now weak crime of ambition.
I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke,
In fact he does. The use of the word, “but” in the next line is a clear indicator of disagreement.
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.
An emotional tug at their guilt and the setup for a pause on his part to allow the listeners to think and speak amongst themselves.
FIRST CITIZEN. Methinks there is much reason in his sayings.
SECOND CITIZEN. If thou consider rightly of the matter, Caesar has had great wrong.
THIRD CITIZEN. Has he, masters? I fear there will a worse come in his place.
FOURTH CITIZEN.
Mark'd ye his words? He would not take the crown; Therefore '
tis certain he was not ambitious.
FIRST CITIZEN. If it be found so, some will dear abide it.
SECOND CITIZEN. Poor soul, his eyes are red as fire with weeping.
THIRD CITIZEN. There's not a nobler man in Rome than Antony.
FOURTH CITIZEN. Now mark him, he begins again to speak.
It worked. The audience is now listening more intently to Marc Anthony and they are rethinking their original position about the validity of killing Caesar. Mark Anthony has turned the audience. And they are ready for his next push.
ANTONY. But yesterday the word of Caesar might
Have stood against the world. Now lies he there,
And none so poor to do him reverence.
O 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 commons 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.
FOURTH CITIZEN. We'll hear the will. Read it, Mark Antony.
ALL. The will, the will! We will hear Caesar's will.
ANTONY. Have patience, gentle friends, I must not read it;
It is not meet you know how Caesar loved you.
You are not wood, you are not stones, but men;
And, being men, hearing 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, O, what would come of it!
FOURTH CITIZEN. Read the will; we'll hear it, Antony.
You shall read us the will, Caesar's will.
ANTONY. Will you be patient? Will you stay awhile?
I have
o'ershot myself to tell you of it.
I fear I wrong the honorable men
Whose daggers have
stabb'd Caesar; I do fear it.
FOURTH CITIZEN. They were traitors. Honorable men! ALL. The will! The testament!
SECOND CITIZEN. They were villains,
murtherers. The will!
Read the will!
ANTONY. You will compel me then to read the will?
Then make a ring about the
corse of Caesar,
And let me show you him that made the will.
Shall I descend? And will you give me leave?
ALL. Come down.
SECOND CITIZEN. Descend.
He comes down from the pulpit.
THIRD CITIZEN. You shall have leave.
FOURTH CITIZEN. A ring, stand round.
FIRST CITIZEN. Stand from the hearse, stand from the body.
SECOND CITIZEN. Room for Antony, most noble Antony.
ANTONY. Nay, press not so upon me, stand far off.
ALL. Stand back; room, bear back!
ANTONY. If you have tears, prepare to shed them now.
You all do know this mantle. I remember
The first time ever Caesar put it on;
'Twas on a summer's evening, in his tent,
That day he overcame the
Nervii.
Look, in this place ran Cassius' dagger through;
See what a rent the envious
Casca made;
Through this the well-beloved Brutus
stabb'd;
And as he
pluck'd his cursed steel away,
Mark how the blood of Caesar
follow'd it,
As rushing out of doors, to be resolved
If Brutus so unkindly
knock'd, or no;
For Brutus, as you know, was Caesar's angel.
Judge, O you gods, how dearly Caesar loved him!
This was the most unkindest cut of all;
For when the noble Caesar saw him stab,
Ingratitude, more strong than traitors' arms,
Quite
vanquish'd 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.
O, what a fall was there, my countrymen!
Then I, and you, and all of us fell down,
Whilst bloody treason
flourish'd over us.
O, 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,
marr'd, as you see, with traitors.
FIRST CITIZEN. O piteous spectacle!
SECOND CITIZEN. O noble Caesar!
THIRD CITIZEN. O woeful day!
FOURTH CITIZEN. O traitors villains!
FIRST CITIZEN. O most bloody sight!
SECOND CITIZEN. We will be revenged.
ALL. Revenge! About! Seek! Burn! Fire! Kill!
Slay! Let not a traitor live!
ANTONY. Stay, countrymen.
FIRST CITIZEN. Peace there! Hear the noble Antony.
SECOND CITIZEN. We'll hear him, we'll follow him, we'll die with him.
ANTONY. 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,
That 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 love 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 Antony, there were an Antony
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.
ALL. We'll mutiny.
FIRST CITIZEN. We'll burn the house of Brutus.
THIRD CITIZEN. Away, then! Come, seek the conspirators.
ANTONY. Yet hear me, countrymen; yet hear me speak.
ALL. Peace, ho! Hear Antony, most noble Antony!
ANTONY. Why, friends, you go to do you know not what.
Wherein hath Caesar thus deserved your loves?
Alas, you know not; I must tell you then.
You have forgot the will I told you of.
ALL. Most true, the will! Let's stay and hear the will.
ANTONY. Here is the will, and under Caesar's seal.
To every Roman citizen he gives,
To every several man, seventy-five drachmas.
SECOND CITIZEN. Most noble Caesar! We'll revenge his death.
THIRD CITIZEN. O royal Caesar!
ANTONY. Hear me with patience.
ALL. Peace, ho!
ANTONY. 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 forever- common pleasures,
To walk abroad and recreate yourselves.
Here was a Caesar! When comes such another?
FIRST CITIZEN. Never, never. Come, away, away!
We'll burn his body in the holy place
And with the brands fire the traitors' houses.
Take up the body.
SECOND CITIZEN. Go fetch fire.
THIRD CITIZEN. Pluck down benches.
FOURTH CITIZEN. Pluck down forms, windows, anything.
Exeunt Citizens with the body.
ANTONY. Now let it work. Mischief, thou art afoot,
Take thou what course thou wilt.
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