『줄리어스 시저』에 나타난 설득과 선동의 언어

Abstract

Language is a power in Julius Caesar. Cassius persuades Brutus to participate in the conspiracy against Caesar, repeating the word “honor,” because “honor” is the important virtue that Brutus wishes to keep. Brutus tries to persuade the populace through logical prose, but he fails to defend his murdering of Caesar. However, Anthony succeeds in persuading the populace through the rhetoric of his speech which is delivered using emotional verses. His speech draws their support and instigates the populace to rebel against the murderers of Caesar. In spite of Antony’s disingenuous claims that “I am no orator, as Brutus is” (3.2.217), Antony knows his business and the effective way to stimulate people’s minds. Brutus’ prose speech is logical, figurative, abstract, and ideal, but cannot be an effective speech to appeal to the populace. Anthony’s verse, which is emotional, direct, concrete, and actual, has a strong appeal to the populace. To stimulate the populace, the speech of Anthony is much more effective than that of Brutus. Before the battle with Anthony, Brutus is already pushed out from the power struggle. He fails to draw the populace’s support, despite insisting that he took part in the conspiracy against Caesar to protect Roman liberties. On the other hand, Anthony manipulates the populace by stimulating their minds to stand up against Brutus through the rhetoric of great appeal. His rhetoric is much more effective and has the power to manipulate the populace. He secures the support of the populace through a demagogic speech and wins a victory in the struggle for power. Therefore, in Julius Caesar, language serves as an effective weapon, and political power depends on the power of language.