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1. 
   rowens Teacher
   High School - 12th Grade

   eNotes Editor

   Marc Antony, despite his claims to the contrary, is a very gifted orator. He knows that the way to sway the plebians is to appeal to their emotions. One way to do this is to show them the cloak that Caesar was wearing when he was stabbed. He shows the crowd the bloody robe and holds it up, displaying the thirty-three stained holes. He talks about how each of those "honorable men" who ran him through must have had good reasons. Of course what he is really doing is suggesting that they had no good reasons and that they were not honorable men at all.

   Finally, he chooses what is probably the bloodiest hole and tells the crowd that this is where Brutus stabbed his best friend. He calls it the "unkindest cut of all" since it was this cut, by a beloved friend, that peirced Caesar's heart and made him give up. With this visual aid, Antony effectively turns the crowd against Brutus, whom moments ago they were willing to crown emperor. Then, just as the crowd is beginning to realize the horror of this bloody murder, he rips away the cloak and reveals the actual gaping wounds in Caesar. Certainly this was done for effect--to whip the masses into a murderous frenzy.

   Below is a link to Antony's speech and an analysis of it. I am also including a soliloquy, or solo speech, by Brutus and its analysis. This speech explains why Brutus feels he has no choice but to murder his friend, Caesar, whom he feels has become too powerful and corrupt, and a link to the analysis of several main characters. Good luck with your project!

   Sources:

   http://www.enotes.com/julius-caesar/character-analysis

   http://www.enotes.com/julius-caesar/essential-passages-by...

   http://www.enotes.com/julius-caesar/essential-passages-by...

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   Posted by rowens on Saturday July 25, 2009 at 6:21 PM
   
   

2. 
   mshurn Teacher
   College - Freshman

   eNotes Editor

   The cloak that covers Caesar's body assumes dramatic and powerful connotations in Antony's very carefully constructed funeral oration. Antony speaks at length from a raised platform, Caesar's body stationed below him. When the time is right, he moves down to Caesar's body and assumes a tone filled with memory and loss. He points out the cloak and speaks of the time when Caesar first wore it, on a summer night after Caesar had defeated one of Rome's enemies. Masterful. In doing these things, Antony has directed the crowd to look at Caesar's body, has played upon their emotions as Antony remembers a good time with his friend, and has reminded the crowd that Caesar was a victorious defender of Rome.

   Once the crowd's attention has been directed to thecloak, Antony points out the various blood-stained tears in it where the conspirators' daggers had struck so violently. Now he has reminded them of the specifics of Caesar's brutal murder, making them imagine or relive the assassination as it took place. He also manages to work in the names of Cassius, Casca, and Brutus, thus identifying them personally as murders. During this recitation, his tone changes from gentle mourning to terrible outrage.

   When he reaches an emotional crescendo and the crowd is deeply moved, Antony then dramatically pulls away the cloak to reveal Caesar's mutilated body. Antony's timing is deliberate and masterful. He uses Caesar's cloak, and then his body, as props in his funeral oration designed to sway the crowd against Brutus and the conspirators. He succeeds brilliantly, and civil war begins in Rome.

   Sources:

   http://www.enotes.com/julius-caesar/act-iii-scenes-2-3-su...

   http://www.enotes.com/julius-caesar/antony-character-anal...

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   Posted by mshurn on Saturday July 25, 2009 at 6:25 PM