In act III, scenes 2 and 3 of "Julius Caesar," two of Caesars "friends" speak at his funeral, Brutus and Antony. First, Brutus speaks in order to answer the crowd's questions about Caesar's assassination. He wins over the people by stating that Casar was his beloved friend, but he had become too ambitious and had to be killed for the good of Rome. He then turns the speaker's seat over to Antony and leaves.

Antony is equally as moving. However, he uses sarcasm and irony to sway the crowd against Brutus and the conspirators. He reminds them of all the good Caesar did, and puts his murder in a different perspective. He proves that Caesar was good for Rome and not ambitious, and ironically refers to the conspirators as “honorable men” while proving that they were, in fact, traitors. Antony presents Caesar's will, and he states that he'd rather not read it because it will upset them and will make them want revenge against the conspirators. He also produces Caesar’s bloody and mutilated cloak and body, and then proceeds to read his will in which he leaves the citizens a generous amount of money. The crowd is enraged with the conspirators and sets out for revenge. Cassius and Brutus hear about Antony's effect on the people and flee Rome.