friends romans countrymen lend me your ears quote

Why Does Shakespeare Use “Friends, Romans, countrymen?” He says he has to wait till his heart comes back to him, as it is too tied up in his love for Caesar and is resting along with the leader in his coffin. This presents a strong contrast against Brutus’ flimsy depiction of Caesar as “ambitious.” The speech ends in line 108 when Antony says that he has to pause for a moment in order to regain his composure. They are honest, and the crowd interprets them as such. It is the latter who had true honor, he’s implying, not his assassins.Īntony’s emotions in this speech come through quite clearly. Once again, Antony uses the word “honorable.” He tells the crowd, sarcastically, that he is not there to “disprove what Brutus spoke.” He’s there to speak about Caesar and honor his legacy. My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar,Īnd I must pause till it come back to me. O judgment! thou art fled to brutish beasts,Īnd men have lost their reason. What cause withholds you then, to mourn for him? You all did love him once, not without cause: I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke, Yet, he adds, “Brutus says he was ambitious.” He is putting Brutus’ statements at odds with what the crowd knows for a fact about Caesar. He cried when the public cried, and he wanted the best for his people. Here, he reminds the crowd that everything Caesar did, he did for Rome. When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept:Īmbition should be made of sterner stuff: As he progresses, it becomes clear that he’s using the word sarcastically. He adds (first about Caesar), “He was my friend, faithful and just to me, / But Brutus says he was ambitious, / And Brutus is an honorable man.” His repetition of the word “honor” is quite obvious, even to the crowd listening to the speech. His description of Brutus’ honor continues. In the next lines, Antony shares his opinion of Brutus, albeit sarcastically. The good is oft interrèd with their bones. I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. He is speaking at Julius Caesar’s funeral, attempting to share his beliefs about the leader’s death and rouse the crowd against the conspirators who assassinated him, while at the same time not appearing to do so.įriends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears. It appears in line 82 of that act and is spoken by Mark Antony at the beginning of his famous eulogy. William Shakespeare used this quote in Act III, Scene 2 of Julius Caesar. Where Does Shakespeare Use “Friends, Romans, countrymen?” The crowd is immediately drawn to his side after he addresses them as equals. He uses the three-word opener to unify the crowd before he begins to describe Caesar’s death, purported ambition, and his opinion of Brutus. It begins with one of the most famous speeches in all of William Shakespeare’s dramatic works. “Friends, Romans, countrymen” is an address that Mark Antony uses in the history play, Julius Caesar.

Friends romans countrymen lend me your ears quote