He also has to clarify to the citizens that he is speaking with the permission of the conspirators. Against Cassius's advice, Brutus has given Antony permission to give Caesar's funeral oration provided he abides by the condition that he can praise Caesar how much ever he wants to but not blame the conspirators for Julius Caesar's murder. It means 'Friends, Romans, fellow citizens, listen to me.' It is taken from Act III, scene II.Īt this point in the play, the conspirators have murdered Julius Caesar. The speech is written in iambic pentameter. Why is Antony’s speech on the crucible so powerful?Īntony’s speech was extremely powerful he used a lot of literary devices and without directly speaking ill of the conspirators he persuaded the crowd into believing that the Caeser’s death wasn’t a patriotic act but instead was a brutal murder.Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your earsįriends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears is the first line of a famous and often-quoted speech by Mark Antony in the play 'Julius Caesar', by William Shakespeare. Mark Antony brings his ‘Friends, Romans, countrymen’ speech, a masterly piece of oratory, to a rousing end with an appeal to personal emotion, claiming that seeing Rome so corrupted by hatred and blinded by unreason has broken his heart. Immediately, then, he is cleverly saying that he is happy for everyone to focus on Caesar’s bad points and forget the good the man did but in referring to the latter, he is subtly reminding them that Caesar did good as well as evil things. What does Antony mean when he says Let It Be with Caesar?Īs Antony goes on to say, ‘So let it be with Caesar’. Antony says that Caesar is remembered for evil things after his death for the people of Rome forgot his good deeds. What do we learn from Antony’s speech?Īntony’s funeral speech (Act 3, Scene 2) is of great dramatic significance in the play. Antony is trying to persuade the crowd to see what he sees and feel how he feels about the whole ordeal.Īntony’s speech was not only effective and cleverly worded, but by adding the evidence of the significant props won the crowd over to make them realize that the conspirators not only lied to the people of Rome, but also killed their King. He is delivering the speech only because he wants to address his feelings and thoughts on Caesar’s death and how he feels about the conspirators.

What is the purpose of Antony’s speech in Julius Caesar? Julius Caesar, Act III, Scene II by William Shakespeare – Poems |. Who spoke the line Friends Romans countrymen lend me your ear? Mischief, thou art afoot, / Take thou what course thou wilt!” Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. What did Antony say to the people at the funeral in his famous friends Romans countrymen lend me your ears speech?Īntony then utters to himself: “Now let it work. This is a famous quote, and people often invoke it at the beginning of a speech. What is the meaning of Friends Romans countrymen lend me your ears?įriends, Romans, Countrymen, Lend Me Your Ears Meaning Definition: Everyone, listen to me.

Countrymen lend me your ears