 Let's look at the character of Mark Antony in the play Julius Caesar. Now Mark Antony is a really interesting character. He is a very close friend and confidant of Julius Caesar. In fact he's the person that basically told him not to worry too much about the threat of Cassius which was wrong and incorrect. Now whilst on the one hand we realise that he's a very close friend, very close confidant and of course he mourns very heavily when Julius Caesar is killed and assassinated. We also learn that he is a very powerful military leader but also he's known for his very sensuous living. In fact Shakespeare separately writes a play about him and his affair with Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra which is a separate play. However within this place, within Julius Caesar, he is also presented to be a very powerful military leader. Of course him and Octavia Caesar are the ones that ultimately also defeat Brutus's army and take over and establish what is called a triumvirate after Julius Caesar's death which is basically a leadership that's led by Mark Antony, Octavia Caesar and Lepidus. Now if you're writing about Julius Caesar the play and of course if you're writing about the different characters Mark Antony is a significant character to write about therefore you do need to become very confident with key quotations relating to his character. So as you can see behind me I have selected the main quotations to bear in mind when writing about Mark Antony's character and of course also the key word level analysis that you need to do so let's go over it. Now the first quotation is relating to when Julius Caesar is basically confiding in Mark Antony and basically saying he really doesn't trust Cassius's character and Mark Antony basically dissuades him he states fear him not Caesar, he's not dangerous. Now bear in mind in terms of word level analysis and this is actually a structural point you can do. Firstly Mark Antony talks to Caesar using this imperative sentence, fear him not. He's basically saying don't worry too much you're being very you know fearful you're being almost paranoid of this character within the Senate. Of course this is an incorrect assessment to make because ultimately they do form a plot led by Brutus against Julius Caesar so his advice is wrong and of course also the waking mourns. Julius Caesar's death perhaps reflects the guilt that he feels in this correct advice. Now the second quotation that you need to bear bear aware of when it comes to Mark Antony's characters when he states oh pardon me thou bleeding piece of earth that I am meek and gentle with these butchers. Now this is a really powerful excamatory sentence this is after the killing of Julius Caesar takes place and he is so angry at these people who killed him these senators that killed him and what he sees as a really huge betrayal. Now here of course we can see that he's very loyal even to the memory of Julius Caesar after he dies and this is emphasized firstly through the fact that this is an excamatory sentence which is showing him really speaking very passionately he's so angry that they ended up killing Julius Caesar. Also the other word level analysis you want to do is a personification of the earth so the earth pardoning him for not being even more angry and of course the earth is personified as bleeding of course Julius Caesar's death being revealed as almost this earth shattering event that's happened it's so momentous that even the earth itself is bleeding. Now the third quotation is very mindful Mark Antony's character is of course his very very famous piece of aration of course he's also known as a very good orator a very good speaker this is his friends Romans and countrymen speech when he persuades Brutus to let him speak first at Caesar's funeral and of course it's this speech that turns all popular opinion against Brutus and he has to flee. Now the first quotation of course and this is titled the name of the speech that Mark Antony gives this very rousing speech is friends Romans countrymen lend me your ears. Now this is a very powerful piece of rhetoric and what you want to focus on firstly with this quotation is the rule of three friends Romans and countrymen being listed here we can see that Mark Antony is a very powerful orator and of course he is about to set up the argument that Brutus and Cassius were wrong in killing Julius Caesar. Now the next quotation taken from the same speech as when he states yet Brutus says he was ambitious and Brutus is an honorable man. Now here we can see there is a lot of dramatic irony where here he's basically saying oh you know Brutus is basically saying that Caesar you know he was too ambitious he's given that as an example and there's a reason why he ended up stabbing and having Julius Caesar killed by all of these other senators but you know I think Brutus is also definitely an honorable man he's being very ironic here he's obviously showing and indicating the opposite he believes Brutus's action was very dishonorable and was an act of betrayal against Julius Caesar. Now here the word level analysis you want to focus on is the repetition of the name Brutus which shows Mark Antony is incensed he's angry but Brutus's action also you want to focus on the caesura here okay it creates a really dramatic pause remember caesura means a midline pause within a sentence. Now the next quotation to bear in mind for Mark Antony's character within the play is again still taken from the same speech just as now he's saying it's wrong that Brutus and these guys suspected Julius Caesar of being ambitious because he wasn't because he states I twice presented him a kingly crown which he did twice refused he's basically saying look I presented Julius Caesar on the event of Leopold I presented him the kingly crown the crown that would make him an emperor three times and three times Julius Caesar said no I don't be an emperor I don't have those ambitions so of course here he's building the case and rousing the crowd the crowd of course ultimately gets really angry and says you know Brutus made the wrong decision and it was wrong to kill Caesar and they run him off okay now the word level analysis you want to do here is firstly the repetition of the words thrice okay so this is a really powerful rhetorical device that we see here also the other word level analysis you want to do is the deterioration of age and him and he and of course this shows just how emphatic Mark Antony is when he's making his point again this ties into how powerful he is as an orator orator again meaning speaker the other quotation to bear in mind for Mark Antony's character is when he states and this is now when he is talking to Octavius in terms of how are they going to establish the state of Rome how's the leadership going to be like and this is when he states we can see he's a little bit cunning because he can see that Lepidus who's another senator in Rome it's very popular and it's telling Octavius Caesar look we need to have him kind of be part of our triumvirate triumvirate means a three-man rule however all we're just going to do is just use him you know take him on so that other people will be on our side and you know we can establish ourselves but then once we've taken them on we use him and then throw him away we're going to then kick him out the triumvirate and he says and he illustrates this by stating to ease ourselves of divers slanderous slanderous loads he shall but bear them as the ass bears gold right ass here means a donkey right as the donkey carries a heavy load now again as I mentioned here we can see that he's a little bit cunning a little bit manipulative he wants to use Lepidus just to establish his power and his legitimacy in Rome as well as Octavius Caesar's legitimacy in power but then once have used him once have kind of taken all the support that goes with him he'll then throw him out okay he's going to bring in lots of kind of he's going to basically carry the load but then once he's no longer useful like the way a donkey can no longer be useful we cast him aside okay now here the one level analysis you want to do is firstly the metaphor slanderous load and also of course the simile as the ass bears gold right or as the ass bears gold and of course again remember this relates to a donkey again here we can see that he's a little bit cunning and a little bit manipulative as a character okay and of course that is needed as a political trait so we can see that he's actually quite a good politician now the final quotation to bear in mind for Mark Anthony's character is when he you know he faces Brutus and the guys who basically betrayed Caesar in war and he states villains you did not so when your vile daggers hacked one another in the sides of Caesar so of course here he's basically saying you know you guys deserve to lose you guys also deserve death because you weren't thinking about this and how terrible your actions would be when you were betraying and killing and stabbing Caesar okay now the iteration here the rather the word level analysis you want to focus on here is the iteration of being in villainous and vile and of course the violent verb here hacked where basically he is talking about the really violent terrible actions that they inflicted upon Caesar by stabbing him okay so we can see that Mark Anthony really remains loyal to the memory of Caesar and we can see of course he's a very powerful leader he's a very powerful orator in fact it's arguably his speech friends remains a hundred men's speech is seen as one of the greatest pieces of rhetoric of course that's what allows everybody up to get Brutus be seen as unpopular and they have to basically flee the state of Rome so that's it when it comes to the character of Mark Anthony and of course do bear in mind when you're using any of these quotations it's very important to add word level analysis