The Anatomy Of A Perfect Speech

Buchel, Charles A.; Herbert Beerbohm Tree (1852-1917), as Mark Anthony in ‘Julius Caesar’ by William Shakespeare; Theatre Collection; http://www.artuk.org/artworks/herbert-beerbohm-tree-18521917-as-mark-anthony-in-julius-caesar-by-william-shakespeare-30507 Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Well, isn’t that interesting? It seems last week’s column brought forth a surge of fascination. And curiosity. Several readers requested a more complete example. They wanted to see an actual speech that most effectively employed the three cornerstones of a perfect speech: story weaving, callbacks, and self-deprecating humor.

Oh, there are so many. From Churchill to Reagan to Kennedy, modern orators have used these tools to persuade and entice listeners.

Marc Antony’s eulogy for Julius Caesar in the second scene of Act III of Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar is a classic example of a speech that uses these elements effectively (see “Story Weaving, Callbacks, and Self-Deprecating Humor,” Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel, October 17, 2024). Now, I realize it’s probably been a while since high school or since you watched Marlon Brando’s masterful performance as Marc Antony in MGM’s 1953 production of Julius Caesar. So, before we begin, here are the salient parts of Antony’s speech:

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones;
So let it be with Caesar.
The noble Brutus Hath told you Caesar was ambitious:
If it were so, it was a grievous fault,
And grievously hath Caesar answer’d it.
Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest—
For Brutus is an honorable man;
So are they all, all honorable men—
Come I to speak in Caesar’s funeral.

He was my friend, faithful and just to me:
But Brutus says he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honorable man.
He hath brought many captives home to Rome
Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill:
Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?
When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept:
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff:
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honorable man.

You all did see that on the Lupercal
I thrice presented him a kingly crown,
Which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition?
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;
And, sure, he is an honorable man.
I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke,
But here I am to speak what I do know.

You all did love him once, not without cause:
What cause withholds you then, to mourn for him?
O judgment! thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason. Bear with me;
My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar,
And I must pause till it come back to me…

Good friends, sweet friends, let me not stir you up
To such a sudden flood of mutiny.
They that have done this deed are honorable.
What private griefs they have, alas, I know not,
That made them do it. They are wise and honorable,
And will no doubt with reasons answer you.
I come not, friends, to steal away your hearts.
I am no orator, as Brutus is,
But, as you know me all, a plain blunt man
That love my friend; and that they know full well
That gave me public leave to speak of him.
For I have neither wit, nor words, nor worth,
Action, nor utterance, nor the power of speech
To stir men’s blood; I only speak right on.
I tell you that which you yourselves do know,
Show you sweet Caesar’s wounds, poor poor dumb mouths,

And bid them speak for me. But were I Brutus,
And Brutus Antony, there were an Antony
Would ruffle up your spirits, and put a tongue
In every wound of Caesar that should move
The stones of Rome to rise and mutiny.

Let’s look at how Shakespeare used each of the elements in this speech.

Story Weaving

Marc Antony is very sneaky here. The story Antony weaves begins with the premise that he is on the side of those who killed Caesar. By saying “I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him,” it sure sounds like he’s cool with the murder of old Julius. But his narrative evolves through his accounting of Caesar’s deeds and his generosity to the Roman people. Antony does this slyly, almost sarcastically, by implying that these acts are merely the appearance of something good, because “Brutus is an honorable man” (more on that phrase in the next section.)

This contradiction (the acts are good, but Caesar is bad) grates like fingernails on the chalkboard. Ironically, this tension draws the audience in. As the story unfolds, this incongruity becomes more intense. People want this paradox resolved. They anxiously expect and await Marc Antony to satisfy them by offering an explanation.

Here, we see the brilliance of Antony’s rhetoric. He shows the audience the dots, but he doesn’t explicitly connect them. In fact, by claiming the dots aren’t connected, he forces the audience to connect the dots themselves. This tactic engages the audience. Together with the emotion Antony evokes in the crowd, he rallies them against Brutus and the conspirators without saying one word against Caesar’s enemies.

Incidentally, this “leaving a blank for the audience to fill in” technique is a common rhetorical tool. If I say “Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the __________” you instinctively imagine a violin. By leaving the blank, I draw you in. This makes it more likely you remember what I said. In creating images in your head, I also plant emotional seeds that can grow.

Callbacks

Now, about that phrase “Brutus is an honorable man.” When Marc Antony first offers it, it seems like he’s genuinely praising Brutus. If you thought Antony was sneaky before, this is where he gets really sneaky. Remember how the story weaving listed deeds before calling back “honorable man”? With each call back, Antony sows the seeds of discontent within the audience.

By the end of the speech, “honorable man” shifts from a compliment to a sarcastic dig. It casts doubt on the “honor” of Brutus and the conspirators. This has the effect of undermining public support of Brutus and the Senate. By the end of the speech, he knows what he’s accomplished. He confidently states, “Now let it work! Mischief, thou art afoot, Take thou what course thou wilt.”

Self-Deprecating Humor

If you’re in the audience and you see dots that Marc Antony fails to connect, your first thought might be, “He’s smarter than me. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe those dots can’t be connected.”

But towards the end, Antony admits he may not be as smart as you think. He says, “I am no orator, as Brutus is.” To make sure you don’t miss his point, Antony doubles down, saying he is a “plain blunt man.”

This tactic bookends his opening line (“Friends, Romans, countrymen”) to establish and cement a rapport with the crowd. Being “one of them” makes the audience more sympathetic to his persuasive, though subtle, argument.

There’s much more to the speech than the examples provided here. I omitted the entire center section where Marc Antony expertly fires up the passion of the crowd. By the time he had finished, the populace had shifted from backing Brutus et al. to now siding with Antony and Octavius.

Brutus and his allies saw this transition in person. With the citizens’ trust now gained by Antony, they fled before the crowd could hand them their just reward. Marc Antony successfully used story weaving, callbacks, and self-deprecating humor to powerfully capture the emotion of the crowd.

You might say he changed the direction of history.