What Is The Best Summary Of This Monologue?

In the Shakespearean play Julius Caesar, Mark Antony delivers this monologue following Caesar’s assassination by his close friend, Brutus and other conspirators. As someone related to Caesar, Antony is permitted to speak at the gathering as long as he doesn’t bad mouth Marcus Brutus and other conspirators for killing Caesar.

Brutus justifies his action by saying Caesar was too ambitious to put the safety of the Romans in danger. But Antony delivers this monologue and exhibits Caesar’s will to show Romans what he knew of his uncle, Caesar and prove how he was wronged by his best friend, Brutus, ‘an honourable man.’

Antony uses his speech to remind the people of Rome of his achievements as a leader, incite anger and resentment against the conspirators, and sympathy for Caesar for falling victim to such a betrayal. Antony claims to have the will, which states that Caesar had bequeathed all his riches to each man in Rome. He further states that if they read the will, they would worship Caesar for his generosity and selflessness as a leader and keep a part of him as a relic passed on through generations.  

In conclusion, the speech is a brilliant example of irony and rhetoric, as Antony says one thing but implies something different without directly naming it. He brings the context of the will in his speech to arouse anger and ignite a personal emotion, claiming how Caesar was wronged by those consumed by hatred and jealousy.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is a monologue?

Ans: A monologue is a long speech delivered by someone in a play, movie, or any other theatrical programme. Simply put, a monologue is a dramatic piece of speech directly delivered to an audience, giving words to one’s thoughts while other actors stay quiet.

2. Why is Antony’s monologue ironic?

Ans: Prior to Antony’s speech, Brutus spoke to people in the gathering about how Caesar was growing ambitious and putting the safety of the country and its people in danger. Antony commences his speech by praising Brutus for being an honourable man and slowly proceeds to say how Caesar’s closest allies wronged him. His speech is ironic because he uses Caesar’s will to show how generous his uncle was and sway the people of Rome against Brutus.

3. What is the central purpose of Antony’s monologue?

Ans: The main idea of Antony’s monologue was to steer anger in the minds of Romans for Caesar’s unfortunate outcome and convince the audience that Caesar was not ambitious but a generous man. He uses Caesar’s will to claim that all the riches his uncle had earned from wars were left to the people of Rome and convince the people to rise against Brutus for his role in the conspiracy.

4. What is the ‘irony’ in Antony’s monologue?

Ans: Mark Antony uses verbal irony in his monologue to convince the audience of Brutus’s wrongdoings. He uses ‘honourable men' to refer to his uncle's murderers, Brutus, Cassius, and other allies. It is an irony because Brutus and other assassins are not honourable to him. Antony uses his speech to avenge Caesar’s death and turn the Romans against Brutus and others associated with the crime.

5. What is the significance of Caesar’s will his Antony’s monologue?

Ans: According to Caesar’s will, he has bequeathed an amount of something to every Roman. The will plays a key role in the monologue because Antony needs the will to strike people's emotions with Caesar's act of generosity. Brutus already angered the audience as he justified his actions to protect Rome and its people from Caesar's ambitions. So Antony uses the will to show people how some ‘honourable men’ of Rome betrayed a great leader and a selfless man.