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Julius Caesar Act III: Brutus vs Antony Speeches | ICSE 10

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English LiteratureICSE Class 10 · Julius Caesar Act III

Julius Caesar Act III, Scene 2: Brutus and Antony's Funeral Speeches Compared

Updated 17 October 2026 · Fact-checked

In Act III, Scene 2, Brutus speaks in logical prose and justifies the murder by saying he loved Rome more than Caesar. Antony speaks in emotional verse, repeats that Brutus is 'an honourable man' until it sounds ironic, and uses Caesar's mantle, wounds, body and will to turn the crowd from cheering Brutus to attacking the conspirators.

Notice how Brutus's reasoned prose wins cheers, but Antony's emotional verse and irony reverse the crowd's mood.

Illustration drawn for QuestionBuddy.

Understand Brutus and Antony: The Two Funeral Speeches (Julius Caesar, Act III, Scene 2)

Why this scene matters. It is the turning point of the play and supplied the 16-mark extract (parts of 3, 3, 3, 3 and 4 marks) in the 2025 paper and the 2027 specimen. The extract in both papers began with Antony's opening lines, so know both speeches and what comes just before and after.

What happens before it (Scene 1). The conspirators kill Caesar. Antony, by shaking their hands, wins permission to speak at the funeral. Brutus lays down conditions: Brutus speaks first, Antony must not blame the conspirators, he may speak good of Caesar and must say he speaks by their leave, and he must use the same pulpit afterwards. Alone with the body, Antony promises revenge.

Brutus's speech.

  • *Form:* plain prose, to sound honest and reasonable.
  • *Argument:* he loved Caesar, but loved Rome more; Caesar was ambitious and would have made Romans slaves.
  • *Style:* balanced, logical, appealing to honour and reason.
  • *Result:* the crowd cheers and even shouts that Brutus should be Caesar, so it has missed his point (dramatic irony). He then leaves, asking them to stay and hear Antony.

Antony's speech.

  • *Form:* verse, with pauses and tears.
  • *Opening:* 'Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears' is humble and inclusive; he claims he comes 'to bury Caesar, not to praise him', which lowers the crowd's guard.
  • *Irony:* he keeps calling Brutus 'an honourable man' while giving evidence against the charge of ambition: Caesar's captives' ransoms filled the public treasury, he wept when the poor cried, and he refused a crown three times at the Lupercal.
  • *Props:* he mentions the will but withholds it, comes down among the people, shows the torn mantle and the wound made by 'well-beloved' Brutus, and uncovers the body.
  • *The will:* every citizen gets seventy-five drachmas, and Caesar's walks and orchards become public parks.
  • *Result:* the mob rushes to burn the conspirators' houses; Antony is satisfied that mischief is afoot.

What happens after (Scene 3). The mob kills Cinna the poet because he shares a name with a conspirator.

Comparison in one line. Brutus appeals to the head and loses; Antony appeals to the heart and wins.

Key quotations

Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.

  • Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.

    Brutus: His funeral speech to the plebeians.

    Public duty set above private friendship.

  • Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;

    Antony: Opening of his funeral oration.

    A humble, inclusive opening that wins a hostile crowd's attention.

  • For Brutus is an honourable man;

    Antony: Repeated through the oration.

    The ironic refrain that undermines Brutus without open accusation.

  • This was the most unkindest cut of all;

    Antony: Showing the wound made by Brutus.

    The double superlative stresses the betrayal by a trusted friend.

Brutus and Antony: The Two Funeral Speeches (Julius Caesar, Act III, Scene 2): key facts

Brutus against Antony
  • prose
  • verse
  • reason
  • emotion
  • honour
  • pity
  • speaks first
  • speaks last
Use these pairs to build a comparison paragraph.
Antony's steps in order
  • humble opening
  • honourable man refrain
  • evidence against ambition
  • will withheld
  • mantle and wound
  • body
  • will read
Write the steps in this order for a 4-mark answer.
Devices in the scene
  • verbal irony
  • repetition
  • prose against verse
  • apostrophe
  • dramatic irony
  • props and pathos
Quote a short phrase for each device.

How to answer Brutus and Antony: The Two Funeral Speeches (Julius Caesar, Act III, Scene 2) questions

Use this plan for the five-part extract question on the funeral scene.

  1. 1Part (i): say where, to whom and why Antony is allowed to speak, and what his opening tells you about him.
  2. 2Part (ii): paraphrase the lines in your own words, then say what they show.
  3. 3Part (iii): link the extract to what happened just before or just after (Scene 1 conditions or Scene 3 mob).
  4. 4Part (iv): name Antony's motive and one trait, with an action from the scene.
  5. 5Part (v): in a personal-response part, give a clear view and two reasons from the speeches.

Brutus and Antony: The Two Funeral Speeches (Julius Caesar, Act III, Scene 2) in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Logic against emotion in persuasion

Suppose two students campaign for the class monitor's post. One lists facts and figures calmly and leaves the hall. The other tells a moving story about how the previous monitor helped a classmate, pauses, and shows a photograph from that day.

Which speech resembles Brutus's and which Antony's? Which is likely to win the class and why?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. The factual speech resembles Brutus's reasoned prose.
  2. The story with a photograph resembles Antony's use of pathos and props.
  3. A crowd usually remembers feeling more than figures.

Answer: The first is like Brutus and the second like Antony. The second is likely to win, as Antony did, because feeling and visual detail move a crowd faster than argument alone.

Memory hook: Facts inform, stories persuade.

Tricks to remember Brutus and Antony: The Two Funeral Speeches (Julius Caesar, Act III, Scene 2)

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

  • H-E-P-W

    Humble opening, Evidence, Props, Will.

    Use it when: The four moves of Antony's speech.

  • Head against heart

    Brutus: head. Antony: heart.

    Use it when: The comparison of the two speeches.

Brutus and Antony: The Two Funeral Speeches (Julius Caesar, Act III, Scene 2): solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Why Brutus speaks in prose · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

Brutus speaks to the crowd in prose rather than verse mainly because:
(a) he cannot write verse (b) he wants to sound plain, logical and honest (c) prose is the language of the Senate only (d) Antony has asked him to

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Prose suits a direct, reasoned argument (0.5).
  2. It makes Brutus sound honest and unemotional (0.5).

Answer: (b) he wants to sound plain, logical and honest.

Example 2: Context of Antony's speech (3 marks) · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

Name the place where Antony delivers his oration and the people he addresses. On what condition did Brutus let him speak, and what does the opening claim 'I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him' reveal about Antony's method?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Place and audience (1).
  2. Permission and conditions from Brutus (1).
  3. The claim is a clever opening that lowers the crowd's guard (1).

Answer: Antony is speaking in the Forum to the Roman citizens at Caesar's funeral. Brutus allowed it, on conditions, thinking it would show the conspirators' respect for Caesar. The claim that he has not come to praise Caesar shows that Antony is clever and cautious: by seeming to accept Brutus's terms he gains the crowd's trust before he begins to turn them.

Example 3: Antony's evidence against ambition (4 marks) · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

Antony says Brutus calls Caesar ambitious. What three pieces of evidence does he give to show that Caesar was not ambitious, and how does he use the word 'honourable'?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Ransoms filled the public treasury (1).
  2. He wept when the poor cried (1).
  3. Refused the crown three times at the Lupercal (1).
  4. 'Honourable' is repeated until it becomes ironic (1).

Answer: Antony points out that Caesar brought captives to Rome and their ransoms filled the public treasury, which a greedy ruler would have kept; that Caesar wept when the poor cried; and that three times at the Lupercal he refused a kingly crown. After each point he repeats that Brutus is 'an honourable man'. The repetition begins as respect but gradually sounds sarcastic, so that the crowd begins to doubt the charge and Brutus's honour together, without Antony openly accusing anyone.

Example 4: Two speeches compared (4 marks) · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

Compare the way Brutus and Antony speak to the crowd. Refer to language and method.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Brutus: prose, reason, honour (2).
  2. Antony: verse, emotion, props (2).

Answer: Brutus speaks in plain prose and appeals to reason and honour: he loved Caesar but loved Rome more, and Caesar's ambition threatened Roman freedom. His speech is balanced but cold. Antony speaks in verse and appeals to emotion. He uses irony ('an honourable man'), pauses and tears, and shows the crowd the mantle, the wound, the body and the will. Brutus makes the crowd think; Antony makes it feel, and so he wins.

Example 5: Who was to blame for the mob? (4 marks) · 4 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

A critic says that Brutus, not Antony, was responsible for the mob's violence in this Act. Do you agree? Give two reasons from the play.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. A clear view (1).
  2. Brutus's errors: spares Antony, lets him speak, leaves the Forum (1-2).
  3. Antony's deliberate use of the crowd (1).
  4. Balanced conclusion (1).

Answer: I partly agree. Brutus made the mistakes that gave Antony his chance: he overruled Cassius's warning, allowed Antony to speak at the funeral, and left the crowd alone with him after his own speech. Yet Antony deliberately turned the crowd by irony, props and the will, and was pleased to see mischief begin, so he is directly responsible for the violence. The blame is therefore shared: Brutus's naive idealism created the opening, and Antony used it with calculation.

Where students lose marks in Brutus and Antony: The Two Funeral Speeches (Julius Caesar, Act III, Scene 2)

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

  • Mistake: Saying Antony directly attacks the conspirators

    He was forbidden to blame them and never does so openly.

    Wrong working

    Antony openly calls the conspirators murderers in his speech.

    Right working

    Antony never openly blames the conspirators; he uses irony and calls Brutus 'honourable' until the word sounds sarcastic.

    Do this: Say 'indirectly' or 'through irony'.

    Usually costs: 1 to 2 marks

  • Mistake: Not answering every sub-question in a 3-mark part

    Most 3-mark parts hold two or three questions.

    Wrong working

    Only the place and audience are given.

    Right working

    Place and audience, the reason for permission, and what the opening shows.

    Do this: Count the question marks in the part before writing.

    Usually costs: 1 mark

  • Mistake: Giving a general answer for personal response

    The examiner expects a clear stand supported by the play.

    Wrong working

    Both speeches were good in their own way.

    Right working

    A stated choice with two reasons from the speeches.

    Do this: Begin with 'I think' and give two reasons.

    Usually costs: 1 to 2 marks

Exam tips

  • Know what happens just before (Scene 1) and just after (Scene 3) the extract.
  • Name the device and quote a short phrase every time.
  • In personal-response parts, take a clear stand and give two reasons.
  • Answer every sub-question inside a 3-mark part.

Practice questions on Brutus and Antony: The Two Funeral Speeches (Julius Caesar, Act III, Scene 2)

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

  1. Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

    Which of the following is NOT one of Brutus's conditions for letting Antony speak?
    (a) Antony must not blame the conspirators (b) Antony must say he speaks by their permission (c) Antony must speak before Brutus (d) Antony must speak from the same pulpit after Brutus

    Hint

    Who speaks first?

    Answer

    (c) Antony must speak before Brutus. Brutus speaks first.

  2. Q2 · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

    What does Antony show the crowd after coming down from the pulpit? Name any two things and say what each is meant to make them feel. (3 marks)

    Hint

    Mantle, wound, body, will.

    Answer

    He shows Caesar's torn mantle and the wound made by Brutus, and then uncovers the body. These visual props are meant to arouse pity for Caesar and anger against the conspirators, especially at Brutus's betrayal.

  3. Q3 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    Explain how the crowd's reaction to Brutus's speech shows dramatic irony. (3 marks)

    Hint

    'Let him be Caesar'.

    Answer

    After Brutus's speech the citizens cheer him and even shout that he should be Caesar. The audience sees that they have missed his point, because he killed Caesar to prevent one man from ruling. This shows how shallowly they follow arguments and foreshadows how easily Antony will turn them.

  4. Q4 · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

    What is the effect of reading Caesar's will last? Refer to the contents of the will and the crowd's response. (4 marks)

    Hint

    Seventy-five drachmas; parks.

    Answer

    Antony withholds the will until he has stirred the crowd's pity. When he reads it, every Roman citizen is left seventy-five drachmas and Caesar's private walks, arbours and orchards are left as public parks. This proves Caesar's generosity and shows that the conspirators killed a benefactor, not a tyrant. The crowd's love turns to fury and it rushes off to burn the conspirators' houses. Antony's timing makes the revelation the climax of his speech.

  5. Q5 · 4 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

    Pick the single moment in the whole Forum scene that, in your view, changed the crowd's mind for good. Justify the choice with two reasons from the play. (4 marks)

    Hint

    Choose one and defend it.

    Answer

    I think the revelation of the will had the greatest impact. First, it gave the crowd a personal reason to love Caesar, because each citizen was left money and Caesar's gardens were left to the public. Second, it followed the display of the mantle and the body, so the crowd's pity was already at its height and the will turned pity into action. Brutus's argument about ambition could not compete with this, since it asked the crowd to believe a general principle while Antony showed them what Caesar had actually done for them.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

  1. 1.In which scene are the funeral speeches?Show answer

    Act III, Scene 2, in the Forum.

  2. 2.Who speaks first?Show answer

    Brutus.

  3. 3.In what form does Brutus speak?Show answer

    Prose.

  4. 4.What does the will leave each citizen?Show answer

    Seventy-five drachmas.

  5. 5.How many times did Caesar refuse the crown?Show answer

    Three times, at the Lupercal.

  6. 6.Who is killed by the mob in Scene 3?Show answer

    Cinna the poet.

Brutus and Antony: The Two Funeral Speeches (Julius Caesar, Act III, Scene 2): frequently asked questions

Do I need Acts I and II for the Class 10 paper?

No. Acts III, IV and V are examined in Class 10; Acts I and II belong to Class IX.

What was asked from this scene in the 2025 paper and the 2027 specimen?

A 16-mark extract from Antony's funeral speech, with five parts marked 3, 3, 3, 3 and 4.

Why does Antony repeat 'honourable'?

The repetition turns respect into sarcasm and undermines Brutus without a direct accusation.