Through repetition ‘Yes, we can’ has already gathered rhythm and impetus before it appears as the final phrase. Yes, we can seize our future… And where we are met with cynicism and doubt and fear and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of the American people in three simple words - yes, we can.’ Or (perhaps more movingly) take Obama’s South Carolina victory speech (2008): Apparently his speech writers had been trying to give him some lessons in rhetoric. As Bush put it: ‘See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda.’ (Greece, N.Y., May 24, 2005). Repetition is a feature of just about every influential political speech you can think of. One of the most used techniques in speech writing… It’s worth repeating. He continues ‘Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest – / For Brutus is an honourable man / So are they all, all honourable men – / Come I to speak in Caesar’s funeral’. ‘Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears’.
You’re probably familiar with one of his opening lines: At this point Antony is in danger from the crowd as well as the conspirators. To put it simply, the Romans really freaked out over the concept of kingship. After all, Caesar was a dictator and the republic was meant to protect the Roman people from the rule of one man. When he first appears, the crowd is muttering against Caesar, in favour of the assassins. He comes out upon the steps of Pompey’s senate house and stands above the body of Caesar. Brutus agrees (he’s a pretty likeable fellow despite the whole murder thing) but we soon realise that Antony plans to incite the crowd to riot against the murderers. Antony, realising his life is also in danger (as an ally and friend of Caesar) feigns friendship with the assassins and then politely requests to speak to the Roman people. There’s much stabbing and staggering around speechifying (et tu brute?). You don’t have to know it’s Pompey’s senate house, that’s just an interesting piece of trivia.
I don’t think it would be much of a spoiler if I divulged that Brutus and his supporters assassinate Caesar (most powerful man in Rome) in Pompey’s senate house. I've said it before, Brando is a great Mark Antony.Ī funny thing happened on the way to the forum (not)
Countrymen lend me your ears tv#
And why bother reading about a bunch of dead Romans from the point of view of a dead Elizabethan playwright? Because these are the dead guys who are still shaping the speeches you hear on your TV today. Yes, I’m pretty sure ‘Shakespearised’ is a real word. So here’s some spark notes on Antony’s speech and a quick background, if you’ve forgotten your Shakespearised Roman history. I can watch Marlon Brando (as Antony) delivering this monologue all day. It’s a very famous piece and still studied by speech writers today. One of my favourite speeches is the ‘Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears’ speech from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. Yes, speech writers still read this old stuff, even if the politicians they are writing for do not. Classical sources (and Shakespeare!) are still used to craft speeches today. Most often when I’m watching political speeches on TV. I often think about the way rhetoric is designed to be convincing through emotional manipulation rather than factual information.
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