William Shakepeare's Julius Caesar

Mark Antony proves to be the most skilful politician in the play. Do you agree?

Power is the ability to influence the behaviour of others - whether this is achieved with or without resistance, for good or for bad. Some would go as far as to say that all human behaviour is propelled by the want of power. One can conclude, however, that power is inevitable in the human society. It’s natural. William Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar, is brimming with humans fighting for power, and the one who stands out as the most skilful of these is not the play’s tragic hero Brutus, but Mark Antony, Caesar’s confidant and friend.

During Lupercal, Caesar shows his keen insight by remaking to Antony that Cassius
As a result, Antony gives the final word on the murder, and incites the plebeians to riot against the conspirators. Nevertheless, he quickly took control of the conspiracy, makes crucial decisions resulting in the success of the assassination and once committed to a plan, Brutus does not waver.

The opposite of Brutus, Antony is improvisatory, shrewd and not so scrupulous that he is unable to stoop to deceit. Antony uses gestures and rhetoric, responds to subtle cues and knows exactly how to conduct himself at any particular moment to gain the most advantage. Following the assassination, he takes advantage of Brutus’ naiveté, such as flattering him by calling him “noble, wise, valiant and honest,” and gains permission to speak at Caesar’s funeral. He is exceptionally skilled at tailoring his words and actions to his audience’s desires. In his funeral oration at Caesar’s funeral, he stirs the plebeians up so much that they rebel against the republicans; giving him the chaotic situation he needs in order for him and Octavius to seize control of Rome. He is ruthless, as shown in Octavius’ and his plan to slaughter their opponents in order to solidify their control. He is even willing to put a nephew to death, and Antony openly acknowledges that he will remove Lepidus as soon as he is no longer of any use to him. He also has some conflicts with Octavius, but he is able to ignore it so as to not interfere with