Both Antony and Brutus uses the same persuasive devices in their speech. They both use repetition and rhetorical questions; however they also use other persuasive devices to make their speech effective. Though both are good speakers, what makes Antony more effective is that he appeals more to the Roman people's emotions rather then their rationality. Antony comes effectively halfway through Brutus's speech and carries Caesar's body with him. Already he has the crowd's attention. Though it seems that Brutus has won the public's opinion, Antony is able to persuade them to see it from his point of view. Brutus has tried to win the public by speaking in prose in order to make him seem equal to the plebeians; in contrast Antony speaks in verse which is more effective as it would sound much more interesting.
Subtly Antony is already persuading the plebeians to think towards his point of view by making them feel like an injustice has been done. The rhetorical questions are tricks in order to make the crowd think that, it as though they are deciding whether it is just or not. We also see as well, how Antony is very careful in balancing his repetition of 'honourable' men with something positive about Caesar or something negative about his death again in order for them to view that losing Caesar is a negative thing. Carefully, Antony is able to manipulate the crowd into trying to get him to read Caesar's will. Here, he starts playing with their emotions in order to simmer enough anger to cause 'mutiny and rage.' Cleverly Antony mentions to the crowd that the will favours them though he claims he cannot tell them what is in it.
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Emotionally the crowd connects with this and begins to cry. Once he has them emotionally stirred, Antony uses it as an advantage. Cleverly he uses irony to make the crowd to feel the complete opposite of the words he uses. He mentions to them that he is 'no orator, as Brutus is' and he is only 'a plain blunt man'. Somehow he is able to make himself seem more equal to them and this wins the hearts of the people. Using irony as well he is able to instruct the plebeians to what to do by telling them what not to do. He tops this off by revealing to them Caesar's speech where the plebeians have plenty to gain. This causes an emotion to explode in them once again as it proves that Caesar was not ambitious but only care much for Rome.
