The Tragedy of

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The Tragedy of

• By William Shakespeare

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Essential question Can a man retain his honor
while seeking revenge?

• Does Mark Antony prove honorable in his quest for
  revenge against Caesars assassins?
• Are his actions selfish or altruistic?
• Is he a man of his word?
• Is his rage justified?
• Is he fair to his adherents?
• Does he accept responsibility for his actions?
• By the end of the play, does he appear to be
  better or worse because of his decisions?

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Selfish or Altruistic?

• Mark Antony is careful to save his own life in
  pledging his love and friendship to Cassius and
  the other conspirators immediately after the
  murder of Caesar.
• (Act III, Scene i, lines
• 218-222)

• Mark Antony fears the rule of Brutus and Cassius
  will be unjust, especially because they have
  already proven that they are deceitful.
  Therefore, he plans a deception of his own to
  overthrow their power. In scene ii of Act III,
  Antony cleverly convinces the mob to rebel.

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A Man of His Word

• He promises Brutus that he will speak from the
  pulpit only that which is as becomes a friend,
  leading Brutus to believe that he will cause no
  trouble against the conspirators. (Act III, scene
  i, lines 227-230)
• He prophesies over Caesars corpse that there
  will be civil strife and havoc, and the murder
  of Cinna the poet proves him to be right. (Act
  III, scene iii)
• He promises to avenge Caesars death, and by the
  end of the play all the main conspirators are
  dead.

5
Justifiable Rage?

• The man he most admired had just been brutally
  murdered. (Act III, scene i)
• He knew Cassius acted out of jealousy.
• He knew Cassius had deceived Brutus into joining
  this insidious plot against his friend.

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Adherents Treated Fairly?

• Antony fails to acknowledge Lepidus worth in the
  triumvirate. (Act IV, scene ii)
• Antony knowingly takes advantage of the
  plebeians gullible nature. (Act IV, scene ii)

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Does Mark Antony accept responsibility for his
own actions, or is he like Pilot, trying to wash
the blood from his hands?
He accepts responsibility in that he too fights
boldly in the struggle against tyranny.
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Does Antony appear better or worse by the end of
the play?
By the end of the play, things are looking up for
Antony. He wins the battleyet he recognizes
the good in Brutus, say- ing, He, only in a
general honest thought and common good to all.
(Act V)
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The verdict is in

• Though Antony obviously disrespects Lepidus,
  he still proves to be honorable in all other
  deeds. He makes good on all his promises in
  avenging the death of his friend and restoring
  order Rome.