Marc Antony, A Man Of Loyalty and Deception

Marc Antony:

“I shall remember: When Caesar says, ‘do this’, it is perform’d.” (Pg: 26 Act 1 Scene 1 Lines 9-10) Marc Antony was a man known for his fierce loyalty to Caesar, as shown in this quote, he was determined and unwavering, and if he thought Caesar saw an action was just, he would agree. Just as oil fuels fire, Marc Antony was fueled by revenge and loyalty to avenge the murder of Julius Caesar, even if driving Rome to civil war seemed the best action. Throughout the play, Marc Antony will be constantly driven to avenge Caesar without mercy due to his revengeful spirit and unswayable loyalty, yet one question always remains: ‘Was Marc Antony’s goal worthy or noble of its cause?’

Antony begins as a fun loving man with a playful nature, yet when he witnesses the man he loves, Julius Caesar, assassinated by the men he called friends, he swore to revenge Caesar, as brutally as possible. This next quote is a gruesome revealer of Antony’s true character and a foresight into the future he wishes to create for revenge: “Caesars spirit, ranging for revenge, with Ate by his side… Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war.” (Pg: 124 Act 3 Scene 1 Lines 270-271-273) Antony just declared civil strife on all of Italy, showing his fury at Caesars death and trigger happy belief he can properly revenge Caesar by killing all those who rose against him. Being a well known soldier, all those who were loyal to Caesar knew that Antony’s love for Caesar would lead to a just action that Caesar would have approved of, there-fore when Antony reveals his plan to wreak havoc, the people of Caesar followed like sheep. The next quote leads to Antony using his tactile side to fortify his thirst for revenge and convince all those who loved Caesar to join him:

“But I were Brutus… would ruffle your spirits…and put a tongue in every wound of Caesar that should move the stones of Rome to rise and mutiny.” (Pg: 142 Act 3 Scene 2 Lines 225-227) Antony is now ready to set fire to all of Italy as long as the people are prepared to rise up with him and let havoc and death be the answer. Antony posses a strong point towards the fact that his goal is a worthy end to Caesars death, but the nobility of killing many Romans for one mans revenge is lost in his merciless actions, especially within his tactile maneuvers to manipulate those around him. His loyalty however, is by far the strongest part of Antony’s motivation, and without it his cause would be lost.

Loyalty firm by his side, Antony’s actions of destruction and cold heartedness are all a result of his determination to avenge the one true man he loved, Julius Caesar at the cost of peace. At this point Antony and Octavius have gathered a huge army to cry havoc on the conspirators and all who stand steady beside them. In this quote, Antony continues to show his light on the conspirators dead without mercy, leaving the conspirators with no choice but to battle to the death; all due to one mans undying loyalty. “Villains! You gave no warning, when your vile daggers hack’d one another in the sides of Caesar… O you flatterers!” (Pg: 190 Act 5 Scene 1 Lines 39-40-44) Without hesitation, Antony stays fast to his belief that his actions are the right ones towards his urge take vengeance on those who wronged Caesar, still without nobility at this point, but with a strong sense of worthiness for all his effort to his dead friend. The final quote is when Brutus (the main conspirator) sacrifices himself for the good of Rome, dying the most honorable death he could. Antony surprisingly exposes his belief that Brutus out of all the conspirators was the only man who killed Caesar for honor, and although Antony swore to get even with all those who conspired against Caesar, he still held towards a soldier’s sense of mind and honored Brutus’ final action. “This was the noblest Roman of them all. All the conspirators save only he... Common good to all. ‘This was a man!” (Pg: 218 Act 5 Scene 5 Lines 68-71) As the play progressed, we began with Marc Antony, a man of loyalty and games, turn to a man of fierce determination and destructive force who without mercy killed anyone who loved Rome more than Caesar, yet as he witnesses Brutus at rest, he twists his cause and beliefs to honor this man, even though he stabbed Caesar, as the most noble man of all his time.

With Caesar dead, along with all those who took part in his assassination, Antony lays his revengeful spirit to rest, fulfilling his goal of avenging his best friend and most loved man in his heart successfully. Antony concludes himself as a man driven by revenge and loyalty, resulting in him to being tactile, trigger happy, merciless and the most determined soldier of Julius Caesar ever to live. His revenge and loyalty left him cold hearted, but noble nonetheless, and buries Brutus with the honor he’s always desired, just as he wished Caesar were buried too. A hint of irony lying in how Caesar and Brutus were both buried by Marc Antony, concluding the gruesome play of events from Caesars assassination to Brutus’ burial, all in front of his eyes. Antony achieved his goal in the sense that he finished off the conspirators and avenged Caesars death with all his heart, leaving his cause to be worthy, as well as noble due to his final action towards Brutus, treating him with as much respect as he would Caesar. Over all, Marc Antony completed his goal as a man of determination, loyalty and revenge, all for his love of Caesar and the strength in his heart, with worthy cause and a final act of nobility.