Friday, April 24, 2015

Why does Antony say "The evil that men do lives after them;" ? Or in other words exactly what does this statement mean?

Marc Antony employs many statements with hidden meanings
in his famous funeral oration of Act III, Scene 2, and "The evil that men do lives after
them" is certainly one of them. This statement implies that history records the wrongs
of people in more inflammatory words that are long remembered, while often their good
deeds are either mitigated in the shadow of the more interesting evils or even
forgotten.


Those who hated Caesar were eager to speak of
his evil, Marc Antony hints in his statement; this act of suggestion is his subtle way
of beginning to cast aspersions upon the conspirators. Soon afterward, Antony alludes to
the accusations of Brutus and the others, but he again is subtle as he
adds, 



       
                   The noble Brutus
Hath told you Caesar was
ambitious.
If it were so, it was a grievous fault,
And grievously
hath Caesar answer [for]it.
 (3.2.79-80)



Thus, Brutus
begins to sow the seeds of doubt into the minds of the plebeians who listen, so that
when he reaches the end of his speech, the crowd will be eager for
rebellion.

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