“ Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war, That this foul deed shall smell above the earth With carrion men, groaning for burial.” Pg 124. This shows that Antony, one of the main characters of Julius Caesar, is angry with the conspirators for assassinating Caesar. He is foreshowing that something bad will happen, such as war, as a result of Caesars death. Not only was his friend killed, but his role model, and so Antony wants to keep Caesar’s spirit alive, by getting back at the conspirators. Two motivators that drove Antony to avenge Caesars death was his loyalty to Caesar, and the revenge he wanted for his death against the conspirators. Antony was willing to do anything in his might, to make sure, that what the conspirators did was revenged.
Antony was a man fond of sports, fast living, and plenty of company, but above them all, he was very loyal to Caesar. This is because he was Caesars good friend, and he stuck by Caesar through wars, hardships, and times of need. Caesar treated Antony well, and loved him for all that he did; meaning Antony was willing to do anything for him. Antony was a man Caesar could trust with his words, and could turn to him as a friend when he needed something. As a result of Antony’s love of Caesar, Antony offered Caesar the crown three times when Caesar had returned from his victory over Pompey. As Caesar was addressing the crowd, Antony offered it to him, yet Caesar refused, more slowly each time the crown was offered. “I saw Mark Antony offer him the crown…then he offered it again…And then he offered it a third time.” Pg 42 Antony wanted Caesar to be crowned King, because he was dedicated to Caesar, and he thought he would be a good King. Antony was so loyal that he would offer it to him as many times as possible. No matter what Caesar did, Antony was willing to do anything for him. As much as Caesar wanted to be King too, he had to reject the crown because he couldn’t ruin his public image of not wanting power. Antony is so devoted to Caesar that he would rather die by him, than live another day without him. An example of this is when Antony sees the conspirators have killed Caesar, he begs Brutus to kill him to. “I shall not find myself so apt to die: No place would please me so, no mean of death, As here by Caesar.’ Pg 116, line 160 – 163 This means that there is no place he would rather die, then by the side of the one he adored, Caesar. This emphasizes Antony’s loyalty to Caesar, because it describes how much Antony loved him, that he would want to die by him. Antony is devastated and distraught about his death, because this was his friend, and the person he looked up too. He doesn’t want to see what will happen after his death, because he has no life other than Caesar. Antony’s loyalty to Caesar is what motivates him to want revenge against the conspirators for killing Caesar.
Once Antony overcomes his shock and sadness over Caesars death, his previous feelings turn to extreme anger. Antony is furious that Caesar is dead, and so he is bloodthirsty for revenge, meaning he is willing to do anything to get back at the conspirators. Antony is motivated this way because Caesar was his friend, and role model and he loved him so much. His is angry that this deed had to happen at all, because he didn’t think Caesar had too much power. Antony in fact wanted Caesar to have more power by becoming a king. Once Antony discovers that the conspirators killed Caesar, he tells Brutus and the others, that he will follow them and respect what they did, if only they give him an explanation of why they had to kill him. Brutus agrees and tells him his explanation is so worthy that he would have Caesars brother on his side. In Antony’s soliloquy however, he swears that conflict will cumber all parts of Italy as a result of Caesars death. He also foreshadows war and destruction over the conspirators. “ A curse shall light up upon the limbs of men; Domestic fury and fierce civil strife Shall cumber all the parts of Italy.” Pg 124, line 262-264. This means that war will occur all over Italy, due to the conspirators killing Caesar. Antony is so blinded by his anger towards the conspirators that he is willing to do anything in order to get back at them. Caesar was his everything, and the conspirators took that away, and so Antony wants to destroy the conspirators too. Once Antony swears he wants revenge, his next step is to get the common people on his side too. After Brutus has convinced the crowd with his explanation on why he killed Caesar, Brutus allows Antony to speak at Caesars funeral too. Antony’s goal here is to get the crowd back on his side, so they will turn on the conspirators. In Antony’s speech, he is very clever on how he goes about convincing the crowd. He never says Brutus was wrong, he let’s the crowd make their own decision on that. He also shows the common people the wounds on Caesars dead body, so they can see for themselves, the horrible act the conspirators did. "Look, in this place ran Cassisus' dagger through. See what a rent the envious Casca made" pg 141 line 173-174. Instead of what Brutus wanted the murder to look like (a dish fit for the gods), Antony and the crowd perceive it in the complete opposite direction; a dish fit for the hounds. Antony shows the people these wounds, because he is enraged at what the conspirators did, and he is trying to motivate the crows to be angry to. If he gets them on his side, he is able to avenge Caesars death more easily. He doesn’t care what he does, he just wants revenge. Antony loves Caesar, and since he does so, he wants to take vengeance for his death, no matter what harm he inflicts.
Antony’s conflict is that he wants to seek revenge against the conspirators for what they did to Caesar. The result of him wanting revenge eventually leads to a civil war against the conspirators. Antony’s motivation to have revenge is the loyalty and love he has towards his friend, Caesar, and the revenge he wants towards the conspirators. These two motivators resulted in Antony being bloodthirsty, and vengeful because Caesar was all that he lived for, and it killed him to see him powerless, lying on the floor, dead. Antony, in fact, did achieve his goal of revenge because he caused a Civil war to strike out, which killed Brutus, Cassius, and the other conspirators. Since he won the war, he also was in power with two other men, Octavius, and Lepidus. I believe that Antony achieving his goal was neither noble nor worthy. Even though he did achieve what he set out for, the way he achieved it wasn’t right. He was willing to start a Civil war in order to kill the conspirators. He also put a black dot next to all the names of the people he wanted to kill, which included relatives of his, and relatives of others he knew. Plus, he also gained power in the end, which he may have wanted all along. Antony wanted revenge for what the conspirators did to Caesar, and he did achieve this goal, yet, the ways he achieved it was not noble or worthy.
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