Which rhetorical tool does Antony primarily use to undermine Brutus's credibility?

Which rhetorical tool does Antony primarily use to undermine Brutus's credibility?

• A. Pathos
• B. Ethos
• C. Irony
• D. Logos

Answer: (C)

Irony is the main device Antony uses to undermine Brutus's credibility. He keeps calling Brutus “an honorable man,” which would normally bolster Brutus’s reputation, but immediately after the praise he hints at Brutus’s motive and questions the justification for Caesar’s death. This deliberate contrast between Brutus’s public noble image and the insinuations about his true motives creates a gap between what is said and what is implied, making the crowd doubt Brutus’s honesty and motives. Pathos and appeals to credibility are present, but the sustained irony—the message that seems to praise Brutus while silently undermining him—is what most directly erodes Brutus’s trustworthiness in the eyes of the audience.

Irony is the main device Antony uses to undermine Brutus's credibility. He keeps calling Brutus “an honorable man,” which would normally bolster Brutus’s reputation, but immediately after the praise he hints at Brutus’s motive and questions the justification for Caesar’s death. This deliberate contrast between Brutus’s public noble image and the insinuations about his true motives creates a gap between what is said and what is implied, making the crowd doubt Brutus’s honesty and motives. Pathos and appeals to credibility are present, but the sustained irony—the message that seems to praise Brutus while silently undermining him—is what most directly erodes Brutus’s trustworthiness in the eyes of the audience.