Which rhetorical devices characterize Antony's funeral oration?

• A. Ethos and logos only.
• B. Ethos, pathos, and logos, with irony.
• C. Pathos and logos only.
• D. Ethos, pathos, and logos, without irony.

Answer: (B)

In Antony's funeral oration, the speaker relies on ethos, pathos, and logos, with irony driving the effect. He frames himself as a trustworthy, loyal friend of Caesar (ethos), which makes the crowd more receptive to what he says. He also stirs the crowd’s emotions (pathos) through the cadence of the speech, the use of the famous invocation “Friends, Romans, countrymen,” and by highlighting Caesar’s wounds and Caesar’s generosity (such as the will). He presents reasoning and concrete evidence (logos) like Caesar’s acts and the will to suggest that Brutus and the conspirators aren’t acting as honorable men would.

Irony threads through the whole address, especially in the repeated line that Brutus is an honorable man. The irony makes the audience question Brutus’s motives while Antony insists he’s simply recounting facts, thereby turning public opinion. This combination of credibility, emotional appeal, logical evidence, and ironic contrast is why this answer best captures the devices at work.