Marco Antonio pronounces the funeral oration at the funeral of Julius Caesar
The funeral of Julius Caesar , who was the victim of a conspiracy on March 15, 44 BC while he was in the Senate, it was a propaganda masterpiece developed by the skilful mind of Marco Antonio , who became the political heir of the dictator ( Octavian was outside Rome).
In fact, in the extreme attempt to save the Republic, the brave leader tried to exploit the mournful event to deeply affect the souls of citizens and soldiers, sincerely fond of Caesar and saddened by what happened.
The funeral was solemn and the eulogy, a perfect example of rhetoric pronounced by Antonio himself, was meant to upset and guide public opinion towards the most outright disapproval of the violent action of the tyrannicides, making the latter appear as a mere and horrendous crime.
After having paraded all over the city lying on a splendid litter, therefore, Cesare finally reached the Forum, where all the participants took care to add wood and even the gifts brought in homage to the deceased, to the ready-made pyre; the most touching moment of the ceremony was when Marcus Antonius, not without emphasis, raised to the sky the torn and still bloody red toga of Caesar listing the names of the conspirators one by one, thus provoking the anger of the crowd, who headed for the homes of the latter, who had already fled and retreated to the fortress of the Capitol.
Finally the fire was lit:in that pyre the era of Caesar and the Roman Republic ended forever.