HOW MARK ANTONY USED SUGGESTION IN WING THE ROMAN MOB
A few years ago, I received a telephone call from the Secretary
of the Press Club. He said, ‘‘This is Mr. Blank, Secretary of
the Press Club. I called up to congratulate you on your being elected to membership in this club. You were voted upon and elected last night, and I will send a man out from the office this afternoon to get your signature to the application for membership.’’
I thanked him and, with my mouth still wide open, hung up the
receiver. In an hour or so, a young man walked into my office, walked right up to my desk boldly, and laid a simple-looking little application on my desk.
He said, ‘‘The Secretary of the Press Club sent this out for your signature,’’ and stood with his hat in his hand, waiting for me to sign. I picked up the paper, looked it over hurriedly, and started to sign,
when it occurred to me that I would like to know, more out of curiosity than anything else, who had submitted my name for membership in the Press Club. I asked the young man if he knew who submitted my name, and he said that he didn’t, that possibly it was some friend who already belonged to the Club. Then he hurried to explain that it was quite an honor to be elected to membership in the Club. I picked up my pen again and started to write my name on the dotted line.
The application was printed on cheap paper, and the pen ‘‘stuck’’ in the paper, causing me to hesitate for a moment and start to write in a new place. The hesitation gave me time to think some more about who submitted my name for membership, so I stopped, laid down the pen, and asked the young man to telephone the Secretary and find out who it was. He did so, but got word back that the Secretary didn’t know who submitted my name. Here suspicion entered for the first time, so I told the young man that I believed I would not sign just then.
At the same time, I read the application over again. It called for a membership fee of $150. Those
figures looked ten times as big as they had looked a minute or so before that telephone conversation. I was beginning to get ‘‘cold feet.’’ I was beginning to feel that I was about to be ‘‘sold’’ something. Up to this point, I had felt that I was getting into a very select Club, through the
thoughtfulness of some good friend. Frankly,my vanity had overcome my better business judgment. But now I was beginning to wake up and ‘‘smell a mouse.’’ Then the young man spoke up and said, ‘‘Why, you probably fail to appreciate how hard it is to get into the Press Club. No one can get in until he has been elected by vote. You have been paid an honor that you cannot afford to reject.’’
Those words sank deep. For the moment, they seemed to allay suspicion and make me feel that probably I had been rather hasty in laying down the fountain pen, so I reached for it again, but before I lifted it from the desk, I caught sight of those figures again, $150. They looked still bigger, so I pushed the application back to the young man and said, ‘‘No, I must think this over for a few days,’’ and I ushered him to the door.
The next day, I was telling one of my friends that I had been elected to membership in the Press Club. I showed plainly by the expression on my face that I felt rather proud of the honor. Then he laughed! I had never heard him laugh so loudly in my life. He said, ‘‘Look here, if you really want to join the Press Club, I can get you a membership for $50. Frankly, I don’t believe you want to belong to it, but if you do, I can save you $100.’’ Then he continued—‘‘It may also interest you to know that
the Club is making a drive for membership just now; therefore, you needn’t feel so ‘chesty’ about having been elected to membership!’’
I began to grow small! I remember the feeling distinctly. I will never forget it. Down, down, down I went in the scale of intelligence, until I can remember how I had to look straight up to see my friend,
even though I was as tall as he. Then I saw the joke. I took my friend to the cigar counter and bought him a box of the best Havanas I could purchase. ‘‘What are these for?’’ he asked, in surprise. And I replied, ‘‘In payment for the best lesson in salesmanship that I ever had or ever will have.’’
You now have the story, which I have told to every member of our class in Advertising and Salesmanship. It hurts my pride to tell this story, but it is so valuable to a student of applied psychology that I simply could not pass by the opportunity to tell it. My vanity had almost cost me $150. The only thing that saved me was the poor grade of paper on which the Press Club application was printed. If the pen hadn’t ‘‘stuck,’’ I would have been! That was a real case of ‘‘letting me buy’’ instead of ‘‘selling me.’’ I was doing all the buying. No one asked me to join the Club. I was virtually ready, not only to join and part with $150 in cash, but to thank someone for ‘‘giving me the opportunity.’’
Here was the weak part of their sales plan—they lost my confidence when they failed to tell me who
submitted my name for membership. The man who planned that sales plan was ‘‘almost’’ a master salesman. He fell down in just that one slight detail. It would have been all right had they said to me that the Club had been watching my business progress and had decided that I would be a good man for membership, but when they refused to assure me on this point, I lost confidence and they lost the
signature on the little dotted line.
I need not analyze this story for you. The psychology back of it is so plain that a schoolboy can understand it. Use this psychology yourself. As to just how you may do this will depend upon the
problem in hand. It will depend upon the buyer and the commodity which you have to sell. This same principle of psychology was used by Mark Antony in his wonderful oration, which you will read presently. In this oration, you will see how adroitly he appealed to the vanity of the Roman mob.
Did he start out by trying to ‘‘sell’’ them on his viewpoint? No, not he! He was too clever a salesman for that. Study his oration carefully.
Get the big thought back of it. See how Mark Antony, figuratively speaking, floated with the stream and not against it, until he came to a point of vantage where he could turn its course in the direction
that he wanted it to go. It is necessary to handle a thousand tons of clay and dross in order to obtain a milligram of radium! The process of separation is a long, tedious, and expensive one, but that is the only way to secure radium. That is one reason why radium is so expensive.
To get at a seemingly simple truth, we must sometimes go through masses of evidence, sorting out the usable from the unusable, but it must be done if we want the ‘‘radium.’’ There is a simple truth in
connection with applied psychology which is the very warp and woof of all successful salesmanship; therefore, when you get through reading this lecture, if you feel that I have taken you through the radium refining process to get at this great truth, I know you will also be fair enough to admit that the time spent in the search has been well worthwhile.
I will not tell you what this great truth is, now. I want you to have the benefit of finding it yourself. In bringing out this great principle, I am going to make use of Shakespeare’s remarkable oration which he put into the mouth of Mark Antony, in his reply to Brutus, over the dead body of Caesar. Nothing which I have ever read portrays one of the underlying principles of applied psychology as well as this oration. The same psychological laws and principles used by Antony in his oration over the body of Caesar will bring as great a measure of success, and as effectually win the day now as it did before the fall of Brutus.
As I proceed with the text of the oration, I shall inject between the lines certain comments for the purpose of bringing out more clearly the comparison I wish to make.
Argument of the Scene
Caesar has been killed, and Brutus has just finished his address to the populace, setting forth his reasons for Caesar’s removal. These reasons have been accepted, and the mob believed in him. Brutus was probably the most admired and most beloved man in all Rome at that time. Hence, his simple statement was accepted with equally simple faith.
Here, Shakespeare introduces both sides of the question, first through Brutus, and then through Antony. Brutus, having presented his side, and satisfied that he has won the day, closes his speech and rests his case. But he had not fully convinced his audience. The Roman mob was not well sold.
Over-confident, he yielded the platform to Antony too soon. Nevertheless, the mob was with him and against anyone who had aught to say derogatory to him.
Antony appears upon the scene, with the mob at least partly antagonistic to him and suspicious, lest he be against Brutus. His first step is to pacify them and get their minds in a receptive condition (to
neutralize their minds) for, without this, he cannot make any headway. He must also avoid all appearance of ‘‘knocking’’ the other side. These are essentials in convincing an audience or an individual; your audience must be presumed to be open to conviction, and you should not ‘‘knock.’’
ANTONY: ‘‘For Brutus’ sake, I am beholding to you.’’ (Goes into pulpit.)
FOURTH CITIZEN: ‘‘What does he say of Brutus?’’
THIRD CITIZEN: ‘‘He says, for Brutus’ sake, he finds himself beholding to us all.’’
FOURTH CITIZEN: ‘‘’Twere best he speak no harm of Brutus here.’’
FIRST CITIZEN: ‘‘This Caesar was a tyrant.’’
THIRD CITIZEN: ‘‘Nay, that’s certain; we are blest that Rome is rid of him.’’
SECOND CITIZEN: ‘‘Peace! Let us hear what Antony can say.’’
ANTONY: ‘‘You gentle Romans,—’’
ALL: ‘‘Peace, ho! Let us hear him.’’
At this point, the average amateur usually tears this oration to tatters by strutting to the front of the stage, throwing out his chest, and in a tone twice too large for his body, shouting, ‘‘Friends, Romans, countrymen!’’ Had Antony addressed the mob in this wise, the history of Rome would not be what it is today. For the purpose of pacifying their inflamed minds, he begins:
ANTONY: ‘‘Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.’’ (Conciliation.) ‘‘The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones;
so let it be with Caesar. The noble Brutus hath told you Caesar was ambitious; if it were so, it was a grievous fault, and grievously hath Caesar answer’d it. Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest,—For
Brutus is an honorable man; so are they all honorable men,—come I to speak in Caesar’s funeral. He was my friend, faithful and just to me.’’ (Whatever he may have been to you, he was just to me;
therefore, I admired him.)—
‘‘But Brutus says he was ambitious; and Brutus is an honorable man. He hath brought many captives home to Rome, whose ransoms did the general coffers fill. Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?
When the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept; ambition should be made of sterner stuff. Yet Brutus says he was ambitious; and Brutus is an honorable man. You all did see that on the Lupercal I
thrice presented him a kingly crown, which he did thrice refuse; was this ambition? Yet Brutus says he was ambitious; and, sure, he is an honorable man. I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke,
but here I am to speak what I do know.
You all did love him once, not without cause; what cause withholds you then to mourn for him? O judgment! thou are fled to brutish beasts, and men have lost their reason. Bear with me; my heart is in the coffin there with Caesar, and I must pause till it come back to me.’’ (Working upon their emotions.) He has now reached the first step in the mental law of salesmanship. He has gained the attention of the mob. He knows that they cannot be kept entirely quiet, and so he gives them an opportunity to talk, or think, aloud. Likewise, a salesman should give his prospect an opportunity to talk early in the interview so that he, the salesman, may learn the other’s weak points.
FIRST CITIZEN: ‘‘Me thinks there is much reason in his sayings.’’
SECOND CITIZEN: ‘‘If thou consider rightly of the matter, Caesar has had great wrong.’’
THIRD CITIZEN: ‘‘Has he, masters? I fear there will be worse come in his place.’’
FOURTH CITIZEN: ‘‘Mark’d ye his words? He would not take the crown? Therefore, ’tis certain he was not ambitious.’’
SECOND CITIZEN: ‘‘Poor soul! His eyes are red as fire with weeping.’’ (Pity.)
THIRD CITIZEN: ‘‘There’s not a nobler man in Rome than Antony.’’
FOURTH CITIZEN: ‘‘Now mark him, he begins again to speak.’’
ANTONY: ‘‘But yesterday, the word of Caesar might have stood against the world; now lies he there, and none so poor to do him reverence. O masters,’’ (flattery), ‘‘if I were disposed to stir your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage, I should do Brutus wrong and Cassius wrong, who, you all know, are honorable men.’’ (Catch the suggestion in the words mutiny and rage, the emphasis of repetition.)
From this point forward, he says three times that these are honorable men. Note the change in inflection, and the effect of each change. The first time, he makes a plain statement of fact; the
second time, there is a faint suggestion of doubt as to their honesty, and the third time, with consummate skill, he plays upon the word honorable with such fine sarcasm and irony, as to convey
to the mob the thought and idea that these men are anything but honorable.
ANTONY: ‘‘I will not do them wrong; I rather choose to wrong the dead, to wrong myself and you, than I will wrong such honorable men.’’
ALL: ‘‘The will! The testament!’’
SECOND CITIZEN: ‘‘They were villains, murderers; the will!’’
ANTONY: ‘‘You will compel me then to read the will? Then make a ring about the corpse of Caesar, and let me show you him that made the will. Shall I descent? And will you give me leave?’’
ALL: ‘‘Come down.’’
SECOND CITIZEN: ‘‘Descent.’’
THIRD CITIZEN: ‘‘You shall have leave.’’
SECOND CITIZEN: ‘‘Room for Antony, most noble Antony.’’
Beginning to feel his power over his audience, Antony now intends to get closer. He removes the barrier of distance between the pulpit and the floor of the Forum, that he may become more confidential. Observe the first note of authority, yet kindly spoken, as he commands them to stand back.
ANTONY: ‘‘Nay, press not so upon me, stand far off.’’
ALL: ‘‘Stand back. Room.’’
ANTONY: ‘‘If you have tears, prepare to shed them now, you all do know this mantle; I remember the first time Caesar put it on; ’twas on a summer’s evening, in his tent, that day he overcome the
Nervii.’’ (Sentiment, love, and patriotism.) From this point forward, he appeals to their emotional natures, to their pity for ‘‘pity is akin to love,’’ and he desires to fan into a flame their slumbering love for Caesar.
ANTONY: ‘‘Look, in this place ran Cassius’ dagger through; see what a rent the envious Casca made; through this the well-beloved Brutus stabb’d; and as he plucked his cursed steel away, mark how the blood of Caesar followed it, as rushing out of door, to be resolved if Brutus so unkindly knock’d, or no; for Brutus, as you know, was Caesar’s angel; judge, O you gods, how dearly Caesar loved him! This was the most unkindest cut of all; for when the noble Caesar saw him stab, ingratitude, more strong than traitors’ arms quite vanquish’d him; then burst his mighty heart; and, in his mantle muffling up his face, even at the base of Pompey’s statue, while all the while ran blood,
great Caesar fell, O, what a fall was there, my countrymen! Then I, and you, and all of us fell down while bloody treason flourish’d over us.O, how you weep, and I perceive you feel the dint of pity; these are gracious drops. Kind souls, why weep you when you but behold our Caesar’s vesture wounded? Look you here, here is himself, marr’d, as you see, with traitors.’’ (They have now accepted this word traitor and freely apply it to the conspirators.)
FIRST CITIZEN: ‘‘O piteous spectacle!’’
SECOND CITIZEN: ‘‘O noble Caesar!’’
THIRD CITIZEN: ‘‘O woeful day!’’
FIRST CITIZEN: ‘‘O most bloody sight!’’
SECOND CITIZEN: ‘‘We will be revenged.’’
ALL: ‘‘Revenge! About! Seek! Burn! Fire! Kill! Slay! Let not a traitor live!’’
He has now attained the third step—desire. The mob desires to do that which he wished them to do. Right here, many a salesman loses his prospect. He mistakes desire for will, tries, too soon, to carry his point and frightens off the prospect who has not yet been led up to the fourth step and, consequently, is not ready to receive the salesman with open arms.
Antony, however, skilled salesman that he was, determined to carry his listeners with him; to close his argument up so tightly as to prevent the possibility of his audience being again influenced by the opposition, and so lost to him. He has saved his strongest argument and appeal for the last, so as to enable him to carry his audience with absolute certainty. Note his trump card well on toward the close of his oration:
ANTONY: ‘‘Stay, countrymen.’’
FIRST CITIZEN: ‘‘Peace there! Hear the noble Antony.’’
SECOND CITIZEN: ‘‘We’ll hear him, we’ll follow him, we’ll die with him.’’
ANTONY: ‘‘Good friends, sweet friends, let me not stir you up to such a sudden flood of mutiny.’’ (Strengthening their desire.) ‘‘They that have done this deed are honorable. What private griefs they have, alas, I know not, that made them do it; they are wise and honorable, and will, no doubt, with reasons answer you.’’ Observe how pregnant with double meaning are his inflections upon certain words, and how unerringly they convey to the mob his opinion of the character of the conspirators.
ANTONY: ‘‘I come not, friends, to steal away your hearts; I am not orator as Brutus is; but, as you know me all, a plain, blunt man, that love my friend; and that they know full well that gave we
public leave to speak of him; for I have neither wit, nor words, nor worth, action, nor utterance, nor the power of speech to stir men’s blood, I only speak right on; I tell you that which you yourselves
do know; show you sweet Caesar’s wounds, poor, poor, dumb mouths, and bid them speak for me; but were I Brutus and Brutus Antony, there an Antony would ruffle up your spirits, and put a
tongue in every wound of Caesar that should move the stones of Rome to rise and mutiny.’’
ALL: ‘‘We’ll mutiny.’’
FIRST CITIZEN: ‘‘We’ll burn the house of Brutus.’’
THIRD CITIZEN: ‘‘Away, then! Come, seek the conspirators.’’
ANTONY: ‘‘Yet hear me, countrymen; yet hear me speak!’’
ALL: ‘‘Peace, ho! Hear Antony. Most noble Antony!’’
ANTONY: ‘‘Why, friends, you go to do you know not what; wherein hath Caesar thus deserved your love? Alas, you know not; I must tell you, then; you have forgot the will I told you of.’’ He has intended all along to read the will, but has held off until they were hungry for it, and their minds in a stage where the reading of it would be most effective in the accomplishment of his purpose. This
was his trump card, and he saved it for the last.
Many a salesman, in his eagerness to present the merits of his goods, plays his trump card first, before his prospect is ready for it. If this does not sweep his prospect with him at the start, he can follow up with weaker points, and simmer down to a lost sale. He tries to reach the fourth step without thoroughly covering the first three, and he usually fails. Antony now makes his appeal to the cupidity and avarice of his hearers—a common weakness of human nature.
ALL: ‘‘Most true, the will! Let’s stay and hear the will.’’
ANTONY: ‘‘Here is the will, and under Caesar’s seal. To every Roman
citizen he gives, to every several man, seventy-five drachmas.’’
SECOND CITIZEN: ‘‘Most noble Caesar! We’ll revenge his death.’’
THIRD CITIZEN: ‘‘O royal Caesar!’’
ANTONY: ‘‘Hear me with patience.’’
ALL: ‘‘Peace, ho!’’
ANTONY: ‘‘Moreover, he hath left you all his walks, his private arbors and new-planted orchards, on this side Tiber; he hath left them you, and to your heirs forever; common pleasures, to walk abroad and recreate yourselves, here was a Caesar! When comes such another?’’
FIRST CITIZEN: ‘‘Never, never. Come, away, away! We’ll burn his body in the holy place and, with the brands, fire the traitors’ homes. Take up the body.’’
SECOND CITIZEN: ‘‘Go, fetch fire.’’
THIRD CITIZEN: ‘‘Pluck down benches.’’
FOURTH CITIZEN: ‘‘Pluck down forms, windows, anything.’’ (Exit Citizens with the body.)
He has come to the fourth step. He has influenced their wills to do his bidding. He has carried the day. If you will plan your sales argument along the lines upon which this oration was modeled, following it out to its conclusion as carefully, watching its development as alertly, massing your arguments in as logical an order of sequence, making each step stronger than its predecessor, sweeping aside all opposition and leaving it not ground upon which to gain a fresh foothold, keeping yourself well in hand throughout the campaign, your success will be assured.
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