ABSTRACT
Mark Anthony’s speech to the crowd of Romans as he stands beside the corpse of Julius Caesar is certainly a flawless display of demagogy. He appeals to his listeners’ sentiment rather than their reason. It is worthwhile, however, to carefully listen to the philosophical undertone of this rhetorical composition: the virtuous deed cannot be separated from its doer, to such an extent that the two are identical. In contrast, the presence of evil stands in itself: it is never secondary to or parasitical on its bearer; it subsists in its own right (or, shall we say, wrong?).
