Mark Antony is a character from Shakespeare's <em>Julius Caesar</em>. He is Caesar's supporter and friend. It is due to his support that Caesar managed to become as successful as he is, and to be the ruler of Rome. However, Roman Senators, including Brutus and Cassius, decide to murder Caesar, as he has become too powerful. Upon Caesar's death, Mark Antony delivers a speech which makes people who loved Caesar both sad and angry, weakens the conspirators' control, and affects the emotions of the audience through the use of demagogic language. Therefore, the purpose of the speech was quite the opposite of befriending and supporting the conspirators.
The film version definitely succeeded in making the original text come alive. The director did not make any needless changes. If anything he made the film better by adding the changes that he did. Therefore, the film helped bring the text to life.