What Are Examples of Short Oratorical Pieces?

By Staff Writer | Last Updated August 4, 2015

The most common short oratorical piece is a toast. Though informal, toasts usually follow the formula consisting of an opening, a narrative and then either a conclusion or a call to action.

More famous examples of short oratorical speeches include Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address,” the speech given by Chief Joseph upon his surrender to Federal troops in the Bear Paw Mountains or the address given by King George VI at the outset of World War II, more commonly known as “The King’s Speech.”

William Shakespeare wrote many famous oratorical pieces for his plays including the St. Crispin’s Day speech from “Henry V,” or the speech delivered by Mark Antony in Act 3, Scene 2 of “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar,” which begins: “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.”