Question

read the two excerpts from act 2, scene 1, of the tragedy of julius caesar. excerpt 1: brutus. since cassius first did whet me against caesar i have not slept. between the acting of a dreadful thing and the first motion, all the interim is like a phantasma or a hideous dream. the genius and the mortal instruments are then in council, and the state of man, like to a little kingdom, suffers then the nature of an insurrection. excerpt 2: brutus. kneel not, gentle portia.... you are my true and honourable wife. how do brutus’s moral dilemmas in each excerpt compare? in both excerpts, brutus detests lying to someone he loves. in both excerpts, brutus is trying to stop someone from taking too much power for himself. in both excerpts, brutus is deciding whether or not to end the relationship rather than reveal the truth. in both excerpts, brutus is convinced by the person he loves that he is doing the right thing.

Explanation:

1. Excerpt 1 Analysis: Brutus is tormented by his internal conflict over whether to act against Caesar, whom he cares for, to prevent Caesar from gaining too much power and becoming a tyrant that harms Rome.
2. Excerpt 2 Analysis: Brutus is hiding his conspiracy plans from his wife Portia, but his distress stems from the core conflict of choosing between his loyalty to Rome (stopping Caesar's rising power) and his personal relationships.
3. Option Evaluation:

• The first option is incorrect: lying is not the focus of Excerpt 1.
• The third option is incorrect: Brutus is not ending a relationship in either excerpt.
• The fourth option is incorrect: Brutus is not convinced by a loved one in Excerpt 1; he is struggling on his own, and Excerpt 2 does not show him being convinced by Portia.
• The second option is correct: In Excerpt 1, Brutus weighs acting against Caesar's growing power; in Excerpt 2, his secrecy ties back to this same core dilemma of stopping Caesar from taking too much power.

Answer:

In both excerpts, Brutus is trying to stop someone from taking too much power for himself.