Question

read the excerpt from act 2, scene 2, of the tragedy of julius caesar and the background information on the allusion it contains. excerpt: decius. it was a vision fair and fortunate. your statue spouting blood in many pipes, in which so many smiling romans bathed, signifies that from you great rome shall suck reviving blood, and that great men shall press for tinctures, stains, relics, and cognizance. this by calpurnias dream is signified. background information: in medieval times, it was customary to dip handkerchiefs into the blood of martyrs and other great people. doing so turned the handkerchiefs into relics for worship or inspiration. why does decius suggest that \smiling romans\ dipping in the spouts of blood is a good thing? to flatter caesar and make sure he will go to the capitol to imply that calpurnia wishes to harm caesar to warn caesar of the plot against him to explain that calpurnia is ill and going to die

Explanation:

In "The Tragedy of Julius Caesar", Decius needs to convince Caesar to go to the Capitol. He reinterprets Calpurnia's dream (where Caesar's statue spouting blood and Romans bathing in it could be seen as ominous) into a positive sign, flattering Caesar by suggesting the blood is reviving and Romans seek relics from him. Option B is wrong as Decius doesn't imply Calpurnia wants to harm Caesar. Option C is wrong because Decius is part of the plot against Caesar, not warning him. Option D is irrelevant as the dream and Decius' interpretation have nothing to do with Calpurnia's health. So the correct reason is to flatter Caesar to ensure he goes to the Capitol.

Answer:

A. to flatter Caesar and make sure he will go to the Capitol