Question

read the excerpt from act 5, scene 5, of the tragedy of julius caesar and the background information on the allusion it contains. excerpt: brutus. it is more worthy to leap in ourselves than tarry till they push us. good volumnius, thou know’st that we two went to school together. even for that, our love of old, i prithee, hold thou my sword hilts, whilst i run on it... so fare you well at once, for brutus’ tongue hath almost ended his life’s history. night hangs upon mine eyes; my bones would rest, that have but laboured to attain this hour.... i prithee, strato, stay thou by thy lord. thou art a fellow of a good respect. thy life hath had some smatch of honour in it. hold then my sword, and turn away thy face how does the allusion in this excerpt from julius caesar affect the reader’s understanding of the plot? it implies that the war between brutus and antony is a religious conflict. it makes clear that strato is disloyal to brutus, since he is willing to kill him. it reinforces the notion that brutus’s enemies would prevent him from dying honorably. it shows that brutus is afraid he will be worshiped as a hero by the enemy.

Explanation:

Brutus chooses to kill himself rather than be captured by Antony's forces. In the context of Roman honor, being taken prisoner would mean a shameful, dishonorable end instead of the noble death he seeks. The allusion to Roman ideals of honor reinforces that his enemies would rob him of an honorable death if he does not act himself. The other options are incorrect: the conflict is political, not religious; Strato is loyal to Brutus; Brutus does not fear being worshipped, he fears dishonor.

Answer:

C. It reinforces the notion that Brutus's enemies would prevent him from dying honorably.