Question

determining central ideas

read the passage. then answer the question that follows.

brutus. o antony, beg not your death of us!
though now we must appear bloody and cruel,
as by our hands and this our present act
you see we do, yet see you but our hands,
and this the bleeding business they have done.
our hearts you see not; they are pitiful;
and pity to the general wrong of rome—
as fire drives out fire, so pity pity—
hath done this deed on caesar. for your part,
to you our swords have leaden points, mark
antony.

—the tragedy of julius caesar,
william shakespeare

what are the central ideas about the conspirators in this speech by brutus? check all that apply.

they are sad about their bloody deed.
they are joyful about their bloody deed.
they threaten to harm antony.
they had to kill caesar to save rome.
antony does not understand the reasons for the assassination.

Explanation:

Analyze Brutus's speech

In this passage from Shakespearean Tragedy Julius Caesar, Brutus addresses Mark Antony immediately after the assassination of Caesar. Brutus states, "Our hearts you see not; they are pitiful; / And pity to the general wrong of Rome... / Hath done this deed on Caesar." This shows that the conspirators acted out of pity for Rome's suffering, meaning they felt they had to kill Caesar to save Rome.

Evaluate the conspirators' emotions

Brutus explains that while their hands appear bloody and cruel, their hearts are "pitiful" (full of pity). He says, "As fire drives out fire, so pity pity—" meaning their pity for Rome overcame their pity for Caesar. They are not joyful about the assassination; rather, they are sorrowful but resolved, showing they are sad about their bloody deed.

Assess the remaining options

Brutus explicitly tells Antony, "beg not your death of us!" and "To you our swords have leaden points," meaning they have no intention of harming him. Thus, they do not threaten Antony. Furthermore, the text does not state that Antony fails to understand their reasons, nor does Brutus focus on Antony's lack of comprehension here; instead, Brutus is explaining their motives directly to him.

Select the correct central ideas

Based on the Speech Analysis of the Julius Caesar Plot, the two correct central ideas that apply are:

1. They are sad about their bloody deed.
2. They had to kill Caesar to save Rome.

Answer:

• They are sad about their bloody deed. (Correct answer)
• They are joyful about their bloody deed.
• They threaten to harm Antony.
• They had to kill Caesar to save Rome. (Correct answer)
• Antony does not understand the reasons for the assassination.