Question

read the passage. then answer the question that follows.
antony. come i to speak in caesar’s funeral.
he was my friend, faithful and just to me.
but brutus says he was ambitious,
and brutus is an honourable man.
brutus. there is tears for his love, joy for his
fortune, honour for his valour, and death for his
ambition. who is here so base that would be a
bondman?
–the tragedy of julius caesar,
william shakespeare
why does antony keep saying that brutus is an
honorable man?
he is pointing out brutus’s hypocrisy.
he wants the audience to agree with brutus.
he is being nice to brutus, a dear friend.

Explanation:

In "The Tragedy of Julius Caesar", Antony's repeated claim that Brutus is an honorable man is ironic. He contrasts Brutus' accusation that Caesar was ambitious (which Antony disputes, as he knew Caesar as faithful and just) with the label of "honorable". By doing this, he is subtly showing that Brutus' judgment of Caesar (and thus his actions) is flawed, highlighting Brutus's hypocrisy. The other options are incorrect: he does not want the audience to agree with Brutus (he is undermining Brutus's argument) and Brutus is not his dear friend in the way the third option suggests—Antony is using rhetoric to turn the crowd against the conspirators including Brutus.

Answer:

He is pointing out Brutus’s hypocrisy.