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 knowst 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 lifes 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 readers 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 brutuss enemies would prevent him from dying honorably.
○ it shows that brutus is afraid he will be worshiped as a hero by the enemy.

Explanation:

In the excerpt from Julius Caesar, Brutus is in a desperate situation. The allusion to going to school together with Volumnius is a reference to their past relationship. When Brutus asks Strato to hold his sword so he can leap on it (commit suicide), it shows his determination to die honorably rather than be captured by the enemy. This action reinforces the idea that Brutus sees death as a more honorable option than being at the mercy of his enemies.

Answer:

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