Read the excerpt from act 4, scene 3, of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar . CASSIUS: Hath Cassius lived To be but mirth and laughter to his Brutus When grief and blood ill-tempered vexeth him? BRUTUS: When I spoke that, I was ill-tempered too. CASSIUS: Do you confess so much? Give me your hand. BRUTUS: And my heart too. CASSIUS: O Brutus! BRUTUS: What’s the matter? CASSIUS: Have not you love enough to bear with me When that rash humour which my mother gave me Makes me forgetful? BRUTUS: Yes, Cassius, and from henceforth, When you are over-earnest with your Brutus, He’ll think your mother chides, and leave you so. How does the characterization in this passage connect to its central idea?
Answer
A
Brutus and Cassius’s honest sentiment and humor reflect the central idea of the importance of friendship.
B
Brutus and Cassius both blame their mothers for their ill-temper, demonstrating that neither can take responsibility for their own actions.
C
The two men continually make jokes about each other, which shows that they have no concern for one another.
D
When Cassius says he has inherited his temper from his mother, he suggests that he is not in control of his own fate.