The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Part 5: Developing Central Ideas
Question 4 of 10 • LA-English Language Arts 10
Read the excerpt from act 4, scene 3, of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar.[CASSIUS.] A friend should bear his friend’s infirmities,But Brutus makes mine greater than they are.BRUTUS. I do not, till you practice them on me.CASSIUS. You love me not.BRUTUS. I do not like your faults.CASSIUS. A friendly eye could never see such faults.BRUTUS. A flatterer’s would not, though they do appearAs huge as high Olympus.
Answer
A
The allusion emphasizes the need for compromise between human beings, just as the gods are forgiving of human faults.
B
The allusion introduces the idea that, although the two men are very powerful and command armies, they are not gods but human beings.
C
The allusion emphasizes the size of the faults that Brutus sees in Cassius, which will lead to an honest discussion of the roots of the friends’ conflict.
D
The allusion to the gods introduces the notion of fate, suggesting that the relationship between Cassius and Brutus can be repaired only if it is fated to be.