Question
[First Player:] And never did the Cyclops’ hammers fall
On Mars’s armour, forg’d for proof eterne,
With less remorse than Pyrrhus’ bleeding sword
Now falls on Priam.
–Hamlet,
William Shakespeare
In mythology, the Cyclops are giants who make armor for Mars, the god of war.
What does the allusion in this passage suggest about Pyrrhus?
He is savage and cruel.
He is as large as a giant.
He killed Priam with a hammer.
He acts like the god of war.
On Mars’s armour, forg’d for proof eterne,
With less remorse than Pyrrhus’ bleeding sword
Now falls on Priam.
–Hamlet,
William Shakespeare
In mythology, the Cyclops are giants who make armor for Mars, the god of war.
What does the allusion in this passage suggest about Pyrrhus?
He is savage and cruel.
He is as large as a giant.
He killed Priam with a hammer.
He acts like the god of war.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The allusion in this passage suggests that Pyrrhus is savage and cruel. The comparison of Pyrrhus' sword, which falls on Priam, to the hammers of the Cyclops striking Mars's armor indicates a brutal and merciless nature in his actions, similar to a fierce and relentless warrior. Thus, the correct interpretation is that Pyrrhus is savage and cruel.