Question

Read the excerpt from act 4, scene 3, of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar.

[Enter the Ghost of CAESAR]

How ill this taper burns! Ha! Who comes here?
I think it is the weakness of mine eyes
That shapes this monstrous apparition.
It comes upon me. Art thou any thing?
Art thou some god, some angel, or some devil,
That makest my blood cold and my hair to stare?
Speak to me what thou art.

GHOST. Thy evil spirit, Brutus.

BRUTUS. Why comest thou?

GHOST. To tell thee thou shalt see me at Philippi.

BRUTUS. Well; then I shall see thee again?

GHOST. Ay, at Philippi.

BRUTUS. Why, I will see thee at Philippi then.

[Exit GHOST]

Knowing that Brutus does see Caesar’s ghost again at Phillippi as suggested in the passage, what central idea does this passage develop?

the impact of fate
the significance of letters
the ruthlessness of power
the importance of friendship

Answer 1

the impact of fate

Explanation: The ghost's prophecy that Brutus will "see me at Philippi" emphasizes inevitability and foreshadows Brutus's destiny—an inescapable fate guiding the play's events.