Question

Read the excerpt from act 2, scene 1, of Julius Caesar.

[PORTIA.] It will not let you eat, nor talk, nor sleep,
And could it work so much upon your shape
As it hath much prevailed on your condition,
I should not know you Brutus. Dear my lord,
Make me acquainted with your cause of grief.

BRUTUS. I am not well in health, and that is all.

PORTIA. Brutus is wise, and, were he not in health,
He would embrace the means to come by it. . . .

[PORTIA.] You have some sick offence within your mind
Which by the right and virtue of my place,
I ought to know of.

What tone does Portia use when speaking to Brutus?

sincere
bitter
vengeful
arrogant

Answer 1

sincere

Portia's lines are caring and earnest—she worries about Brutus's health, pleads to be told his troubles, and appeals to her right as his wife, all showing genuine concern rather than bitterness, vengeance, or arrogance.