Question

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?

The two men continually make jokes about each other, which shows that they have no concern for one another.
Brutus and Cassius’s honest sentiment and humor reflect the central idea of the importance of friendship.
When Cassius says he has inherited his temper from his mother, he suggests that he is not in control of his own fate.
Brutus and Cassius both blame their mothers for their ill-temper, demonstrating that neither can take responsibility for their own actions.

Answer 1

Brutus and Cassius’s honest sentiment and humor reflect the central idea of the importance of friendship.

Explanation: their teasing, mutual confession ("Give me your hand... And my heart too") and willingness to forgive one another show intimacy and loyalty, emphasizing how friendship sustains them.