Asked by qp

Read the passage. Then answer the question that follows.

ANTONY. Come I to speak in Caesar’s funeral.

He was my friend, faithful and just to me.

But Brutus says he was ambitious,

And Brutus is an honourable man.

BRUTUS. There is tears for his love, joy for his

fortune, honour for his valour, and death for his

ambition. Who is here so base that would be a

bondman?

–The Tragedy of Julius Caesar,

William Shakespeare

Why does Antony keep saying that Brutus is an honorable man?



What does Brutus think was Caesar’s greatest evil?



What attitude do both speakers share?

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
1) Antony repeats “Brutus is an honourable man” as a piece of ironic rhetoric — he pretends to praise Brutus while actually casting doubt on Brutus’s claim that Caesar was “ambitious,” hoping to sway the crowd against Brutus without seeming openly disrespectful.

2) Brutus believes Caesar’s greatest evil was his ambition — the desire for power that, Brutus argues, would have made Romans into “bondmen” (slaves).

3) Both speakers claim to be acting out of concern for Rome’s welfare and its freedom; each appeals to public honor and the common good while presenting himself as honorable.