Question

ASSIUS. Brutus hath rived my heart.
A friend should bear his friend’s infirmities,
But Brutus makes mine greater than they are.

BRUTUS. I do not, till you practise them on me.

CASSIUS. You love me not.

BRUTUS. I do not like your faults.

CASSIUS. A friendly eye could never see such faults.

BRUTUS. A flatterer’s would not, though they do appear

As huge as high Olympus.

CASSIUS. Come, Antony and young Octavius, come,
Revenge yourselves alone on Cassius;
For Cassius is aweary of the world,
Hated by one he loves; braved by his brother,
Checked like a bondman; all his faults observed,
Set in a notebook, learned, and conned by rote,
To cast into my teeth. O, I could weep
My spirit from mine eyes!

—The Tragedy of Julius Caeser,
William Shakespeare

Based on this passage, how have conflicts changed Cassius? Choose three options.

Even though they are arguing, Brutus considers Cassius to be honorable free of faults.
The conflict with Brutus makes Cassius seek revenge against the the gods.
The external conflict with Brutus causes Cassius emotional distress.
The conflict with Brutus causes Cassius to experience an internal conflict and considers turning himself over to Antony and Octavius without a fight.
The conflict with Antony and Octavius is creating mounting pressure for Cassius.

Answer 1

Selected:
- The external conflict with Brutus causes Cassius emotional distress.
- The conflict with Brutus causes Cassius to experience an internal conflict and considers turning himself over to Antony and Octavius without a fight.
- The conflict with Antony and Octavius is creating mounting pressure for Cassius.

Brief justification:
- Cassius says “Brutus hath rived my heart” and “O, I could weep / My spirit from mine eyes!” showing clear emotional pain from the quarrel with Brutus.
- His lines “Come, Antony and young Octavius, come, / Revenge yourselves alone on Cassius; For Cassius is aweary of the world…” show despair and a willingness to be punished, indicating internal conflict and a readiness to submit.
- By calling on Antony and Octavius and lamenting that he is “hated by one he loves; braved by his brother,” Cassius implies pressure from multiple foes/allies, suggesting mounting external pressure (including from Antony and Octavius).

(Not chosen: the idea that Brutus sees Cassius as faultless is contradicted by Brutus’s “I do not like your faults,” and nothing in the passage suggests revenge against the gods.)