Question

BRUTUS. Farewell to you, and you, and you, Volumnius.

Strato, thou hast been all this while asleep.

Farewell to thee too, Strato. Countrymen,

My heart doth joy that yet in all my life

I found no man but he was true to me.

I shall have glory by this losing day,

More than Octavius and Mark Antony

By this vile conquest shall attain unto.

So fare you well at once, for Brutus’ tongue

Hath almost ended his life’s history.

Night hangs upon mine eyes; my bones would rest,

That have but laboured to attain this hour.

–The Tragedy of Julius Caesar,
William Shakespeare

Which statement best describes how Brutus’s moral dilemma supports the theme that commitment to a just cause can be costly?

Brutus wants to negotiate a truce with Antony.
Brutus is willing to off himself to maintain his honor.
Brutus is gathering his allies for one last battle.
Brutus and Antony say farewell to each other because they will not meet again.

Answer 1

Brutus is willing to off himself to maintain his honor.

Explanation: Brutus chooses suicide rather than capture or dishonor after fighting for what he believed was a just cause for Rome. His death shows the personal cost of his moral commitment — he loses his life to stay true to his principles.