Question

Read the passage. Then answer the question that follows.

ANTONY. You all did see that on the Lupercal

I thrice presented him a kingly crown,

Which he did thrice refuse. Was this ambition?

Yet Brutus says he was ambitious,

And sure he is an honourable man.

I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke,

But here I am to speak what I do know.

–The Tragedy of Julius Caesar,

William Shakespeare

What does Caesar do when Antony presents him with a crown?



How does this example show that Caesar is not ambitious?



What does this example suggest about Brutus’s character?

Answer 1

1) What does Caesar do when Antony presents him with a crown?
He refuses it — Antony says he was offered a "kingly crown" three times and "did thrice refuse."

2) How does this example show that Caesar is not ambitious?
By repeatedly turning down the crown Caesar shows he does not seek the kingship or personal power. If he were truly ambitious for a throne, he would have accepted the offer; his refusals demonstrate restraint and a lack of desire to be king.

3) What does this example suggest about Brutus’s character?
Brutus calls Caesar ambitious despite this clear evidence to the contrary. That suggests Brutus is idealistic and rigid about his republican principles, but also mistaken or easily persuaded by argument (he accepts a mistaken judgment). Antony’s repeated phrase "and sure he is an honourable man" is ironic, implying Brutus may be self-righteous, gullible, or blinded by principle.