Question

Read the lines Aegisthus speaks near the beginning of the excerpt.

AEGISTHUS. Silence, I say! Wide let the gates be flung!
For all the Myceneans to behold
And all in Argolis, that if but one
Hath heretofore been buoyed on empty hopes
Fixed in Orestes, seeing him now
He may accept my manage, and not wait
For our stern chastisement to teach him sense.

What inference can be made from these lines?

A.
Aegisthus wants to publicly display Orestes' body as a symbol of Aegisthus' authority.

B.
Aegisthus admires Orestes and wants to honor him in a public manner.

C.
Aegisthus thinks that seeing Orestes' body will make people realize that Orestes made poor choices.

D.
Aegisthus believes the public should look to Orestes as their new leader.

Answer 1

C

Aegisthus wants people who had false hopes in Orestes to see his fate so they’ll realize their error and stop relying on Orestes — “buoyed on empty hopes…seeing him now he may accept my manage…not wait for our stern chastisement to teach him sense.”