That I am meek and gentle with these butchers!
Thou art the ruins of the noblest man
That ever livèd in the tide of times.
Woe to the hand that shed this costly blood!
Over thy wounds now do I prophesy—
Which like dumb mouths do ope their ruby lips
To beg the voice and utterance of my tongue—
A curse shall light upon the limbs of men;
Domestic fury and fierce civil strife
Shall cumber all the parts of Italy;
Blood and destruction shall be so in use,
And dreadful objects so familiar,
That mothers shall but smile when they behold<
Their infants quartered with the hands of war,
All pity choked with custom of fell deeds;
And Caesar’s spirit, ranging for revenge,
With Ate by his side come hot from hell,
Shall in these confines with a monarch’s voice
Cry "Havoc!” and let slip the dogs of war,
That this foul deed shall smell above the earth
With carrion men, groaning for burial.
What are the central ideas of this soliloquy? Select three options.
Antony wants Caesar to forgive him for being nice to his conspirators.
Antony is pleased by Caesar’s death because he too saw Caesar growing strong with greed.
Antony predicts that soon the land will be bloodied by men fighting men.
Antony expects Caesar’s ghost will eventually praise the conspirators for their bravery.
Antony compares Caesar’s wounds to mouths wishing to speak.
1 answer
The central ideas of this soliloquy include:
These options reflect Antony's deep sorrow for Caesar's death, his foreboding prediction of chaos and violence to come in Rome, and the vivid imagery he uses to express the tragedy of the situation.
