BRUTUS. It must be by his death: and for my part

Question

I know no personal cause to spurn at him
But for the general. He would be crowned:
How that might change his nature, there's the question.
It is the bright day that brings forth the adder,
And that craves wary walking. Crown him that,
And then I grant we put a sting in him
That at his will he may do danger with.
Th' abuse of greatness is when it disjoins
Remorse from power. And to speak truth of Caesar,
I have not known when his affections swayed
More than his reason. But 'tis a common proof
That lowliness is young ambition’s ladder,
Whereto the climber-upward turns his face;
But when he once attains the upmost round,
He then unto the ladder turns his back,
Looks in the clouds, scorning the base degrees
By which he did ascend. So Caesar may.
Then lest he may, prevent. And since the quarrel
Will bear no colour for the thing he is,
Fashion it thus: that what he is, augmented,
Would run to these and these extremities;
And therefore think him as a serpent's egg
Which, hatched, would as his kind grow mischievous,
And kill him in the shell.

What moral dilemma does this excerpt express?

Brutus must decide whether to seek the crown himself.
Brutus must decide whether to help Caesar ascend to power.
Brutus must decide whether to help in the plot to kill Caesar.
Brutus must decide whether to reveal the plot to Caesar.

Answer 1

The moral dilemma expressed in this excerpt is: Brutus must decide whether to help in the plot to kill Caesar.

In this speech, Brutus grapples with the implications of Caesar's potential rise to power and the associated dangers it could pose to the Roman Republic. He rationalizes that although he has no personal grievances against Caesar, the prospect of his crowning could lead to tyranny and abuse of power, which justifies Brutus's contemplation of participating in the conspiracy against him.