Read the excerpt from Hamlet . Hamlet: No, faith, not a jot; but to follow him thither with modesty enough, and likelihood to lead it; as thus: Alexander died, Alexander was buried, Alexander returneth into dust; the dust is earth; of earth we make loam, and why of that loam, whereto he was converted, might they not stop a beer-barrel? Imperious Caesar, dead and turn’d to clay, Might stop a hole to keep the wind away Shakespeare makes allusions to the great rulers Alexander and Caesar to
Answer
A
compare Hamlet to two rulers who died.
B
emphasize that everyone eventually dies.
C
show how kings should behave around death.
D
contrast the deaths of Alexander and Caesar.
Explanation
Hamlet traces Alexander’s remains from a body to dust, earth, and loam, then imagines that loam stopping a beer barrel. He makes the same point about Caesar, whose clay could plug a hole. These once-powerful rulers are reduced to ordinary matter, emphasizing that everyone eventually dies.
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