The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare: Act 5.3-5.5
Question 3 • CREDIT RECOVERY - ELA 9 - Summer
Read the excerpt below from act 5.1 of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar and answer the question that follows. CASSIUS:Antony,The posture of your blows is yet unknown;But for your words, they rob the Hybla beesAnd leave them honeyless. ANTONY:Not stingless too. BRUTUS:Ah, yes, and soundless too,For you have stolen their buzzing, Antony,And very wisely threat before you sting . . . . OCTAVIUS:Come, come, the cause. . . .I draw my sword against conspirators. What identifies and explains the tone of this excerpt best?
Answer
A
Sincere: Shakespeare has the men exchange heartfelt explanations of why the war at Philippi is necessary.
B
Lighthearted: Shakespeare uses this exchange to show the fun friendships between the characters.
C
Mocking: Shakespeare exchanges the rhetoric of powerful men for insults to show the demise of the Republic.
D
Grieving: Shakespeare uses this exchange to show the characters’ deep sadness over Caesar’s death.
Explanation
The tone is mocking because Cassius and Brutus ridicule Antony with images of bees, honey, stings, and buzzing, rather than offering a sincere explanation or expressing grief. Their wordplay turns the confrontation into a series of insults, while Octavius abruptly insists on returning to the cause and the fight. This best matches “Mocking: Shakespeare exchanges the rhetoric of powerful men for insults to show the demise of the Republic.”
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