Question

Read the excerpt from act 3, scene 1, of Julius Caesar.

ANTONY. Therefore I took your hands, but was indeed
Swayed from the point by looking down on Caesar.
Friends am I with you all, and love you all,
Upon this hope: that you shall give me reasons
Why and wherein Caesar was dangerous.

What is the central idea of this excerpt?

Antony shakes the conspirators’ hands, but he wants to kill them when he sees Caesar’s body.
Antony agrees with the conspirators that Caesar was dangerous and looks down on Caesar.
Antony knows why the conspirators killed Caesar, but wants to know why he was not included.
Antony will be friends with the conspirators if they tell him why they killed his beloved Caesar.

Answer 1

Mark Antony articulates a conditional friendship with Caesar's assassins, asking them to justify their actions, which signals his strategic approach and foreshadows his future actions in the play.

Step-by-step explanation:

The central idea of the excerpt from Act 3, Scene 1, of Julius Caesar is that Mark Antony is positioning himself diplomatically with the conspirators who assassinated Caesar. Antony is asserting his friendship and love for them conditionally, based on whether they can justify their reasons for deeming Caesar dangerous. Despite his outward gesture of shaking hands, which may seem like a form of acceptance or seeking alliance, his true loyalty is still towards Caesar as he demands an explanation for the assassination. This conversation lays the groundwork for Antony's future actions and the unfolding of his true intentions.

Answer 2

What is the central idea of this excerpt?

Antony will be friends with the conspirators if they tell him why they killed his beloved Caesar.

He says he will support them if they explain their actions. ("Friends am I with you all, and love you all, Upon this hope: that you shall give me reasons Why and wherein Caesar was dangerous.")

The first two lines ("Therefore I took your hands, but was indeed Swayed from the point by looking down on Caesar.") simply mean that Antony was overwhelmed with grief to see the dead body of Caesar.