Question

At Rome, moreover, Caesar won a great and brilliant popularity by his eloquence as an advocate, and much good will from the common people for the friendliness of his manners . . . . He had also a large and gradually increasing political influence in consequence of his lavish hospitality and the general splendour of his mode of life. At first his enemies thought this influence would quickly vanish .

. . . [T]he man who is thought to have been the first to see beneath the surface of Caesar’s public policy and to fear it, . . . and who comprehended the powerful character hidden beneath his kindly and cheerful exterior, namely Cicero, said that in most of Caesar’s political plans and projects he saw a tyrannical purpose .

. . . Based on this excerpt, what information could Shakespeare use to construct the character of Julius Caesar?

Shakespeare could not have used any of the information.

Shakespeare could have only used the information about Caesar’s popularity with the common people.

Shakespeare could have used the information about his personality, political influence, and tyranny.

Shakespeare could only have used the information about Caesar’s enemies.

Answer 1

Shakespeare could have used the info about his personality, political influ., and tyranny

Answer 2

Answer: Shakespeare could have used the information about his personality, political influence, and tyranny.

When Shakespeare wrote his play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, he based his character on accounts of the past, such as the ones mentioned in the passage. Caesar is one of the most important figures of world history, and therefore, the information on his life is abundant. Out of the information mentioned in the passage, Shakespeare could have used the information about Caesar's personality, political influence, and tyranny in order to create a more believable, complex Caesar.