Question

Read the excerpt from act 2, scene 1, of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar.

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

Brutus must decide whether to help in the plot to kill Caesar.

Step-by-step explanation:

The passage suggests that Brutus is struggling with the decision of whether to kill Caesar for the greater good of Rome, or to spare his life out of personal loyalty to him. Brutus expresses his concern that if Caesar were to become king, he might become corrupt and dangerous, and that it is better to prevent this from happening by killing him. However, Brutus also acknowledges that he has no personal reason to want Caesar dead, and that he is making this decision solely for the good of Rome. Ultimately, Brutus must weigh his loyalty to Caesar against his loyalty to the Roman Republic and decide whether to join the conspiracy to kill him.