Final answer:
The crowd's initial response to Brutus's questions after Caesar's assassination was supportive, as depicted in Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar. However, this support wavers after Marc Antony's speech, which shifts public opinion against Brutus.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question revolves around the crowd's response to Brutus's final question after Caesar's assassination. This event is depicted in William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, which dramatizes the conspiracy against the Roman dictator Julius Caesar, his assassination, and the aftermath.
In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, after Caesar is killed, Brutus speaks to the plebeians to explain why the assassination was justified. He asks questions like "Who is here so base that would be a bondman?" and "Who is here so rude that would not be a Roman?" In the play, the crowd initially supports Brutus after his rhetorical questions, persuaded by his arguments that Caesar's death was necessary for the freedom of Rome. However, this loyalty later shifts after Marc Antony's famous speech, which turns the public sentiment against Brutus and the other conspirators, portraying Caesar in a more sympathetic light.
Thus, while initial public reaction was in favor of Brutus, the tide of public opinion turned against him due to the emotive power of Antony's rhetoric, illustrating the fickleness of the crowd and the power of persuasion.