BRUTUS. Remember March, the ides of March, remember.
Did not great Julius bleed for justice’ sake?
What villain touched his body, that did stab,
And not for justice? What, shall one of us,
That struck the foremost man of all this world
But for supporting robbers, shall we now
Contaminate our fingers with base bribes,
And sell the mighty space of our large honours
For so much trash as may be graspèd thus?
I had rather be a dog and bay the moon
Than such a Roman.
–The Tragedy of Julius Caesar,
William Shakespeare
Which statements bestinterpret the allusion used in the passage? Choose five options.
The ides means “bad news.”
The ides of March is March 15.
This is a cultural and historical allusion.
The soothsayer is the only character to mention the ides of March.
Caesar’s death happened on the ides of March.
Shakespeare was unfamiliar with the cultural and historical meanings of the ides of March when writing his play.
The play was based on historical events surrounding the murder of Julius Caesar.