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Read the excerpt from julius caesar, act 2, scene 1. decius. shall no man else be touched, but only caesar? cassius. decius, well urged. i think it is not meet mark antony, so well beloved of caesar, should outlive caesar. we shall find of him a shrewd contriver. and you know his means,165 if he improve them, may well stretch so far as to annoy us all; which to prevent, let antony and caesar fall together. brutus. our course will seem too bloody, caius cassius, to cut the head off and then hack the limbs,170 like wrath in death and envy afterwards— for antony is but a limb of caesar. let us be sacrificers, but not butchers, caius. we all stand up against the spirit of caesar, and in the spirit of men there is no blood.175 o, that we then could come by caesar’s spirit, and not dismember caesar! but, alas, caesar must bleed for it. and, gentle friends, let’s kill him boldly, but not wrathfully. let’s carve him as a dish fit for the gods,180 not hew him as a carcass fit for hounds. and let our hearts, as subtle masters do, stir up their servants to an act of rage, and after seem to chide 'em. this shall make our purpose necessary, and not envious,185 which so appearing to the common eyes, we shall be called purgers, not murderers. and for mark antony, think not of him, for he can do no more than caesar’s arm when caesar’s head is off.190 which conclusion does brutus’ excerpt best support? mark antony’s life will be spared because he will be useless without caesar. mark antony should also be assassinated because he and caesar are so close. all of caesar’s followers should be put to death, not just mark antony. no matter whom brutus and the others kill, the people will see brutus and the others as murderers.

User Michal Kuklis
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1 Answer

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18 votes

The conclusion that Brutus's excerpt best supports is that Mark Antony should also be assassinated because he and Caesar are so close. In the excerpt, Brutus argues that Antony should be killed because he is "a shrewd contriver" and his means "may well stretch so far as to annoy us all." Brutus suggests that it is important to prevent Antony from becoming a threat, and suggests that it would be more effective to kill both Caesar and Antony at the same time. This conclusion is supported by the details in the excerpt, such as Brutus's warning that Antony could "annoy us all" and his suggestion that it would be more effective to "let antony and caesar fall together." It is not supported by the other conclusions listed.

User Lubiluk
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