Question

[BRUTUS.] 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.

Which piece of evidence best supports the theme that power can corrupt people?

"lowliness is young ambition's ladder, / Whereto the climber-upward turns his face"
"scorning the base degrees / By which he did ascend"
"I have not known when his affections swayed / More than his reason"
"the quarrel / Will bear no colour for the thing he is"

Answer 1

Answer: scorning the base degrees / By which he did ascend"

Step-by-step explanation:

The piece of evidence best supports the theme that power can corrupt people is "scorning the base degrees / By which he did ascend".

When people attain power, most tend to forget their root and the people who helped them when they didn't have the power. They tend to become proud and not as humble as they were before. This is illustrated in the passage as scorning the base degrees by which he ascend.

The correct option is B.