Read the excerpt from act 2, scene 1, of the tragedy of julius caesar.

brutus. let 'em enter.

[exit lucius]

they are the faction. o conspiracy,
shamest thou to show thy dangerous brow by night,
when evils are most free? o then by day
where wilt thou find a cavern dark enough
to mask thy monstrous visage? seek none, conspiracy.
hide it in smiles and affability;
for if thou path, thy native semblance on,
not erebus itself were dim enough
to hide thee from prevention.

[enter the conspirators: cassius, casca, decius brutus, cinna, metellus cimber, and trebonius]

cassius. i think we are too bold upon your rest.
good morrow, brutus. do we trouble you?

brutus. i have been up this hour, awake all night.
know i these men that come along with you?

cassius. yes, every man of them; and no man here
but honours you; and every one doth wish
you had but that opinion of yourself
which every noble roman bears of you.

which statement best explains how brutus's tragic flaw reveals the theme that citizens are persuaded by charismatic leaders?
because brutus is power-hungry and charismatic, he leads other citizens to conspire to kill caesar.
because brutus is easily manipulated by others, he falls for cassius's flattery and joins the conspiracy.
because brutus is honorable and loyal to the republic, he agrees to keep caesar from the throne.
because brutus is easily persuaded by others, he sides with caesar in his quest to be king.

Because Brutus is easily manipulated by others, he falls for Cassius's flattery and joins the conspiracy.

Explanation:

Cassius persuasive power made Brutus join the conspiracy. This means Brutus has to renounce his respect for, and friendship with Caesar to kill him, for what he was induced to think is a greater cause: the well being of the nation. This means stopping him from getting too powerful.

The answer is B. Brutus's tragic flaw is easily manipulated by others, he falls for Cassius's flattery and joins the conspiracy.

EXPLANATION

This excerpt is from The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. This is a history play that is written by William Shakespeare in 1599. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is one of the several plays that is written by Shakespeare. This is based on true stories from Roman history. In this play, Coriolanus, Anthony, and Cleopatra are also included.

The play sets in Rome in 44 BC. The story is focusing on Brutus and his moral dilemma to join a conspiracy led by Cassius in order to kill Julius Caesar. They want to kill Julius Caesar because they do not want Julius Caesar to become the dictator of Rome. After Caesar’s death, Rome then has a period of civil war.

Even though the play is titled Julius Caesar, but Brutus has a lot of lines inside the play. He has 4 times as many lines as Julius Caesar. The focus on this play is Brutus struggle between conflicting patriotism, friendship, and demands of honor.

In the story, Brutus is easily manipulated by the others. Therefore, Cassius’s flattery has succeeded to trick Brutus into joining the conspiracy of killing Julius Caesar. The answer B is the right one.

LEARN MORE

If you’re interested in learning more about this topic, we recommend you to also take a look at the following questions:

Who is Julius Caesar?

Senate opposes Julius Caesar as a leader:

KEYWORD: Brutus, Julius Caesar, Shakespeare

Subject: English

Class: 7-9

Subchapter: The Tragedy of Julius Caesar