Cassius: mark antony, so well beloved of caesar, should outlive caesar. we shall find of him a shrewd contriver. and you know his means, 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, . . let’s be sacrificers but not butchers, caius. . this shall make our purpose necessary, and not envious; . . and for mark antony, think not of him, for he can do no more than caesar’s arm when caesar’s head is off. what does this interaction reveal about cassius’ motivations?

If the options are:

A.Cassius is motivated by jealousy and thinks Antony is not smart.
B.Cassius is best friends with Antony and wants to spare him the pain of Caesar’s death.
C.Cassius does not want to participate in the assassination plot.
D.Cassius is motivated by his greed for increased political power and does not want Antony to get the power.

The correct answer is D. Cassius is motivated by his greed for increased political power and does not want Antony to get the power.

Unlike Brutus, who wants to eliminate Caesar as a threat of absolute and absolutist power that is dangerous for the state, Cassius is much more manipulative and resolute. Through conspiring against Caesar, he wants not only to depose Caesar, but to prevent his nearest collaborators from getting the power (or at least parts of it) themselves. Once the deed is done, he wants to be in charge.

C, click on the home ribbon!