What does Caesar say before he dies?

• A. "I am Caesar."
• B. "Veni, vidi, vici."
• C. "Et tu, Brute?"
• D. "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears."

Answer: (C)

Caesar's dying words reveal betrayal and tragedy. In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, as the conspirators close in, Caesar recognizes Brutus among them and whispers “Et tu, Brute?” which means “And you, Brutus?” This moment shows the shock of a trusted ally turning against him, making the assassination a deeply personal blow as well as a political one. The line heightens the sense of tragedy: power, loyalty, and fate collide, and the audience feels the heartbreak of betrayal from someone Caesar believed would stand with him. The other famous lines come from different moments in the play—Caesar’s boast about his conquests, and Mark Antony’s ventriloquized appeal to the crowd—so they don’t fit the moment of his death.