Who declares 'I was not born to die on Brutus' sword'?

• A. Brutus
• B. Cassius
• C. Octavius
• D. Antony

Answer: (C)

It's about identifying who is speaking and what their words reveal about their role and ambitions in the aftermath of Caesar’s death. The line is spoken by Octavius, Caesar’s appointed heir and future ruler. By declaring that he was not born to die on Brutus’s sword, he asserts resilience and destiny—signaling that he intends to survive and take Rome’s leadership rather than fall to Brutus. This moment underscores his rising power and foreshadows the shift of authority to Octavius (and his alliance with Antony) after the assassination.

Brutus would be focused on virtue and the justification for Caesar’s death, often facing death himself; he dies by his own hand later. Cassius dies by suicide after a misread situation, not by voicing a claim about not dying by Brutus’s blade. Antony is more about vengeance and public rhetoric for Caesar, not about his own fate in relation to Brutus.