Who says, 'But Brutus said he was ambitious, and Brutus is an honorable man'?

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

Answer: (C)

Irony and persuasive rhetoric are being tested here. Mark Antony delivers this line during his funeral oration for Julius Caesar. Brutus had argued that Caesar was ambitious and deserved to die; Antony, while repeatedly calling Brutus “an honorable man,” uses irony to undercut Brutus’s claim and sow doubt in the crowd about Brutus’s integrity. By presenting Caesar’s will and refusing to condemn Brutus outright, Antony elicits emotion (pathos) and builds credibility (ethos) while quietly opposing Brutus. The repeated refrain functions like a steady drumbeat that makes the audience question Brutus’s so-called honor without Antony having to attack him directly. That combination of irony, timing, and emotional appeal makes Mark Antony the one who speaks those words.