Read the excerpt from act 1, scene 3, of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar and the background information on the allusion it contains.
Excerpt:
CASSIUS. There’s a bargain made.
Now know you, Casca, I have moved already
Some certain of the noblest-minded Romans
To undergo with me an enterprise
Of honourable dangerous consequence.
And I do know by this, they stay for me
In Pompey’s Porch. For now this fearful night
There is no stir or walking in the streets;
And the complexion of the element
In favour’s like the work we have in hand,
Most bloody, fiery, and most terrible.
Background information:
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, known in English as Pompey the Great, was a Roman general and political leader. Together with Caesar and Crassus, Pompey ruled as a member of the first Roman triumvirate. As a leader, Pompey was a capable administer and worked to help Rome grow and prosper. Among other projects, he built a large amphitheater in Rome. This amphitheater was named after him, and its annex became known as Pompey’s Porch. During this time, Pompey married Caesar’s daughter, Julia. After her death, however, Pompey and Caesar began to grow apart, and within a few years, Pompey sided with the senate against Caesar. War followed. In 48 BCE, Pompey’s armies were defeated, and he was murdered by former allies who were afraid of Caesar’s power.
The underlined lines are an example of a
cultural allusion.
historical allusion.
literary allusion.
religious allusion.
