Read the excerpt from Julius Caesar, act 1, scene 2.
BRUTUS. Cassius,
Be not deceived. If I have veiled my look,
I turn the trouble of my countenance
Merely upon myself. Vexèd I am
Of late with passions of some difference,45
Conceptions only proper to myself,
Which give some soil, perhaps, to my behaviours.
But let not therefore my good friends be grieved—
Among which number, Cassius, be you one—
Nor construe any further my neglect50
Than that poor Brutus, with himself at war,
Forgets the shows of love to other men.
Which statement best summarizes the conflict in this passage?
Brutus betrayed Cassius, and now Cassius is angry with him.
Cassius offends Brutus by saying that he does not like the way Brutus looks.
While Cassius and others have noticed a difference in Brutus, Brutus explains that his actions are not because of anything they have done. It is only because Brutus is struggling within himself and has let it unfairly impact how he treats others.
Brutus clarifies that Cassius is his closest friend.
