Read the excerpt from act 2, scene 2, of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar and the background information on the
allusion it contains.
Excerpt:
[DECIUS.] It was a vision fair and fortunate.
Your statue spouting blood in many pipes,
In which so many smiling Romans bathed,
Signifies that from you great Rome shall suck
Reviving blood, and that great men shall press
For tinctures, stains, relics, and cognizance.
This by Calpurnia's dream is signified,
Background information:
In medieval times, it was customary to dip
handkerchiefs into the blood of martyrs and other great
people. Doing so turned the handkerchiefs into relics
for worship or inspiration.
Why does Decius allude to "relics, and cognizance" in
this passage?
A. to flatter Caesar and reassure him
B. to imply that Calpurnia is a sorceress
C. to warn Caesar of the plot against him
D. to prove that Calpurnia can see the future