Question

Read the excerpt from act 3, scene 2, of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar and the information in the paragraph below it.

Answer 1

Answer:

Iron Maiden's reference to the line from Shakespeare's play is an example of:

B. literary allusion.

Explanation:

The figure of speech known as allusion happens when an author references to something or someone, but in an indirect manner. For instance, suppose you are writing an essay about kindness and selflessness. If you call someone a good Samaritan, you are alluding to a biblical character known for his kindness. When making an allusion, just like that one, the author expects the reader or listener to know what he is talking about. You do not explain what a good Samaritan is, since you expect your readers to know about the biblical story.

That is what we have in Iron Maiden's song: a literary allusion. The composer of the lyrics used lines from Shakespeare's play, from a literary work. He does not explain them, but he expects his listeners to know what he is referencing to.