What is Mark Antony's opening line in his funeral oration?

• A. Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
• B. Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to praise Caesar, not to bury him.
• C. I come to speak ill of Brutus and Cassius.
• D. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.

Answer: (A)

The line tests how well you recognize a speaker’s opening move to hook an audience and set up his argument. Antony begins by addressing everyone present—“Friends, Romans, countrymen”—to establish a shared identity and immediate rapport, as if speaking to a single, familiar community. The request “lend me your ears” is a direct, practical call for attention, signaling that what follows is worth listening to. Then comes the stated purpose, “I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him,” which at first glance seems straightforward and modest. That calm, even-handed opening is deliberate: it builds trust and lowers the crowd’s guard, so Antony can steer them later with irony and careful persuasion. This combination—inclusive address, a direct attention-getter, and a clearly stated but strategically restrained aim—makes it the strongest opening for his purpose. The other lines would misstate his aim or belong to different moments or speakers, so they don’t fit the opening’s persuasive setup.