The World of Words: Vocabulary for College Success ... - eLibrary

Exercises 2833. monopolize, monopolyA decade of conquest gained Caesar considerable political importance.He formed a ruling triumvirate with Crassus and Pompey.Crassus died, and despite the fact that Pompey had married Caesar’sdaughter, Caesar and Pompey became rivals. It seemed that one ofthem was destined topower. After somehesitation, Caesar crossed the Rubicon River and attacked Pompey.To this day, the phrase “crossing the Rubicon” means to do somethingthat cannot be undone. Caesar’s victory gave him a4. trivialize, trivialon power.Caesar extended Roman citizenship to everyone in Italy and improvedthe conditions of Roman farmers. He replaced an inaccuratecalendar with the “Julian” calendar, which forms the basis of ourmodern dates. In a somewhat moreaction,he named the month of July after himself. However, his romancewith the Egyptian queen Cleopatra angered Romans. While thismay seem unimportant, we should notCleopatra’s influence on historical events.5. duplicitous, duplicityAs Caesar became ever more powerful, Romans came to resentCopyright © Cengage Learning. All Right Reserved.him. Led by Cassius, severalsenators plottedto murder Caesar on the Ides of March. When Caesar enteredthe Senate, they attacked. Caesar resisted until he realized theof his friend, Brutus, who had turnedagainst him. “Et tu, Brute?” (You too, Brutus?), he exclaimed ashe collapsed and died.6. monarch, monarchyCaesar never became a, but after hisdeath, Rome became a. A few years afterCaesar’s death, his nephew, Octavian, became the first Romanemperor.