What is ironic about discussing whether or not to include cicero in the conspiracy? select two options. casca firmly reverses his position about including cicero, as if he hadn’t been the one to suggest it in the first place. metellus thinks having gray hair is a sign of weakness and poor decision-making, but they also have gray hair. casca thinks he is making important decisions when brutus is really the one leading the way. brutus believes cicero should included as one of the conspirators while cassius disagrees. cassius agrees with metellus that cicero, but casca’s wise argument sways their opinions.

Based on the options given, the two ironic situations are:-

The Catilinarian conspiracy was a plot to overthrow the Roman Republic in 63 BCE. It was led by Lucius Sergius Catiline, a disgruntled aristocrat who had failed to win the consulship. He gathered a group of followers who were unhappy with the political and economic situation in Rome. They planned to assassinate the consuls and other magistrates, set fire to the city, and seize power by force.

One of the consuls, Marcus Tullius Cicero, was a brilliant orator and statesman who uncovered the conspiracy and exposed it to the Senate and the people. He delivered four famous speeches against Catiline, known as the Catilinarian orations. In these speeches, he denounced Catiline and his accomplices as enemies of the state and called for their punishment.

There are several ironies in Cicero's speeches, especially in the first one, where he addresses Catiline directly in the Senate. Here are two possible options:

- Cicero accuses Catiline of being a traitor who wants to destroy the city that gave him birth and honors. He says that Catiline has no regard for the gods, the laws, or the ancestors of Rome. However, Cicero himself was not a native Roman, but came from a provincial town called Arpinum. He was also a novus homo, a new man who had no illustrious ancestors or political connections. He had risen to power by his own merit and eloquence. Cicero was proud of his humble origins and his achievements, but he also faced prejudice and envy from some of the old aristocracy. Therefore, it is ironic that he portrays himself as a defender of the Roman tradition against Catiline, who belonged to an ancient patrician family.

- Cicero praises Brutus as one of the loyal senators who supports him against Catiline. He says that Brutus is a descendant of Lucius Junius Brutus, the founder of the Roman Republic who expelled the last king of Rome. He also says that Brutus is a kinsman of Caius Servilius Ahala, who killed another conspirator named Spurius Maelius in 439 BCE. Cicero implies that Brutus has inherited the virtue and courage of his ancestors and that he will act accordingly against Catiline. However, it is ironic that Brutus would later become one of the leaders of another conspiracy against Julius Caesar, who was Cicero's friend and ally. Brutus would stab Caesar in the Senate in 44 BCE, claiming that he did it for the sake of the Republic. Cicero would regret Brutus' action and lament Caesar's death in his letters.