|Question 8Verbal

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The following text is from William Shakespeare's circa 1611 play The Winter's Tale. Camillo has been away from his home in Sicily and serves in the court of Polixenes, the king of Bohemia. He has asked Polixenes for permission to return to Sicily.

POLIXENES: I pray thee, good Camillo, be no more
importunate. 'Tis a sickness denying thee anything,
a death to grant this.

CAMILLO: It is fifteen years since I saw my country.
Though I have for the most part been aired abroad,
I desire to lay my bones there. Besides, the penitent
king, my master, hath sent for me, to whose feeling
sorrows I might be some allay—or I o'erween [presume] to
think so—which is another spur to my departure.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?
It bolsters the idea that Camillo's primary motivation to return home is his concern for the king of Sicily's well-being in his absence.
A
It suggests that Camillo feels compelled to persuade Polixenes that Camillo's decision to leave the court is justified.
B
It establishes Camillo's hope that Polixenes will be comforted knowing that Camillo isn't departing at his own discretion.
C
It conveys Camillo's recognition that one benefit his presence may afford the king of Sicily is merely speculative.
D