Read the excerpt from Act II, Scene i of Julius Caesar. Then answer the question that follows.

BRUTUS:
Since Cassius first did whet me against Caesar,
I have not slept.
Between the acting of a dreadful thing
And the first motion, all the interim is
Like a phantasma or a hideous dream.
The genius and the mortal instruments
Are then in council, and the state of man,
Like to a little kingdom, suffers then
The nature of an insurrection.

Which statement best explains the figurative language in the bolded line?

The use of allusion references Greek mythology and compares a myth to a nightmare.
The use of meiosis understates Brutus's dilemma, making his decision seem easy.
The use of metaphor compares the appearance of the ghost of Pompey to a nightmare.
The use of simile shows that not knowing what to do is making life a nightmare for Brutus.