JULIUS CEASAR

ACT 1 SCENE 2

MULTIPLE- CHOICE QUESTIONS

1 (a) a daydreamer
2. (c) She wouid be cured of infertility
3. (b) Cassius
4. (c) Tactfulness
5. (c) Being too busy
6. (c) His own conflicting emotions
7. (c) The era of the end of republicanism.
8. (b) Brutus cannot see his own worthiness.
9. (c) Mob; Cassius.
10. (a) Antony.
11. (b) He loves honor more than he fears death.
12. (a) Aerieas.
13. (b) Sickness and death.
14. (d) Caesar is weak and vulnerable.
15. (b) Clever manipulator.
16. (c) Slow, deliberate thinker.
17. (b) Caesar.
18. (a) He thinks too much and is dangerous.
19. (a) Antony.
20. (b) He had an irrational prejudice against Caesar.
21. (c) Troublesome times ahead.

EXTRACT 1

1 The scene takes place in a public square in Rome. The characters have gone
there to celebrate the Feast of Lupercal, which is a festival dedicated to fertility.
ii) The “Holy chase” is a part of the Feast of Lupercal. Mark Antony
and Caesar are assigned to take the holy chase. The festival is supposed to make
sterile women fertile and thus will be able to have children.

iii) Caesar instructed Antony to touch Calpurnia during the holy chase, believing
that it would cure her infertility. This reveals Caesar’s superstitious nature and
belief in omens.
iv) (a) “Shake off their sterile curse” means to eliminate the curse of sterility or
infertility.
(b) “Do this, it is perform’d” means that the task must be carried out
immediately.
v) Caesar and Antony have a close relationship.
trusts Antony enough to give him the task of touching Calpurnia during the holy
chase, and Antony is also shown to be very loyal to Caesar.

EXTRACT II
i) “Beware the ides of March” is a warning that the soothsayer gives to Caesar,
referring to the date of March 15th. Its significance in the play is that it
foreshadows the assassination of Caesar that takes place on the ides of March.
ii) Caesar’s initial reaction to the soothsayer’s warning is dismissive, as he calls
the soothsayer a “dreamer” and continues on with his day. This reaction shows
Caesar’s arrogance and disregard for the warnings of others.
iii) The soothsayer’s motive in warning Caesar to beware the ides of March may
be to prevent a tragedy and to avoid the suffering that will come from the
assassination. The theme revealed through the soothsayer’s warning and
Caesar’s denial of it is the idea of fate and free will, and how individuals must
deal with the consequences of their actions.
iv) Caesar wants the soothsayer to look at him because he believes that the
soothsayer can see into the future and he wants to test his
powers. Caesar thinks of the soothsayer as a harmless eccentric who is not
worth taking seriously.
v) Another example of warning about the danger which is in stock for Caesar is
the warning that Artemidorus gives him in Act 2, Scene 3. Artemidorus writes a
letter warning Caesar of the conspirators’ plan to assassinate him, but Caesar
ignores the warning and is subsequently killed
Extract III.

I Brutus and Cassius are in a public place in Rome, while Caesar and his
entourage are celebrating the Feast of Lupercal. Cassius observes that Brutus is
troubled and distracted.
ii) Brutus does not go along with Caesar to the games because he is preoccupied
with his own thoughts about the state of Rome. He contrasts himself with
Caesar, noting that Caesar has become too powerful and that he himself is not
interested in power.
iii) Cassius accuses Brutus of being distant and aloof, and of not revealing his
true feelings. Brutus replies that he is simply introspective and that he does not
wear his heart on his sleeve.
iv) (a) “Vexed I am” means that I am angry or irritated.
(b) “Of late with passions of difference” means that Brutus has been
experiencing conflicting emotions and thoughts.
v) Cassius’s motive in professing friendship to Brutus is to gain his support in his
plot to assassinate Caesar. Cassius is a manipulative and ambitious person who
is willing to do whatever it takes to gain power and influence. He sees Brutus as
a potential ally because of his reputation for being honorable and principled.
Extract IV.
i) Brutus and Cassius are in a public place in Rome, where a crowd has gathered.
They have come together to discuss their concerns about Caesar’s growing
power and ambition. The shouting is coming from the crowd, who are
celebrating the Feast of Lupercal.
ii) Brutus suggests that the shouting is in honor of Caesar, who has just entered
the city. However, the real reason for the shouting is the festival of Lupercal,
which is being celebrated by the people of Rome.
iii) Brutus is afraid that Caesar might become a tyrant if he were to be crowned
king. He fears that Caesar’s ambition and lust for power could lead to the
downfall of the Roman Republic. Brutus believes in the principles of a republican
government where power is shared among the people and not concentrated in
one person.
iv) When Brutus says, “I would not Cassius; yet I love him well,” he is experiencing
conflicting emotions of loyalty and duty. He loves Caesar as a friend but also
feels that it is his duty to protect the Roman Republic and prevent Caesar from
becoming a tyrant.
v) Cassius convinces Brutus by appealing to his sense of duty to Rome and the
republic. He shows him forged letters, supposedly from citizens of Rome, which
express concern about Caesar’s growing power and ambition. Cassius also
suggests that Brutus is a noble and honorable man who should be the one to
lead the conspiracy against Caesar. This ultimately convinces Brutus to join the
conspiracy and assassinate Caesar.

Extract V.
I) Aeneas was a legendary hero of Troy, who fled the burning city and traveled to
Italy where he founded a new city that later became Rome. The incident referred
to in the extract is the story of how Aeneas carried his father Anchises on his
back while fleeing the burning city of Troy.
ii.) Cassius compared himself to Aeneas because, like Aeneas, he is also a man of
action who is willing to do what it takes to achieve his goals. He sees himself as
someone who is willing to shoulder the burden of leadership, just as Aeneas
carried his father on his back.
iii.) “This man” refers to Julius Caesar. Cassius harbors a grudge against Caesar
because he believes that Caesar has become too powerful and is a threat to the
Roman Republic. Cassius also resents Caesar’s success and popularity, which he
sees as undeserved.
iv.) Cassius states that he is equal to Caesar in three aspects: he is as brave, he is
as strong, and he is as cunning.
v.) Cassius refers to an incident where he and Caesar were swimming across a
river in a dangerous current. Cassius saved Caesar from drowning, even though
Caesar was a stronger swimmer. Cassius draws the conclusion that Caesar is not
as great as he is made out to be and that his success is due to luck and
opportunity rather than his own abilities.

EXTRACT VI
i) “The great flood” refers to a historical event of the biblical story of Noah’s Ark
when God sent a flood to wipe out all of humanity. This expression is used in the
text to describe the overwhelming power and destruction that Caesar could
bring upon Rome if he becomes too powerful.
ii) “One only man” refers to Caesar, who is referred to in this way because he has
amassed a great deal of power and influence, making him almost like a god or
an emperor.
iii) Cassius argues that Caesar is not superior to Brutus because he is mortal,
and his power is derived from the people around him. He also points out that
Brutus is a man of great honor and nobility, while Caesar is becoming
increasingly arrogant and power-hungry.
iv) “There was a Brutus” refers to Lucius Junius Brutus, a hero of ancient Rome
who overthrew the tyrannical king Tarquin and helped establish the Roman
Republic. Cassius uses Brutus’ example to show that even the most noble and
virtuous men must sometimes take drastic action to protect their country.
v) One incident that demonstrates Cassius’ shrewdness as a manipulator is when
he forges letters from the Roman people to convince Brutus to join the
conspiracy against Caesar. By appealing to Brutus’ sense of duty and honor,
Cassius is able to persuade him to take action against Caesar, even though
Brutus initially had reservations about the plot.

Extract VII.

i.) Caesar is in a public place in Rome. He is speaking to Mark Antony, a loyal

friend and supporter of Caesar. Caesar is talking about Cassius, and he mentions
that Cassius has a “lean and hungry look” and “thinks too much”.
ii.) The earlier episodes in the play do not necessarily suggest that Caesar has
accurately judged Cassius’s character. While Cassius is portrayed as a shrewd
manipulator, he is also shown to be a skilled politician and strategist. Caesar
may have underestimated Cassius’s abilities and ambitions.
iii.) Immediately before this speech, Caesar has said that he prefers “such men
as he” (referring to a man who is loyal and brave) for his security. The man
referred to in this extract (Cassius) is different because he is described as having
negative traits such as being “lean and hungry” and “thinking too much.”
iv.) Caesar reveals that he is deaf in one ear, which is a physical weakness that
could potentially be exploited by his enemies. The contrast created by this
revelation with the last two lines of the extract is that Caesar seems to be
dismissive of physical weaknesses in others (“Let me have men about me that
are fat”), but he himself has a physical weakness that could be exploited.
v.) Two other examples of Caesar’s physical weakness mentioned earlier in this
scene are that he is prone to seizures and he is deaf in one ear