Julius Caesar

Act 1 Scene 2

Julius Caesar
Act 1 Scene 2
Extract 1
Caesar
Forget not, in your speed, Antonius
To touch Calpurnia; For our elders say,
The barren, touched in this holy chase,
Shake off their sterile curse.

1) Where does the scene take place? Why have the characters referred to in the extract gone
there?
Ans. The scene takes place in a public place in Rome. The characters referred to in this extract
have gone there to celebrate the feast of Lupercal which is the festival dedicated to fertility.
2) What is the ‘holy chase’? Who is assigned to take the ‘holy chase’? What is its significance?
Ans) Holy chase is a part of the feast of Lupercal. It is a race where young men run through the
city touching spectators with leather straps.
Mark Antony and Caesar are assigned to take this holy chase.
It is believed that in this holy race barren women so touched would be cured of infertility.

3) What instructions did Caesar give to Calpurnia earlier regarding the holy chase? What
characteristic trait of Caesar is revealed by his instructions?
Ans) Caesar tells Calpurnia earlier to stand directly in Antony’s path during the holy chase so
that he could touch her and cure her of her infertility.
This reveals Caesar’s superstitious nature.

4) According to the extract, explain the type of relationship that existed between Caesar and
Antony ?
Ans) Caesar and Antony have a close relationship. Caesar trusts Antony enough to give him the
task of touching Calpurnia during the holy chase and Antony is shown to be very loyal to Caesar.
Caesar addresses Antony as a friend and explicitly states that he wants Antony to touch his wifw
Calpurnia during the traditional Lupercal race as it is believed that touching her will help cure her
infertility. This indicates the level of trust and friendship between them. Antony’s loyalty to
Caesar is also evident as he obeys Caesar’s request without question.

5) Give the meaning of:

a) Shake off their sterile curse: This means to eliminate the curse of sterility or infertility.
b) “Do this, it is performed”: This means whatever Caesar says is immediately carried out
without question.
Extract 2
Soothsayer
Beware the ides of March.
Caesar
What man is that?
Brutus
A soothsayer bids you beware the ides of March.
Caesar
Set him before me; let me see his face.

1) What is meant by “Beware the ides of March?” What is its significance in the play, Julius Casar?

Ans) “Beware the ides of March” is the soothsayer’s warning to Caesar of the impending danger to
him on the 15th of March.

It’s significance in the play is that it foreshadows the assassination of Caesar that takes place on the
ides of March.

2) What was Caesar’s reaction to the soothsayer’s warning? What light did this reaction throw on
Caesar’s character?

Ans) Caesar ignores the soothsayer’s warning and says that the soothsayer is a mere ‘dreamer’
whose words need not be taken seriously.

Caesar’s dismissal of the soothsayer shows that he is proud and arrogant. He is not frightened by any
predictions of this kind and that he has too much confidence in himself.

3) What in your opinion is the soothsayers motive in warning Caesar to beware the ides of March?
What theme in the play is revealed through the soothsayers warning and Caesar’s denial of it?

Ans) The soothsayer does not have any personal motive in warning Caesar against the idea of March.
He is a well wisher of Caesar and he merely wants that Caesar should take the necessary precautions
for his safety. He wants to prevent a tragedy.

The theme revealed through the soothsayer’s warning and Caesar’s denial of it is the sense of fate
and the limitations of human agency. The play explores the idea that events may be predetermined
or influenced by supernatural forces beyond human control. It tells us how individuals must deal
with the consequences of their actions.

4) Why does Caesar want the soothsayer to look at him? What does Caesar think of the soothsayer?
Ans) Caesar wants the soothsayer to look at him so that Caesar may himself be able to look at the
soothsayer and scrutinize the soothsayer’s face. By scrutinizing the soothsayer’s face, Caesar would
be able to judge whether the fellow is really intelligent and reliable or he is only a crazy fellow.

Caesar called him a dreamer who need not be taken seriously.

Extract 3:

Cassius

Brutus, I do observe you now of late:

I have not from your eyes that gentleness
And show of love as I wont to have.
You bear too stubborn and too strange a hand
Over your friend that loves you.

1) Where are Brutus and Cassius at this time? What does Cassius observe about Brutus?
Ans) Brutus and Cassius are at a public place in Rome. Cassius observes that Brutus has
been displaying unfriendly and cold behaviour towards him. Cassius tells Brutus that off late
he has been observing that Brutus’s eye did not have the gentleness and love which he had
been accustomed to seeing.

2) Why does Brutus not go along with Caesar to the games? With whom does Brutus contrast
himself? How?
Ans) Brutus does not go along with Caesar to the games because he was not interested in
games. He was preoccupied with his own thoughts about the state of Rome.
Brutus tells Cassius that he does not have the quick energy which is in Antony. Brutus shows
the contrast between him and Antony. Antony is a keen sportsman while Brutus is a
philosopher lacking Antony’s quick spirit.

3) What does Cassius accuse Brutus of? What reply does Brutus give?
Ans) Cassius accuses Brutus of being cold and unfriendly towards Cassius and of not
revealing his feelings. Brutus tells Cassius that he has not been showing any interest in his
friends because he has been feeling troubled by his own thoughts. He says that he has been
feeling vexed because his mind was torn by conflicting emotions. He was tormented by
thoughts which concerned himself alone. Brutus assures Cassius that it was not Cassius or
any other friend of Brutus who had done any wrong or had in any way offended brutus. He
himself is to blame for his preoccupation with certain matters which had been weighing
upon his mind.

4) Give the meaning of:

a. You bear too stubborn and too strange a hand: You are like a rider who is unfamiliar
with his horse but is strict in handling it.
b. Vexed I am/off late with passions of some difference: His emotional conflicts have
angered him. The conflict has made him less pleasant towards his friends.
 5) What do you think is the motive of Cassius in professing friendship to Brutus? What type of a
person is Cassius?
Ans)The motive of Cassius in professing friendship to Brutus is primarily driven by his desire
to manipulate Brutus into joining the conspiracy against Caesar. Cassius recognizes Brutus’s
respected and honourable nature and he believes that by gaining Brutus’s support the
conspiracy will gain legitimacy and credibility.
Cassius is portrayed as a cunning, persuasive and politically motivated character. He is
jealous of Caesars powers and harbours a strong desire to prevent Caesar from becoming a
tyrant. He is willing to go to great lengths to achieve his objectives and this makes him a
complex and ambitious character in the play.

Extract 4:

1. Where are Brutus and Caesar at this time? Why have they come together? Who are
shouting?
Ans) Brutus and Caesar 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 is celebrating the feast of Lupercal.

2. What reason does Brutus give here for the ‘shouting’? What was the real reason?
Ans) Brutus suggests that the shouting is in the honour of Caesar who has just entered the
city. He feels that the people are expressing their joy over a new honour that has been
showered on Caesar.
However, the real reason for the shouting is the festival of Lupercal which
Is being celebrated by the people of Rome.

3. Why was Brutus afraid that Caesar might become the king? Why did he not want Caesar to
become the king?
Ans) Brutus is afraid that Caesar might become a tyrant if he were to be crowned king. He
fears that Caesar’s ambition and desire 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 people and not concentrated on one person.

4. When Brutus says, “I would not Cassius, yet I love him well”, he is undergoing a conflict of
two emotions. What are they?
Ans) 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.

Extract 5:
Aeneas, our great ancestor,
Did from the flames of Troy upon his shoulder
 The old Anchises bear, so from the waves of Tiber
Did I tired Caesar. And this man
Is now become a god, and Cassiusis
A wretched creature, and must bend his body,
If Caesar carelessly but nod on him.
1) Who was Aeneas? Which legendary incident connected with Aeneas is referred to in this
extract?
Ans) Aeneas was the founder of Rome and the ancestor of all Romans. He was a Trojan who,
when Troy was captured, escaped from the burning city carrying his father Anchises on his
back.
2) Why does Cassius compare himself to Aeneas?
Ans) Cassius compares himself to Aeneas, the legendary hero of Troy, to highlight his own
role in saving and supporting Caesae. Like Aeneas he bent his body and carried Caesar across
the river Tiber when Caesar was drowning.
3) Who is ‘this man’? What grudge does Cassius harbour against ‘this man’?
Ans) ‘This man refers to Julius Caesar. Cassius harbours 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 underserved.
4) Cassius states that he is equal to Caesar in three aspects. What are those three aspects?
Ans) Cassius asserts that Ceasar is a mortal like him. He was born a free man like Caesar. He
has ben eating the same kind of food which Caesar has been eating,He possesses the same
capacity to endure the winter’s cold. He means to say that he is as capable as Caesar in
enduring hardships and challenges.
5) Cassius refers to an incident in which he was much superior to Caesar. Narrate the incident.
What conclusion did Cassius draw about Caesar from that incident?
Ans) One day when the weather was foul and when strong winds were blowing,The river
Tiber was swollen with water. On that day Caesar asked Cassius if he had the courage to
plunge into the stormy river with him and swim to a certain point.Before they could reach
the point agreed upon, Caesar cried for help saying that he was about to drown. It was
Cassius who saved Caesar from getting drowned.
Cassius draws the conclusion that Caesar is not as great as he is made out to be and that is
success is due to luck and opportunity rather than his own abilities.

Extract Vi
Cassius
When went there by an age, since the great flood
But it was fam’d with more than with one man
When could they say, till now, that talk’d of Rome
That her wide walls encompass’d but one man?

1) What is referred to as the ‘great flood’? Why is this expression used in the text?
Ans) According to the Classical Mythology, Zeus was determined to destroy the world
because of the sins of men. “The Great Flood’ refers to a historical even t of the Biblical
story of Noah’s Ark when god sent a flood to wipe out all humanity.
 This suggests that Caesars power is overwhelming, much like a flood that engulfs everything
in its path..
This expression is used to emphasise Caesar’s dominance and the fear that some of the
characters in the play have about his rise to power. It conveys that Caesar’s influence is
spreading widely and poses a threat to those who oppose him.
2) Who is referred to as‘one only man? Why is he so referred?
Ans) ‘One only man’ refers to Caesar. The phrase ‘one only man’ emphasizes Caesar’s
uniqueness and the idea that he was a remarkable individual unlike any other. He is so
powerful that he appears he is the only man in Rome. People of Rome could never say
before this that Rome had only one great son to boast of. Now it is a Rome in which there is
room enough only for Caesar. Cassius is jealous of this.
3) What arguments does Cassius give to show that Caesar is not superior to Brutus?
Ans) Cassius argues that Caesar is not superior to Brutus by saying that if their names are
written together, Brutus’s name will be as beautiful as that of Caesar. If their names are
uttered, Brutus’s name will sound as good as that of Caesar. If both the names are weighed
Brutus’s name will be as heavy as that of Caesar.
If these two names are used to summon ghosts and spirits, Brutus’s name will bring forth a
spirit as quickly as Caesar.
4) ‘There was a Brutus.’ Who was this Brutus? What would he have done in Rome?
Ans) This is a reference to an ancestor of Brutus. The ancestor’s full name was Lucious Junius
Brutus , and he had played a leading part in the expulsion of the Tarquins from from . Rome
was at one time ruled governed by a dictator belonging to the Tarquin Dynasty. The dictator
had been driven out of Rome by Brutus’s ancestor.Cassius means to say that this Brutus
should think of the great achievement of his ancestor and should play the same game that
his ancestor had played.That ancestor had liberator Rome from the tyranny of the tarquins
and likewise Brutus shoud liberate Rome from the tyranny of Rome. Brutus’s ancestor would
never have allowed anyone to rule this city as its king just as he would never have allowed
the immortal devil to dwell here and rule the people.