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Julius Caesar

Act I

Study Guide

Scene I

A street in Rome.

The play begins on February 15, the religious feast of Lupercal. Today the people

have a particular reason for celebrating. Julius Caesar has just returned to Rome

after a long civil war in which he defeated the forces of Pompey, his rival for power.

Caesar now has the opportunity to take full control of Rome.

In this opening scene, a group of workmen, in their best clothes, celebrate in the

streets. They are joyful over Caesar’s victory. The workers meet Flavius and Marullus,

two tribunes—government officials—who supported Pompey. The tribunes express

their anger at the celebration, and one worker responds with puns. Finally, the

two tribunes scatter the crowd.

  1. Why are the people of Rome celebrating in the streets?
  1. Who are Marullus and Flauvius?
  1. Line 30: Why might Shakespeare begin his tragedy on a comic note? What important fact does the cobbler reveal?
  1. What is Marullus’s view of the plebeians? Why do Flauvius and Marullus want to drive them from the street?
  1. What else do Marullus and Flauvius do to further hinder the celebration of Caesar’s victory?
  1. Caesar didn’t historically return to Rome during the Feast of Lupercal. How does Shakespeare elevate Caesar’s status by taking this poetic license and writing Caesar back to Rome on this day?

Scene II

As Caesar attends the traditional race at the festival of Lupercal, a soothsayer warns him to beware the ides of March, or March 15. (The middle day of each month was called the ides.) When Caesar leaves, Cassius tries to turn Brutus against Caesar by using flattery, examples of Caesar’s weaknesses, and sarcasm about Caesar’s power. Caesar passes by again, expressing his distrust of Cassius. Cassius and Brutus learn of Caesar’s reluctant rejection of a crown that his friend Antony has offered him. They agree to meet again to discuss what must be done about Caesar.

  1. What warning does the Soothsayer give Caesar?
  1. Why does Caesar order Antony to touch Calpurnia during the race?
  1. Why might Caesar ask Antony in front of everyone else?
  1. Line 10: This speech suggests something important about Antony, what is it?
  1. What does ides mean?
  1. Foreshadowing: Although the Soothsayer has an extremely minor role, his few words have great implications. What simple dramatic technique does Shakespeare use to focus the audience’s attention on the soothsayer’s words?
  1. How does the soothsayer’s repeated warning serve as foreshadowing?
  1. Why do you think Caesar dismisses the soothsayer’s warning so quickly?
  1. Why does Cassius use flattery when speaking to Brutus?
  1. Does Marcus Brutus like Caesar? What does Brutus think of Caesar’s rise to power?
  1. Brutus says, “For let the gods so speed me as I love/ The name of honor more than I fear death.” What do these lines imply about Brutus’s most important value in life?
  1. What does Cassius say about Caesar’s strength compared to other mortals?
  1. Reread Cassius’s speech in Scene 2, Lines 90-131. Cassius’s main complaint about Caesar in these lines is ______.

Based on these these lines, Cassius wants to kill Caesar because ______.

  1. What is Cassius’ tone in lines 135-136?
  1. Why does Cassius describe saving Caesar from drowning?
  1. “…he doth bestride the narrow world

Like a Collosus…”

This is an example of which type of figurative language describing whom?

  1. In the above comparison, what is Cassius saying about Caesar?
  1. Line 175: Character foil is a character who serves as a contrast to another character, so that each one stands out vividly. How is Cassius a foil to Brutus?
  1. Line 188: Cicero at this time is sixty-two years old, famous as a great advocate of the republic. Though he had supported Pompey and opposed Caesar, Cicero liked Caesar personally and had nothing to do with the assassination. What does Brutus think of Cicero?
  1. Line 194: what does it mean when Caesar says, Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look; he thinks too much: such men are dangerous”?
  1. How many times was Caesar offered a coronet or a small crown?
  1. Line 252: What is “the falling sickness”?
  1. Line 271: Casca gets very sarcastic here. What does he think of Caesar?
  1. Summarize the soliloquy of Cassius in lines 301-315. Why would Cassius not want Brutus to hear the thoughts he expresses in these lines?
  1. Is Cassius an honest person? Why or why not?
  1. What are possible motivations for Caesar to refuse the crown?
  1. What is Casca’s opinion of Caesar? Provide a quote from the text to support your answer.

Scene III

It is the night of March 14. Amid violent thunder and lightning, a terrified

Casca fears that the storm and other omens predict terrible events to come. Cassius

interprets the storm as a sign that Caesar must be overthrown. Cassius and Casca

agree that Caesar’s rise to power must be stopped by any means. Cinna, another

plotter, enters, and they discuss how to persuade Brutus to follow their plan.

  1. What unusual events occur during the storm?
  1. How does the weather in Scene 3 create suspense?
  1. What meaning does Cassius interpret from the storm?
  1. Line 115: Does Cassius seriously mean that Casca is a willing slave of Caesar? What reaction is he looking for?
  1. Reread scene 3, lines 157-160. Why do the conspirators want Brutus to join them?
  1. Who is definitely part of the conspiracy?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

  1. Based on Act I, write three adjectives to describe Cassius.
  1. How would the support of Brutus ease the conscience of conspirators, like Casca, who recognize the offensiveness of the action they are planning?