Portia cuts herself in the thigh and suffers the pain of both the wound and the infection it causes in silence. The welfare of Rome drives Brutus, and Cassius knows Brutus will give the people what they desire.ġ) How does Portia prove she is worthy to hear the plans of her husband, Brutus? Brutus reveals he has concerns about the state of the Republic, but will not commit outright to join with Cassius.ĥ) How does Cassius trick Brutus into joining the conspirators?Ĭassius fabricates a petition, pretending it is from the angry citizens demanding Caesar's removal, and he throws it in Brutus's window. Gaius Julius Caesar was assassinated on March 15, 44 BC.Ĥ) What is most significant about the meeting between Cassius and Brutus in 1.2.?Ĭassius presents his best argument to convince Brutus, his close friend and brother-in-law, to conspire with him to assassinate Caesar. Note that in the ancient Roman calendar the 'ides' was the fifteenth day of March, May, July, and October, and the thirteenth day of the other months. Caesars encounter with the soothsayer foreshadows his assassination in the senate in 3.1.

The festivities were in honor of Lupercus, the god of nature (Pan in Greek mythology).ģ) Describe Caesar's encounter with the soothsayer.Īs Caesar passes through the crowd the soothsayer cries out to him, warning him to 'beware the ides of March.' Caesar dismisses the soothsayer as a dreamer and continues on. Their hostility toward Caesar serves to introduce the deep political divide that will become the central issue of the play.Ģ) What holiday are the Roman masses celebrating at the time of Caesar's return?Ĭaesar's triumph coincides with the feast of Lupercal, which was celebrated on February 15th. The tribunes are angry that the working class citizens of Rome gather to celebrate Caesars victory, while forgetting Pompey, the Roman hero (and a part of the First Triumvirate that ruled Rome) who was killed in battle alongside Caesar.

Julius Caesar: Study Questions with Answers Act 1ġ) Why are the tribunes Flavius and Marullus so upset at the opening of the play? Julius Caesar: Study Questions with Detailed Answers

Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare