Brief Questions in Julius Caesar

Answer

Brief Questions in Julius Caesar

• What kind of play is Julius Caesar?

Ans: Julius Caesar is a Roman tragedy based on ancient Roman history.

• What is the major source of Julius Caesar?

Ans: The source is Plutarch’s Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans, translated by Sir Thomas North.

• How did Pompey die?

Ans: Pompey was murdered by his own friends.

• What do you mean by “Tribunes”?

Ans: Tribunes were Roman officials who looked after the welfare of the people.

• What is the feast of Lupercal?

Ans: The feast of Lupercal was a Roman festival honoring the god of fertility and plenty.

• What does “The Ides of March” refer to?

Ans: It refers to the 15th day of March, believed to be unlucky.

• What is the cause of Brutus’s mental conflict?

Ans: Brutus is torn between love for Caesar and duty to Rome.

• What supernatural signs are seen by Casca?

Ans: Casca sees fire raining, lions roaming, ghosts walking, and owls hooting at noon.

• What mistake does Brutus make about the oath?

Ans: He refuses an oath, which weakens unity among the conspirators.

• How does Portia prove her self-control?

Ans: She shows Brutus a wound she made on her thigh to prove her strength.

1. Why did Calpurnia cry in her sleep?

Ans: Calpurnia cried because she dreamed of Caesar’s murder.

• What is Caesar’s attitude to death?

Ans: Caesar says death is inevitable and brave men do not fear it.

• When does Caesar decide to go to the Senate?

Ans: Caesar decides to go when Decius tells him the Senate will crown him.

• Who is Artemidorus?

Ans: Artemidorus is a teacher of rhetoric and a well-wisher of Caesar.

• Who persuades Caesar to go to the Capitol?

Ans: Decius persuades Caesar to go to the Capitol.

• Who are called traitors by Artemidorus?

Ans: The conspirators are called traitors by Artemidorus.

• How does Antony describe the assassins?

Ans: Antony calls them “honorable men” with bitter irony.

• Who form the triumvirate after Caesar’s death?

Ans: Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus form the triumvirate.

• Which forces are led by Brutus and Cassius?

Ans: Brutus and Cassius lead the armies raised in Asia Minor.

• What is Brutus’s last great mistake?

Ans: He decides to march to Philippi against Cassius’s advice.

• When does Caesar’s ghost appear?

Ans: Caesar’s ghost appears to Brutus at night after his quarrel with Cassius.

• What is the meaning of Caesar’s ghost’s appearance?

Ans: It shows that fate still haunts Brutus and predicts his defeat.

• Why does Cassius commit suicide?

Ans: Cassius loses hope after wrongly thinking his friend Titinius is captured.

• How does Cassius commit suicide?

Ans: Cassius asks Pindarus to stab him with his own sword.

• How is Nemesis fulfilled in Julius Caesar?

Ans: It is fulfilled when Brutus, the last conspirator, dies.

• Why is young Cato introduced in the play?

Ans: He represents the brave old Roman spirit that is dying out.

• What was Caesar’s ambition?

Ans: Caesar wanted to be an absolute ruler of Rome.

• What is Brutus’s second mistake?

Ans: He refuses to include Cicero in the conspiracy.

• What holiday are the people celebrating at Caesar’s return?

Ans: They are celebrating the feast of Lupercal on 15 February.

• What is Brutus’s biggest mistake as a leader?

Ans: He lets Antony speak at Caesar’s funeral.

• What does Caesar say when he is stabbed?

Ans: Caesar says, “Et tu, Brute? Then fall, Caesar!”

• Why and how does Brutus commit suicide?

Ans: Brutus kills himself by running on his sword held by Strato.

• How did Caesar become the ruler of Rome?

Ans: He defeated Pompey’s sons and became Rome’s ruler in 45 B.C.

• What is the main theme of Julius Caesar?

Ans: The main theme is ambition, betrayal, and the struggle for power.

• How does Antony describe Brutus after his death?

Ans: Antony calls Brutus “the noblest Roman of them all.”