Quotes
Fill in the blank: "Men at some time are masters of their fates: The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in _____________, that we are underlings.”
Ourselves
During what holiday does Act 1 take place?
The Feast of Lupercal.
Which character is compared to a lion, a bird of prey, and a colossus in Act 1?
Julius Caesar
What does Caesar tell Antony to do to Calphurnia and why?
He tells Antony to hit her with his whip during the Feast of Lupercal celebration because it was thought that this made a woman fertile.
What word describes the people of Rome and their shifting attitudes according to Flavius and Marullus?
Fickle
Who said "Beware the Ides of March"?
The soothsayer.
When is the Ides of March?
March 15th
Who are Marullus and Flavius?
They are public officials (tribunes) who are against celebrating Caesar’s victory.
What does Cassius say he would rather do than suffer under Caesar's rule?
Commit suicide.
Name 3 characters who are definitely in on the conspiracy up to this point.
Cassius, Casca, Cinna
Who were the plebians? What was their status in Rome?
Common people who were working class.
Which character shows his loyalty to Caesar by offering him the crown?
Antony
Describe what happens during the presentation of the crown to Caesar?
Caesar refuses the crown three times, and the people cheer each time he passes it up. Then Caesar collapses, and when he recovered, he offered his throat for the people to cut, but they continued to cheer for him.
What are 4 unusual events that occur during the storm?
There is a slave with his hand on fire but he is unharmed. There is a lion that does not bother anyone. There is a group of women who claim to have seen men running up and down the street on fire. There is a “night bird” (screech owl=bad luck) during the day in the marketplace.
Who said: “You blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things! O you hard hearts, you cruel men of Rome, knew you not Pompey?”
Marullus
What is a triumvirate?
A three person governing group.
Brutus says he is struggling with an internal conflict. What is it?
He is torn between his loyalty to his FRIEND Caesar and his fears about Caesar becoming the king.
What are two signs of Caesar's physical weakness and why is it important that Cassius points these out?
Caesar is epileptic, he once almost drowned in a swimming race against Cassius, he caught a fever while in Spain and was shaking and weak, and he is deaf in his left ear. Cassius points these things out to show that Caesar is no better than any other man of Rome and therefore does not deserve to be treated as a god.
After Cassius' attempt to persuade Brutus to join the conspiracy, when Cassius tells Brutus "I am glad that my weak words/ Have struck but thus much show of fire from Brutus" (1.2.185-186), what literary device is used?
Irony
Who says "O, he sits high in all the people's hearts,/ And that which would appear offense in us/ His countenance, like richest alchemy,/ Will change to virtue and to worthiness" (1.3.162-165) AND who is he talking about?
Casca is talking about Brutus.
Which character pretends to be stupid in order to make the things he says more palatable and pleasing.
Casca
What is Cassius' plan to persuade Brutus to join the conspiracy?
When Cassius says that he had to save Caesar's life by carrying him from the waves, he compares himself to Aeneas carrying his father out of burning Troy. This is an example of...
Allusion